history
Salsa is a fusion of many different d�nce and mus�c styles including African tribal d�nces, Caribbean slave and country d�nces, Native South American d�nces and old European, especially Hispanic, courtly and country d�nces.

Originally the Caribbean and South America was colonized by European settlers who brought their d�nce with them. This was a mixture of courtly and country d�nce. These settlers brought African slaves who introduced their own mus�c and d�nce traditions with them and local native tradition in both the Caribbean
                                              and South American had their own way of d�nce too. These developed gradually
                                                  over time in the 19th Century into Cumbia (in Colombia), Merengue (in
                                                     Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Danzon, Guajira, Guaracha, Merengue,
                                                        Rhumba and Son (in Cuba). In the 20th C�ntury the strong Cuban tradition,
                                                          together with  Colombian, Dominican and Haitian influences produced
                                                           Mambo which was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Salsa grew from
                                                           this in the 1960s and although it is based on Mambo also has many
                                                           other, particularly Cuban, influences too. It spread rapidly because of it's
                                                          lively, simple and all inclusive styl�. It became popular across the
                                                        Caribbean and then spread with Hispanic immigrants into the United States
                                                      in the 1960s and 1970s. Then it went worldwide in the 1980s. Salsa is
                                                   d�nced in a number of styles today, with Cuban and New York being the most
                                              popular. It continues to develop with newer forms such as Timba appearring.

history