Most of what Americans call rumbas were forms of son which swept Cuba in the 1920s The Cuban rumba was a secular drum form with many variants, including the guaguanco and the columbia, though modern musicians tend to regard all these as separate Its descendent variations can be heard in New York parks any summer weekend played by groups called rumbas or rumbones By analogy, a percussion passage in a salsa number, or a percussion-only jam session, is sometimes called a rumba or rumbon
The Rumba was originally a marriage dance Many of its movements and actions which seem to have an erotic meaning are merely depictions of simple farm tasks The shoeing of the mare, the climbing of a rope, the courtship of the rooster and the hen, etc It was done for amusement on the farms by the black population of Cuba However, it became a popular ballroom dance and was introduced in the United States about 1933 It was the Americanized version for the Cuban Son and Danzon It is in 4/4 time The characteristic feature is to take each step without initially placing the weight on that step Steps are made with a slightly bent knee which, when straightened, causes the hips to sway from side to side in what has come to be known as "Cuban Motion "
a ballroom dance based on the Cuban folk dance a rhythmic syncopated Cuban folk dance in duple time syncopated music in duple time for dancing the rumba
Informal "get-together" combining African drumming and Spanish or African vocal traditions with improvised dancing and singing Rumba also refers to the rhythms played at these gatherings Those rhythms (guaguanco, columbia and yambu) are played on three congas and / or cajon