Spanish

The author profiles merengue musician Elvis Crespo. The author asserts that Crespo helped to reinvent the merengue genre in the late 1990s with his song "Suavemente," which sold more than 800,000 copies in the United States. The author explains that Crespo's musical style is referred to as merengue bomba, which is a more driven, edgier form of the genre.

Presents basic ballroom dancing steps for salsa, cha-cha and merengue.

Provides information on the popularity of flamenco dance, which originated from Spain, in the United States. Performance of Joaquin Cortes in the dance `Pasion Gitana'; Difference between contemporary and fusion in dance. INSET: FLAMENCO ON VIDEO, by Deirdre Towers.

The article provides information on Cumbia, a dance which began as part of the Spanish slave trade in Colombia. The most popular variation on cumbia is a partner dance, which resembles a more vertically minded salsa, punctuated by rhythmic hopping. The dancers maintain this rhythm as they navigate through turns-side to side, behind the back, or with one partner on bended knee, hand held out like a compass as the other literally dances circles around him.

The article deals with the growing popularity of salsa dancing among African Americans. An overview of the figures illustrating the increase in number of African Americans enjoying salsa dancing is presented. Details of the origins and development of salsa dancing are outlined. Factors associated with the popularity of salsa dancing include the inclusion of salsa dancing in television dance specials and movies and the proliferation of salsa congresses in the U.S. and Europe.

When Cuban-born Celia Cruz arrived in New York City in 1962, she faced audiences that dismissed her as irrelevant to their current musical and cultural preferences. The boom in ethnic pride of the 1970s, though, allowed Celia to emerge as the only female superstar of salsa, the "new" sound of Latin music. From 1971 to 2003, Celia developed into a dynamic entertainer representative of the commercial success of salsa music, the musical, linguistic, and cultural possibilities and tensions associated with "crossover," and the essence or cubanidad of the Cuban exile community. Throughout this paper, I argue that Celia both manufactured and resisted her popularity with a mainstream audience, demonstrating that "crossing over" does not necessitate a shift from the margin to mainstream but may also represent a shift from one sort of margin to another

In this article the author discusses international interest in salsa dance and music as practiced in Latin America. The author examines the roots of the music, the origins of which are claimed by both Cuba and Puerto Rico. The article notes that an interest in tango has grown out of the salsa craze in Europe.

The article discusses the exploration of Argentine tango, focusing on two important figures from the music's early years: Juan de Dios Filiberto (1885-1964) and Enrique Santos Discepolo (1901-1951). Both are considered as the architects of the original tango during the 1930s-40s and both the performers left important marks on the tango. Along with Guillermo Facio Hebequer, painter and graphic artist, they formed a group that depicted workers and the poor in a realistic style in hundreds of paintings and prints. Examining these early tango creators yield new information about one of the original moments of Latin American social realist art and reveals their leftist political roots. The article presents an illustrated description of the evolution of tango and the Argentine arts.

The article focuses on the tango dance and presents photographs of dancers participating in tango shows in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It traces the history of tango which originated in Buenos Aires. Information is presented on the movement patterns in the tango. It discusses the photographic solutions for capturing tango movements.

Presents several photographs of various dance performances. Samba de gafiera dancing at the Grande Baile do Clube dos democráticos in the Lapa district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Tango dancing at the Círculo Trovador in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dancing at El Palenque in Havana, Cuba.

Focuses on the revival of tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina. History of tango; Qualities of tango, according to writer Ezequiel Martinez Estrada; Reasons for the resurgence of tango; Facts that often escape those who seek to adopt tango for their own.

Long celebrated as a "national" genre in Argentina, tango has not been massively popular there since the late 1950s. Beginning in the late 1990s, however, a renewed interest in the genre began to develop among many Argentines, and tango has since risen to again occupy a prominent position within the wider domain of the country's cultural life. The reemergence of tango was punctuated by the devastating Argentine economic crisis of December 2001, which generated severe economic hardship and raised fundamental questions about self and society in Argentina. In this context, the collective work of a growing milieu of contemporary Argentine tango artists, audiences, and critics has amounted to what has been called a "renovación" ("renovation" or "renewal") of tango. As a musical practice, renovation consists of drawing upon genre conventions, stylistic details, and musical repertoires from previous periods of tango history and incorporating that material into current practices.

The article uncovers the Argentine roots of tango. Tango, celebrated the Argentine national identity, making its way across the world. Many Hollywood movies from the early twentieth century, to the more recent productions, have incorporated tango into its theme. The article introduces the musical group Forever Tango, starring prominent Argentine performers, and its world tour, which depicts tango's history and music to become an international megahit and eventually reaching Broadway. The first ground-breaking, money-making show "Periodo Villa, Villa" by the dance troupe De la Guarda, which was a major hit in the 1990s, is also described.

Focuses on the bandoneón music of Buenos Aires, Argentina which is the central element of tango. Background on the mystery of bandoneón lament; Complexity of playing the bandoneón instrument; Information on Walther Castro, a traditional bandoneónists.

The article presented the re-emergence of the tango culture in the mid-1980s, after nearly seventy years, and studies its impact on the international audience. The tango has not lost its charm and this revived interest in tango offers a unique opportunity to examine the contemporary cultural productions and plot new relations between diverse peoples in a period of accelerated globalization. The recent fascination with tango raises many questions. Does it constitute a desire to reassert the fictive purity of the "other" against the rapidly changing ethnic composition of the US and many European countries? The new age tango provides a moral imperative to understand one's self in the world.

Discusses the popularity of tango in Argentina. Brief history of tango; Features of some tango clubs; Information on the annual tango festival in Buenos Aires.

Presents a first person narrative describing the author's travels to Buenos Aires, Argentina and her encounters with Tango music and dancing.