Afrocuban dance tells the stories of saints or Los Orishas, Eleggua, Oggun, Yemaya, Obatala and many more. When the slaves were brought to Cuba from Africa, they also brought the Yoruba religion with them, but were discouraged from practicing it by their white owners. The slaves circumvented this by identifying each yoruban Orisha with a catholic saint, for example, Chango is also the catholic Santa Barbara. The merged Religion is called Santeria which is still widely practiced alongside Catholicism in Cuba today.

   The dances of Los Orishas are very much a part of modern day Cuban culture and as such, are of interest as much for the understanding of the history of Cuba as for the vibrancy, energy and pure spectacle of the dance. Each of them has their own music, clothes, style, personality, and symbols, with all of this elements incorporated into each dance. These are considered to be the roots of all Latin dancing coming from Cuba; the Rumba, the Mambo, the Cha cha cha, etc. all of these exuberant body movements and isolations are extremely used to adorn and enrich today's famous Salsa and Mambo.
 

the Rumba

Rumba was brought to Cuba by the slaves and The Cuban Rumba is very different than what one would see in a Ballroom Dancing competition. The dance is highly energetic and was derived directly from the dancing of Africans. Some of the moves are so suggestive and frank, that the dance was often considered unacceptable in the countries where they were performed.

The Cuban rumba is highly POLYRHYTMIC and it takes 3 forms:

Yambu: Is slower and elegant form of dance, imitating the movement of old people combined with the basics steps of the Rumba.

Guaguanco: Is a very flirtatious dance that represents a seduction attempt on the part of the male, with the female standing resistant to the man’s charms. In order to achieve sexual gratification, he must impress his female partner, It is a dance of skill and chase between man and woman, usually bringing dancers close together. There is much what one might deem “inappropriate” body contact when the couples connect, and many moves indicate various sexual positions with the male clearly dominant. The dancers are mostly apart, and utilize a significant amount of floor space while performing very different moves far apart from each other.

Columbia: Is fast and athletic, mainly (but not always ) performed by the men. It incorporates a lot of the same movements from Guaguanco and Yoruban dances (the dances of the Orishas), it can also bring some acrobatic moves or any representation of other types of dance ( in short moments ) mixing it with the authentic steps of Rumba in order to show great skills on the dance floor. The Columbia is extremely and extrictly competitive, only one person dances at a time so the audience can see clearly who brings the best to the dance floor. No man will step inside the circle without asking permission to dance as a way of showing respect and bringing attention to his show.
 

the Mambo

The Mambo dance originated in Cuba and attributed to Perez Prado who introduced it at Tropicana night-club in Havana, it used rhythms derived from Afrocuban music. The Mambo was originally played as any Rumba, it may be described as a riff or a Rumba with a break or emphasis on 2 and 4 in 4/4 time. Native Cubans or musicians would break on any beat. The Cuban Perez Prado moved his music to Mexico, and then New York City, along the way, his style became increasingly homogenized in order to appeal to mainstream American listeners and it remained popular throughout the United States and Cuba until the 1960s. Mambo is at the roots of the Salsa dance. It is danced with a lot of afrocuban hip motions, very relaxed knees and extremely grounded movements. Some of the Ballroom Mambo dancers have influenced this dance with many foreign movements, taking it far away from its roots, but when it is well executed, is considered to be one of the most difficult styles of dances.
 

the Cha Cha Cha

The cha-cha was created in Cuba in 1954 by a Cuban violinist called Enrique Jorrin. According to Jorrín, the sound made by the shoes of the dancers on the floor sounded like "cha-cha-cha", while they tried to follow the new rhythm that, at the beginning, was simply called "mambo-rumba". In the slow Mambo tempo, there was a distinct sound in the music that people began dancing to, calling the step the "Triple" Mambo. In early days, this dance and its music were both known as "triple mambo" or "mambo with guiro rhythm". The cha-cha part of the rhythm is a series of small gliding steps that barely touch the floor. A huge variety of fancy footwork can be added to the dance, imitating the execution of the real Cuban rumba .The cha-cha includes a lot of hip movements. The pelvis is held in one position and left free for this motion. Cha Cha is considered to be an offshoot of the Mambo.