You can if you speak spanish !!

Music, as always, is very subjective.

I happen to be on the side that believes the music in the genre, should tell a story ( and it should fit the genre where it originates )

The " dance style " performed in Tango, to me , reflects a mood, and that I personally , cannot capture in other styles of music .

The drama in the music, is the embodiment of its soul .

Terence2. To continue. is it possible that those traditionalist not now living not in the land of their birth are trying to keep alive something that in their own country is changing. I say this because I came upon a site in Columbia that had two couples demonstrating what was titled a fast Salsa. Fast is an understatement. The heels never touched the floor. the whole of the dance was done with a bouncing action on the toes. The point is. The music dictates the steps. Not the steps dictate the music. If a certain type of music becomes popular, the steps will alter, whether it be Argentine Tango or Salsa and as it has in the Rumba and the Jive in the International Style. As a competitor Swing Jive is gone. In the Rumba who would have believed that the tempo would be danced at about 24bpm even a short time ago. As I say . The music will dictate the steps. Incidently I couldn't find any Mambo or mention of.

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.