The rumba is a romantic, emotional dance which is danced to much slower music than the other Latin dances, including cha cha, samba, and jive. The slower music of the rumba allows for dancers to place more emphasis on the traditional Cuban action of the hips. Rumba is typically danced to a speed of 23-25 measures (92-100 beats) per minute.
Rumba has a 4/4 time signature, which is common among all the ballroom and Latin dances with the exception of waltz. While rumba music could be counted as "1, 2, 3, 4", "1, 2, 3, 4", the second beat is generally emphasized in rumba music (the instrument emphasized is called the clave, which is the basis for Latin music in the rumba genre). Rumba's dance patterns will generally follow this musical emphasis, and the count "2" will have more movement and accent in the dance than count "1". To better match the music and the patterns of the rumba, rumba music is often counted as "2, 3, 4-1", with the foot position not moving on count 1.
Rumba is considered the "dance of love" and is intended to portray a love story between the dancers. This makes the rumba perfect for the first dance at a wedding, since it is slow and intimate like a waltz, but can be danced more easily to popular songs with its 4/4 time signature (waltz has a 3/4 time signature, which can be harder to find in a song). Rumba is also the perfect dance to learn for a date night or anniversary.
When selecting a song to dance rumba, finding music in a 4/4 time signature shouldn't be a challenge, as this is the most common time signature for songs. However, some songs are more suited to the character of the rumba than others, and for a strictly traditional Latin rumba, the musical downbeat should be on count "1" with the clave instrument emphasized on count "2".
In addition to the traditional Latin music, popular songs in many genres have been remixed to be perfect for dancing rumba as well, such as DJ Ice's remix of the song "Numb" below. While this is originally a song by an American rock band (Linkin Park) and this version has lyrics in French, the rhythm and character of this remix is decidedly a Latin rumba. If you listen carefully to count "2" in this song, you may pick out the bright, vibrating clicking noise of the clave. If you can't hear these distinctions yet, don't worry! Hearing and counting music are surprisingly difficult skills, but our professional dance instructors can help teach you these skills in person during your private lessons or group classes.
In the meantime, we've listed 10 of our favorite songs for dancing the rumba below! All of these songs already have the correct time signature and speed to dance the rumba. We've assembled songs from different genres to show the versatility of the rumba. If you have any more questions about the rumba and what songs it can be danced to, please contact us at info@aretedancecenter.com - we're happy to help!
10 Songs You Can Rumba To
"Besame Mucho" - Andrea Bocelli
"Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps" - Doris Day
"A Whole New World" - Tanz Orchester Klaus Hallen
"Nobody Knows" - Andy Fortuna Productions
"Take My Breath Away" - Berlin
"And I Love Her" - Ballroom Orchestra and Singers
"Harlem Nocturne" - Big Band Der Bundeswehr
"Whatever Lola Wants" - DJ Maksy
"Killing Me Softly" - Gold Star Ballroom Orchestra
"Casi un Bolero" - Ricky Martin
Want more rumba? DJ Ice Dancesport Music is known for remixing popular songs for ballroom and Latin dance. We have included his playlist for rumba below. All of these songs should be relatively easy to count and have consistent timing, as they were designed especially for rumba. (Click the icon in the top right corner of this video to open the full playlist.)
Click here to learn more about the rumba, and how you can learn this dance at Areté Dance Center!
If you have any questions, contact us at info@aretedancecenter.com or (408) 824-0074. Enjoy your dancing!