SQUARE vs. CUBED!

By Mark Parkin, WDO Historian

In the late 1950’s there was a seismic shift in the world of Latin American competition dancing that would change absolutely everything. It was to be so far reaching that its effect is still being felt, almost like the aftershocks of a great earthquake.

Yet many contemporary competition dancers are completely unaware of this ‘Big Bang’phenomena, loosing considerable insight into the context of their performance.

So, let’s explore this historic transformation and see where it leads us……….

HEALTH WARNING

Like any other journey there will be hazards along the way. Let’s try to identify some of them. Latin American as a phrase is a mixture. Interestingly, the dances were originally known as “the Latin AND American dances.” This makes sense as Jive doesn’t seem very “Latin” and Paso Doble isn’t exactly “American.” The phrase Afro-Cuban has a similar connotation. The trouble with mixtures is the blend. How much Afro? How much Cuban? How much American? How much European?

Now let’s introduce another factor into the equation…..TIME!

Dancing and music are constantly evolving, adding and subtracting layers to and from the mixture. What can be reasonably accurately described at one point in time may be completely different thirty years later.

Musicians find it notoriously difficult to agree on almost anything. Classically trained (western) musicians often fail to grasp that other forms(Jazz, Blues, Latin, African) do not all follow the rules. After all this time they cannot really agree on the meaning of “swing!”

Dance teachers are equally problematic. I visited clubs in New York in the late 1970’s playing what was called Salsa. The dance was usually an unscripted version of what would usually be called Mambo.

Thirty years later there were dancing schools and clubs in the UK advertising “Salsa” lessons. However, the word Salsa was now applied to the dance rather than the music. The word ‘Mambo’ was never mentioned. But different schools were teaching different steps, advertising Cuban Salsa, Brazilian Salsa, New York Salsa. They all had one thing in common. They all said it was completely “AUTHENTIC.” Be very careful of this phrase!!! It is widely misused and abused. 

The study of dance and music traditions can never be an exact science. There can never be concrete proof. What you are left with is circumstantial evidence and the balance of probability.

Be VERY, VERY careful of anyone who tells you that something is, or was absolutely a certain way…..

So off we go into a maze of rhythms, cultures and dance in search of something that is absolutely probably true!!!

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

There is much here that is generally accepted to be fact. The “New World” was colonised from the East by European nations. The major players were Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, France and Holland. These countries relied heavily on slave labour largely imported from western Africa. This all began in the late 1500’s and the slave trade ended around the end of the 19th century. This provided a rich melting pot of culture, including music and dance from which new traditions were born. In tracing the history of the Rumba, we will largely concern ourselves with Afro-Cuban music, but we must keep a watch on parallel developments elsewhere.

As the music evolved so did the dancing associated with it. The music was very heavily dominated by percussion, as opposed to the evolution of more vocal styles (Jazz, Blues) on the North American mainland. This was accompanied by a more provocative, sensual form of dancing. However, we cannot ignore that the slave population would have been influenced by what they observed their masters performing. Western influence also plays a big part. Every Latin dance performed in “Close Hold” still bears the stamp of man’s left to lady’s right hand, right hand on lady’s left shoulder blade.

Another blindingly obvious factor we cannot ignore is that dancing has been traditionally a way to meet people of the opposite sex. I KNOW this to be true because my mother and father met at a dance, so I wouldn’t be here otherwise!

This has gone through many forms over centuries, including strictly regulated “court” dances (probably the basis of ballet and sequence dancing) into lavish “coming out balls” – the beginning of “Ballroom.” This has carried on developing over decades, each new wave of dancing a little less regulated, a little more promiscuous and almost certainly accompanied by a ban! Even the Waltz was banned at one point….

Eventually the ballet masters of the Court were replaced by dance schools and these would have been well established in South Eastern USA by the early 1900’s. There is also some evidence of American instructors working in Cuba at the time. It should be remembered that prior to the Cuban Revolution of the 1950’s, Cuba was a playground for wealthy Americans, full of lavish hotels with a vibrant programme of dancing. A fertile breeding ground for dancing to develop!

