Brazilian regional music has Los Angeles and the world dancing. Brazil is a country rich in rhythms and dances. While samba and bossa nova have conquered fans around the world for some time now, many of the country’s regional rhythms and dances have made it out … [Read more...]
Culture Commentary
Get the latest news and trends in Latin culture with Dance Papi featuring historical analysis, lifestyle news and profiles.
What is Salsa Choke?
When Brasil inched Colombia out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, salsa lovers were left with a sweet consolation prize: The introduction to the latest dance craze, “salsa choke.” This isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon, and dancers in tune with Colombia’s unique moves were … [Read more...]
Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo
A review of Ned Sublette’s tome on Cuban music. We were all surprised when Ned Sublette came out with his hit recording Cowboy Rumba (Palm Pictures) in 1999. It was the perfect—yet totally unexpected and hard-to-imagine—blend of country-western and Afro-Caribbean … [Read more...]
Salseros Lost in 2016: Part 2
We continue remembering artists we lost in 2016 and who contributed greatly to salsa and Afro-Cuban music. They—and others—are now up in that great rumbón in the sky. Ismael Quintana (June 3, 1937–April 16, 2016) Ismael Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto … [Read more...]
Salseros Lost in 2016: Part 1
2016 saw the loss of several great artists who made considerable contributions to salsa and Afro-Cuban music. In Part I, we remember two great soneros—one from Mexico, another from Cuba. Luis Ángel Silva Nava - "Melón" (October 2, 1931–February 8, 2016) Melón … [Read more...]
Carbondale Salsa Group Celebrates 18 Years
You might not think “huge salsa dancing scene” when you think of Carbondale, Illinois, but it’s home to one of the longest, continuously running salsa groups in the country. In fact, the Salsa Dance Night group is celebrating their eighteenth year! The group of … [Read more...]
Willie Colón, un rebelde con causa (Español)
Considerado uno de los pioneros en el desarrollo del auténtico movimiento salsero a finales de los años 60 y principios de los 70, “El Malo de la salsa”, como es comúnmente llamado, creció en el barrio latino del distrito del Bronx en compañía de sus abuelos … [Read more...]
10 datos históricos de la salsa (Español)
La salsa es un ritmo que mueve al mundo, una expresión cultural que define la identidad de millones de personas, un baile que se ha convertido en puente de comunicación entre hombres y mujeres. En palabras del famoso compositor cubano Eduardo Morales Caso “la salsa es … [Read more...]
Top 10 Salsa Scenes from Movies
Maybe you sought out a Latin dance movie, or maybe you were just pleasantly surprised by a stunningly choreographed routine that became the highlight of an otherwise ho-hum feature film. We all have our most memorable dance scenes—some of us have even mimicked them for … [Read more...]
Master the Yonder Alonso Salsa Dance!
A touchdown dance in football is nothing new—even though they’ve been banned in some instances. But baseball? Thanks to Oakland A’s first baseman Yonder Alonso, dancing is making a splash in baseball, and it’s all about salsa. The Cuban batsman is 29 years old and was … [Read more...]