Dances are like music, thousands of years old, and occur on all continents, in all communities. A pedigree of dance can draw only briefly on the basis of common features, then follow the traces on paper and later on film and video.
It is not always clear which were the ancestors of a dance. Often sources give conflicting information.
Many Latin and so European dances are mainly brought by Portuguese and Spanish along with slaves from all over Africa to the Caribbean and the New World. Music, rhythm and dance of all these nations fused and influence each other. Into this mix, root much of our present dances.
The following pedigrees of dances are also inevitably a little simplistic and schematic.
Sometimes there are decades difference between the mention of (the name of) a dance, and being known or becoming popular.
More dances move away ingloriously into oblivion.
We restrict ourselves to headlines with links to our current Western dance.
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Jive-swing family |
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Indian dance |
Negro dance |
Contra dance |
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Cake walk (1880) |
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Ragtime (muziek) |
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-mutch ´–trots´ & ´-walks´ |
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Jazz, Tapdance |
Charleston, Foxtrot |
Black Bottom |
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Lindy hop(1926) (black) |
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Jitterbug (1930) (blank) |
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Jive & Swing(verzamelnaam) |
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Boogie Woogie(1940) |
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Be bop (genoemd)(1945) |
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West coast Swing (1950) |
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Rock & roll (1956) |
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Twist(1960) |
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Popcorn (1969) |
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Disco(1972) |
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Hustle(1975) |
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Discofox(1973) |
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Caterete Embolada Batuque |
+ Lundu |
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= Zemba Quenca |
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= Mesemba |
+ Maxixe (1914) |
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= Samba (1923 Europe) |
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Contradance (1500) Roman/Latin |
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Contra Danza Habanera (Cuba) |
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Danzon (slowed down to) |
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Son (1795) |
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Guaracha Bolero + |
(Square) Rumba (Cuba 1807) |
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= Rumba (1930 USA) |
+ Montuno |
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= Chachacha(Jorrin 1948) |
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Mambo(Perez Prado, Haïti 1954) |
+ Cumbia |
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Salsa |
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Flamenco (Sp) Tangano (African) |
Habanera |
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Milonga |
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Argentine Tango(1880 Buenes Aires) |
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Tango demonstration Paris by Mistinguett (1910) |
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Ballroomtango |
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Volta (1559 Provence or Italy) |
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Waltzen (1754 Germany) |
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Landler |
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Weense wals (1807) |
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Boston (1874) |
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Englishe (slow) waltz(1921) |
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Ragtime (1900) |
One Step Two Step Castle Walk |
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Foxtrot |
Shika (Nigerie) |
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slowed down to |
accelerated to |
+Charleston (1922) |
+ Black Bottom |
+ Shimmy |
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Slowfox (1924) |
Quickstep (1927) |
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History is what we want to see of our past. (Freek De Jonge)