So, the background is set, and we need to start analysing the steps and the music to find out what actually probably happened to the Rumba…….

STEP STRUCTURES

When Afro-Cuban music and its associated dances began their inevitable trickle northwards they were met with well established dance schools who quickly saw an opportunity. However, they were faced with a dilemma in how to teach the new Rumba craze. It seems highly likely that they chose to use the pattern already well established in the Waltz. The evidence here is compelling. The Waltz pattern had been in popular use for a considerable time before the rise of Latin American music. The step pattern of the Square Rumba is identical to a Forward Change followed by a Backward Change step in the Waltz. They both consist of a forward step (man) followed by a side, close, then reverse. Too good to be true? Probably….

However, it should be remembered that the slaves may have emulated their masters and been partially influenced by the Waltz.

The Square Rumba became very popular throughout the eastern part of the USA from where it spread to other regions and inevitably to Europe. There is significant coverage of it in the English dancing press where one leading professional expresses the view that there is no need for significant change, just carry on teaching the “Valse,” in another timing!

One of the problems with Square Rumba is its basic structure. It is based on accenting a forward step. This loosely resembles a march. It is well known that much of Ballroom dancing has some strong military traditions. The offset body position is widely accepted to be due to the positioning of the man’s sword, so this is fairly uncontentious.

However, almost every other Latin or African based dance accents a side step.

Walter Laird once famously said “Ballroom dancing is about going to war – Latin American is about going to bed!” While this is said in Wally’s own inimitable style, it does encapsulate what many body language experts will tell you, namely that side steps are subconsciously more sexually provocative.

The Cuban Rumba, as it became known, is a whole different beast. It consists of a dominant side step, followed by a smaller forward or backward step and a replace. Then simply reverse the pattern. Interestingly and very compelling is that Cha Cha Cha, Mambo and other dances use this pattern. It appears highly likely that this was in fact the original pattern, with dominant side steps and relatively insignificant forward and backward movements.

This caused very significant problems for the teaching profession. Failing to grasp that the forward step was not the most important they would try, and almost always fail, to teach pupils to start on beat two. As this beat is relatively insignificant (more of this later) it was very difficult to achieve.

Unfortunately, this was compounded by many of the published techniques beginning their explanations on beat two. Even Walter Laird’s Technique of Latin Dancing (IDTA) is written in this form. It does contain the note that “every figure should be preceded by a step on count four.” When I asked Wally about this he just laughed and said “you can’t change the world in a day!”

In terms of step structure, most of the evidence points to the conclusion that the original steps were approximately related to what is called the “Cuban System.” Many other Latin forms use similar structures.

Square Rumba was probably a practical adjustment by established dance teachers to take advantage of a new dance craze. This should not in anyway be seen as derogatory. It has allowed millions of people to enjoy dancing. It is still a staple part of the syllabus in the USA and brings a great deal of pleasure to many.

It should be noted that in the USA there is a dance that has become known as Bolero. Essentially, this is the Cuban System danced to Square Rumba timing.

Now if you thought that was all contentious, just wait for the next bit……TIMING!

TIMING PATTERNS

Let’s see what we can agree on, before we move over to “the Dark Side….”

The word Rumba seems to have many meanings. It is widely agreed that the word derives from Cuban slang, meaning “party.” The phrase “los Rumberos” was often used to describe a group of noisy musicians. It is also widely agreed that Rumba began at a much faster, almost frenetic tempo than that used today in competitions.

Often in Cuban music words we think are referring to a specific dance may be actually referring to a part of the song structure. In the same way, a whole genre of music such as Salsa is now thought of in some countries as being a specific dance.

In researching Cuban music, you will find certain phrases reoccurring in relation to modern Rumba. Some of these include “Son,” “Son Montuno” and “Danson.” They are all valid and intriguing, especially as historical background.

