There has been numerous posts and deep discussions on this subject.

I have been dancing ballroom latin ( theres an oxymoron ) since the forties , and the " indigenous , since the fifties .

have been thru all the musical changes . Conceptually ,depending on the style one chooses ( rumba, mambo or salsa ) the dance can "stray " .

a lot is spoken about " son ", which I also dance and teach.It is a rhythm, as wellas a dance form . Add to the mix " clave " .
And to all of that, the different musical styles, the various countries play .
I lived among, taught , and worked with latinos for multi yrs ( they taught me how to REALLY dance the genre ) .
I do not wish to get too didactic, but suffice it to say-- the style to which you refer, Colombian-- is just one more interpretation , loosely based on Cuban style Mambo / Salsa .
I have written many articles on the genre -- as have others-- and if you go to-- salsaforums-- you will find a wealth of info on the whole subject .

Lastly, I will agree wholly with your statement on " music first " steps will follow ( no pun ). The problem has become, many are not appropriate for the social scene, and are generically , out of context.

PS-- Rumba is a " catch all phrase " and has no true implication other than genre .Another term, the non hispanic race, have applied to what they think the dance should be called .The original, is Danzon and Son -also , danced fast, was, and is , Guaracha .

Terance2. Thanks for the reply. I have one more question. Is the Mambo being danced. I see Salsa being taught. I see Salsa being danced. Has Mambo been replaced along with the music.

Not only is Mambo being taught -- there are World Champ .held in Miami every yr. Add to this, the USBC also has a Mambo category.

The A/Murray schools, still have it on their syllabus .

You need to know-- there are many variations in Mambo which did not crossover to Salsa . ( the most obvious , crossover break/ new yorker, is done to L and R in mambo, NEVER in indigenous latin )

I Googled Salsa Manchester. I did the same for Mambo. I chose Manchester because I read there are 120 Salsa Clubs there. The city even has its own Salsa radio station.. I see that there is to be a Salsa Congress in Bournmouth in October in the same venue that the British Ballroom Dancing Championships take place. If you look yourself you will see that the Mambo places listed seem to be all pubs and no clubs as a place to learn.My question is which is the most danced and which is the most taught.

Trust me-- there are NOT 120 clubs " doing " Salsa-- there are not -- I doubt-- that many even in London !

manchester has 1 " authentic " latin club-- Copacabana , it is open ( I believe ) 7 nites a week. There are 2/3 others , that are frequented by the Salseros in the area- many have tried, and folded .

Terance 2. I counted 14 clubs in Manchester. And a total of 104 around that part of the UK. Thats Liverpool Middlesborough and in that general area. Salsa had a congress in Blackpool in the Winter Garden. There is one coming up in Bournmouth next month in the same venue that the British Ballroom Titles are held. If you feel like going to Turkey there is one there also. Can Mambo match the popularity of Salsa.

I think what you found, was a list of Bars , Rest, etc, that have a single nite of salsa . They are NOT a Latin club. I was asked to teach in a restaurant there a while back .

Also, many of those lists are outdated--- like I said, they come and go with rapidity . Even the best clubs have difficulty maintaining a regular crowd .
As to your Q on Mambo,-- it does not get the promo. that it may or may not deserve .
. .
I have never been asked for it in 2 yrs back .
People also believe, that because one breaks on 2, then that is mambo-- not entirely true.

One does not see all of the variations that are consistently used in Mambo being transfered to Salsa .

Terence2. As part of a Ballroom Seminar I attended. A bit on Mambo came up. I thought it was a bit ridiculouse how it went from one tangle of arms to the next. You know how they go into a cuddle hold then somehow the man ducks under and then the lady follows. To me that is not dancing, and done by most it is a mess. The Salsa that I saw in a film , which is still around called Salsa. That to me is dancing.

The variation you saw-- possibly the " tunnel ".
The amount of variety available in any given dance,is for the " leader " to use -- or not .

Remember-- # 1-- pretty much everything you dance in salsa came from mambo, and 2-- everything we dance in mambo came from other dances-- swing being a large contributor .

Salsa, is a Hybrid dance borne out of the roots of Danzon / Son.
If you want a " purist " form of dance, then I suggest you learn Cuban Son-- and or, Cuban style salsa .

Again, this will depend greatly on whom you would get for a teacher-- its taken me fifty plus yrs, working in and around this genre, and even I am still learning .
There are numerous people" teaching ? " , Salsa etc. , that have little or no understanding of its concepts . The average class student, seldom cares about fundamentals,--- just instant dancing .
If you are located in a smaller town, your chances of exposure to the more indigenous styles, will be pretty slim ( no guarantees in large cities ).
A little bit of info. for you to "look up "-- were you aware, that Mambos origins has its roots in " Santeria " ? ( religious doctrine )

PS-- This should all be in the SALSA section !!

Terence2. Paul Killick's site has something on the history of dancing. I see what you mean. Mambo means voodoo priestess in Haiti.