Rumba is an authentic Cuban genre that arose in the 19th century among Afro-Cuban communities as a purely percussion-and-vocal art. In classical rumba there are no melodic instruments — only drums, claves, other percussion, and passionate call-and-response singing.
Rumba is closely tied to a dance that conveys the drama of courtship, and it has several varieties (guaguancó, yambú, columbia), each with its own rhythm and character. It is a deeply folk, street, communal art, recognized by UNESCO as part of the cultural heritage of humanity. Authentic Cuban rumba should be distinguished from “ballroom rumba” — a commercial dance widespread in the world. True rumba is the primal energy of the Afro-Cuban rhythm, a “conversation” of drums in which the very soul of Cuba lives.