Musically, explaining Rumba can be a technical nightmare! By definition, Afro-Cuban music is full of conflicting influences and ideas. There will always be purists who insist that something is “authentic.” There will be others trying to move the debate forward. Fascinating to watch, but how do we make sense of it?

You will hear talk of magical spells such as “poly rhythms.” Equally beguiling! Many professional musicians I know play poly rhythms beautifully, but if you asked them what it meant they probably would never have heard the word….

Let’s leave the analysis/paralysis behind and strip it down to raw basics;

Rumba in the modern era is played in “common time.” This means it has four beats in the bar. It is called common time simply because it is the most “common” structure. Please note, bars are sometimes called measures – especially in America.

If we had a metronome play this, we would eventually become disorientated as each click would sound the same. What we need here is an ACCENT! This is where things can get really contentious …. Walter Laird wrote “rhythm is the regular occurrence of accented beats.” Nice, simple and clear. However, is an accent a louder sound, a deeper sound or a sharper sound? In truth, it’s different for different people.

Many classical musicians cannot understand the concept of an accent being anywhere else except ONE. In America there are T-shirts widely on sale at Blues events proclaiming “friends don’t let friends clap on one and three!”

If we examine the system followed by the Laird technique the analysis is fairly straightforward. The counts ONE TWO THREE FOUR are broken down into half beats, ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR and. The conga plays this rhythm with louder, deeper emphasis on the last two half beats. This becomes:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & and is the basis of modern competition Rumba. It dove tails perfectly with the Cuban System. Dominant side steps on the accented beat Four, causing a more emphasised step. This results in a hesitation (no step) on count ONE, followed by regular steps on counts Two and Three. It should be noted that count Two is relatively unimportant and there is no logic to this being an accent or a beginning.

Generally, most of the dances using the Cuban System step structure use the same timing ideas. This is often referred to as “breaking on Two,” stemming from the flawed misconception that the forward step must be the accent.

However, if I remember my visits to the clubs of New York and my fascination with Mambo, not all of the dancers were using exactly the same timing or step structure – just most of them! This is probably the nearest you’ll get to the truth. A group of people who have never, ever had a dance lesson making it up as they went along. The dance teachers standardised it later.

We must now turn our attention to Square Rumba and its musical construction. Essentially it is very simple. A forward or backward step on count ONE, a pause on count TWO and a side, close on counts THREE, FOUR. This could be counted SLOW, QUICK QUICK. Does this look familiar? It should do, because it is the basic timing of Foxtrot! By now you are all screaming, they have stolen a step pattern from one dance, set it to a timing from another and called it a new dance! 

Although the evidence is fairly compelling, we should pause for thought. Firstly, it allowed people to start learning Latin American dancing relatively quickly, thereby paving the route for what was to follow. By now, Hollywood had discovered Latin American and the doors were opening.

Perhaps more importantly, the timing of Square Rumba made more sense than trying to make students mistakenly accent forward steps on count Two, for which there is absolutely no suggestion of in the music.

Danced musically correctly, the Cuban System is logical and “feels” right musically. False accentuation makes it unnatural.

I told you it was contentious!!!

THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE

No discussion of Latin American can be complete without discussions of “Clave Rhythms.”

Claves, are as most of you know, two small sticks, which when they are struck produce a relatively high pitched, dominant sound. They may not look much, but in many Latin American bands the clave player is considered to be the musical director!

What is really important is the rhythms that they play.

Clave is essentially an African rhythm which fits over a two-bar sequence in western music. There are many variations, but by far and away the most common is what is known as “3:2” clave. This is because there are three sounds in the first bar and two in the second bar. In a very simple way of looking at it, there are sounds in the first bar on counts ONE, the ”AND” before THREE, and count FOUR. In the second bar they fall on counts TWO and THREE. This looks something like this: –

1 (2) & (3) 4 (1) 2 3 (4)

Try clapping this until it becomes second nature. It’s pretty central to the whole Latin thing!

