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Cultural Tourism in Cuba

Music and Dance

The tourism industry in Cuba has been selectively affected by cultural music and dance over the course of the past half century. Historically, the generally most popular genre of music and dance is the Afro-Cuban cultural genre of Rumba. Rumba is known among Cuban citizens as being a racially stereotypical genre that is linked to violence. Being the biggest tradition that is most black-identified by Afro-Cuban citizens, the Rumba genre has been characterized by Cuban society as an attempt to portray African contributions to Cuban culture. Rumba is influenced by a mixture of African rhythms, patterns, and dances, as well as European poetic melodies. It is associated with a variety of practices including Afro-Cuban sacred traditions, and festivals or community events involving the poorer black and mixed raced communities. Since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the newly socialist government has attempted to maintain the connection and value of the cultural Rumba tradition with the Afro-Cuban culture among Cuban communities. They began to incorporate and institutionalize Rumba styled performances and classify it as part of a Cuban identity. However, while the government still tries to maintain Rumba styled traditions, many Cuban communities wish to be unaffiliated with the practice. The Rumba traditions are linked to cultural tourism in Cuba through performances at various venues and music and dance lessons offered to foreign tourists. Tourism organizations help the Cuban economy in this way by organizing various performances and music and dance lessons linked to Rumba traditions at various prices in order to entice tourists to learn about a major tradition for Afro-Cuban culture. [1] In addition to various performances and practices of the Afro-Cuban culturally based genre, Rumba, music and dance affect cultural tourism in Cuba in other ways linked to the Caribbean location. Cubans are generally known to be interactive with tourists regarding their music and dance traditions. They take credit for the style of Son, which is known to be an early style of Salsa. The Cuban community expresses their interactive musical and dance style in this Son and Salsa genre, which explains why Salsa dancing is such an interactive dance. Overall, tourism in Cuba is affected by musical and dance aspects through the performances of Rumba and Salsa styles, and through dance lessons and musical teachings of, but not limited to, various percussion instruments. [2]

References

1.	Bodenheimer, Rebecca M. "National symbol or 'a black thing'?: rumba and racial politics in Cuba in the era of cultural tourism." Black Music Research Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, 2013, p. 177

2.	"Learn salsa in Cuba." International Travel News, Sept. 2003, p. 118. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=tel_a_utl&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA108315270&it=r&asid=1d0a4e2edac5b84a6534c8f3665fdff5. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.