Now, just in case you thought all this clave stuff just relates to Rumba, it’s pervasive through all Latin music. But it doesn’t stop there!!! It is intertwined through almost all popular music which has some African influence. There are so many famous songs written around it, it is virtually everywhere. I will list just a few: –

Not Fade Away (Buddy Holly, Rolling Stones)

I Heard it Through the Grapevine (M. Gaye)

Faith (George Michael) 

The Bo Didley Beat (Bo Didley)

Stand by Me (Ben E. King)

What you will hear in these examples if you listen closely (please do!) is that although the clave instruments themselves have been removed, the rhythm has survived, not only played by other instruments but in the melody line of the song.

So, let’s examine why this rhythm is so important and why it has been so influential in dancing, and especially in Rumba.

The one thing that really stands out is the “AND” before three. You can think of this as a “late” TWO or an “early” THREE. Either way, it’s not where you expect it. Now describing how music makes you “feel” is really a fool’s game, as everybody feels things differently, but some how this timing adds a tension to the music. This tension can be described as sensuous, or even sexual. Rumba and Foxtrot both have four beats and a similar tempo. However, their rhythms have a different nuance and the resulting dances are poles apart.

It should be noted that bass instruments often play just the first bar of clave, then repeat it. This results in:

ONE (two) AND (three) FOUR throughout. This is sometimes called “Habanera.”

Coming back to our examination of step structure and timings, it is useful to compare the construction of the Cross Basic using “Guapacha” timing in the Cha Cha Cha with the Cuban system. Very small steps forward and backward on, wait for it, the AND before three. In fact, Cha Cha Cha feels great using this timing almost everywhere…

Walter Laird had a theory – and he was quick to point out that it was only a theory – that the original Cuban system may have had the forward/backward steps on the “AND” count.

While only a theory, it adds weight to the Cuban system being the original version.

So now we turn to the evolution and history of the competitive style, which of course mirrors the developments in dance school practices to a large degree. There are going to be some very large generalisations coming up, which some people may disagree with. I’ll try to be as factual as possible, but it is always constructive to hear the opinions of others.

It would seem that when the Rumba began to make its trek northwards, music first of course, it was adapted by dance schools in the USA. These schools repackaged the Waltz. This is understandable, as it was easier for their pupils, already challenged by a new style of music.

This was probably the birth of SQUARE RUMBA. In the meantime, the Cuban system continued to develop.

The Rumba craze inevitably spread to Europe where there were already well organised teaching systems, particularly in England and France. There were a few personalities which stand out from this era.

Lyndon Wainwright was an eminent meteorologist who travelled extensively collecting information on dancing around the world, performing with his partner Felicia. His 1949 book “Ballroom Dances of the Continent and Latin America” still contains the Square Rumba.

M.et Mme. Ronnaux of France were extremely successful performers and according to the French press won the “unofficial” World Championship several times before the International Council of Ballroom Dancing (ICBD) granted its “official” status in 1960. They are also credited with European titles throughout the 1950’s.

During this era Square Rumba was used exclusively, although it is not exactly clear which system was in place for the 1960 championship.

One person stands out through this era and remains a monumental figure in the development of Latin Dancing. 

Pierre Jean Phillipe Zurcher-Margolle (1890-1963) was born in Toulon, France. He later moved to Paris where he was a keen visitor to Latin clubs and Cafes. After the end of World War 2 he was resident in London working as a professional dancer. By 1934 his trade adverts were featuring the Rumba. He revisited Paris to examine the dancing there, where he encountered a system popularised by visiting Americans, namely the “Square Rumba.”

Pierre became a legend within Latin American dancing and did indeed visit Cuba to study the dancing and the music after the second World War (1947). There he encountered the Cuban System. He made a repeat visit to confirm his suspicions that the dancing in Europe had veered from its original form. He was accompanied on this trip by his partner, Doris Lavelle, and a young competitor, James Arnell. In her diary of a visit Doris Lavelle recalls being told by a Cuban professional “you are dancing out of time!” Happily, there are a few professional dancers still teaching today who were lucky enough to know and study with Doris personally.

It would seem that Pierre’s suspicions were correct, and upon his return he became a strong advocate of the Cuban system.

Pierre published Latin and American Dances for students and teachers” in 1948. In this publication he included both Square Rumba and the Cuban system.

It is interesting to note that there are accounts of American dancers teaching in some of the hotels in Cuba and it is highly likely that confusion was widespread.

Pierre’s views eventually won the day, although not without significant resistance. Certainly, there is archive film footage of high-ranking competitions in Europe during the 1950’s where Square Rumba was standard. Certainly, when Msr. & Mmme. Ronnaux were in their pomp, Square Rumba was the order of the day. However, by the early 1960’s when Laird and Lorraine won their three World titles (1962,63,64), the Cuban system was in place.

There are legends of “the Rumba Wars’ and rumours of an important competition involving a face-to-face confrontation, possibly between judges, where all this came to a head. No doubt these tales will continue to gather with time…..

So, there you have it. Sometime around 1959/1960, the accepted Rumba for competition dancing became the Cuban system. The step structure and musical construction offered a fertile ground for the development of today’s dancing. If nothing else, it directly led to the development of the most practiced action used today in Latin American dancing – the RUMBA WALK! First named by Walter Laird this action is a direct development from the Cuban system and is heavily practiced by every competitor I know or have seen for many years.

The switch from Square Rumba to the Cuban system coincided with other important developments. The International Council of Ballroom Dancing was formed in 1950 but only granted a World Championship in Latin in 1960.

Ballroom and Latin became separated for competitions but prior to this they were combined. This led to an explosive change in costumes. The footage of the 1950’s shows gentlemen in tail suits and ladies in ballgowns performing Latin Dancing. Contrast this with early 1960’s Laird and Lorraine in Bolero jacket and beads….an explosive transformation!

IN THE MOOD!

One thing we have not considered yet is the mood or characterisation of the dance and how this was affected by the Square vs. Cuban developments. Certainly, we can see that the step structure reflects a different attitude. Square Rumba has a “close” in every bar of its basic movement while the Cuban system has none. In fact, the modern syllabus of Rumba has a long list of variations where there are no “closes” at all. Hockey Stick, Open and Close Hip Twist, New Yorks, Hand to Hand, etc. have none except for fan position and the odd Cucaracha for the man. This has led to a more provocative style. Modern Rumba is very evocative and has little resemblance to the mood of those mid-fifties rather sedate offerings, although they were ground breaking at the time. The sensuality and open flirtatiousness of Latin American dancing was met with fierce resistance as it made its way through the dance world. To give you one glaring example of this, I was once told a story by Walter Laird and an encounter with M. Pierre. Wally had been studying for some time with Pierre and was eventually invited to his house where he was shown some “home movies” of dancing in Cuba. Wally was incredulous and asked what were all these people doing “wriggling their hips?” to which Pierre replied “of course, but you can’t expect British people to do things like that!”

It’s pretty clear that Rumba and its development has had a pretty colourful, spectacular journey along the way to where we are today.

CONCLUSION 

As I said from the start, proving anything definitively is impossible. What we are left with is probability, or shades of probability at best.

Certainly, there are personalities who have straddled the development of Rumba like giants. Pierre and Lavelle, Laird and Lorraine to name but a few. Researching their history is a good starting point for those who find it fascinating.

For those who are currently performing (or teaching) Latin American dancing, and Rumba in particular, I urge you to spend a few moments contemplating the development of the form, all the way from what was an earthy tribal ritual, through the sophistication of Café Society to the magical qualities we see today. See if you can pick out the clave rhythm and the deeper rhythm of the accented FOUR. Ask yourself how that makes you feel about the music. Ask yourself how your choreography (step structure) relates to body language, music and your partner. You just might find a little bit of inspiration that will allow you to move the debate a little further down the road. The history of Rumba is not finished yet……