Cuban Dance Styles: The Complete List

Cuba’s dance and music have had a tremendous impact on Latin music, social dance, and global popular culture. The island has long been a cultural melting pot of Indigenous Taíno heritage, Spanish colonial influence, and powerful West & Central African traditions, whose mixing (under difficult historical circumstances) sparked remarkable creativity in music and dance. This fusion sits at the heart of cuban culture and the wider Caribbean, shaping both cuban music and movement.

Salsa dance owes much of its roots to Cuba, with rumba, cha-cha-chá, pachanga, mambo, and many other dances influencing how salsa is danced today. While the term “salsa” was coined in the United States, so much of the music, rhythms, and movement vocabulary trace directly to Cuba via cuban musicians who carried these sounds across Latin America and beyond.

If you’re new to Cuban dance—or just want a clean, definitive reference—this guide walks through every major Cuban style, grouped by category with short descriptions. By the end you’ll have a complete overview of what’s out there so you can find the Cuban dance styles that are right for you! Think of it as a field guide to the most popular dance forms from Cuba and the Caribbean.

Cuban Dances List

Popular / Salon (Social) Dances

Partner/social dances you’re most likely to see on today’s floors—core pillars of cuban music and social life:

Afro-Cuban (Folkloric)

Classic street/stage folkloric forms with African diaspora roots—the foundational afro-cuban dances that inform much of cuban culture:

Rumba (Yambú, Guaguancó, Columbia)

Afro-Cuban (Religious)

Ritual/staged traditions that inform Cuban movement vocabulary and the soundscape of cuban music across the Caribbean:

Traditional / Regional & Rural

Older campesino and regional forms that predate or parallel son—living links between Cuba and Latin America’s countryside traditions:

Salon Classics & Precursors

Historic salon forms that seeded many modern Cuban dances and influenced popular dance trends across the Caribbean:

Casino (Cuban Salsa)

Casino is Cuba’s signature partner dance, born in 1950s Havana from son, cha-cha-chá, and mambo figures. The name comes from the mid-20th-century “casinos deportivos”—Cuban social clubs and dance halls in Havana where the style took shape. Dancers said they were “bailando en casino” (dancing at the casino), and the name stuck.

Outside Cuba it’s often called Cuban salsa since it is often danced to salsa music along with timba. The movement is circular, similar to East Coast Swing, rather than in a slot like New York or LA-style salsa. It is generally fast and energetic, with incorporation of Afro-Cuban elements that reflect everyday cuban culture.

Rueda de Casino

Rueda de Casino is the group form of casino: couples dance in a circle and swap partners as a caller announces synchronized moves. It emerged in mid-century Havana and is now a global social staple, with different moves and calls being created depending on the region—another export of cuban music and dance to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Cha-cha-chá

The cha-cha-chá was introduced in early-1950s Havana by composer Enrique Jorrín, evolving out of danzón-mambo. Its triple “cha-cha-chá” step gives the dance its name and bounce. The cha cha spread to the US in the 1950s, leading to a brief “cha cha craze” and to this day is a staple of ballroom dance competitions and social scenes across Latin America.

Son Cubano

Son Cubano, also known as Cuban son, is the elegant ancestor of many Cuban partner styles, originating in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century. Dancers often break on the second beat (contratiempo) with close connection and precise phrasing. Because son dancers break on2 following the tumbao, many New York-style salsa dancers have incorporated son movements into their dancing. Its instrumentation and feel are emblematic of classic cuban music crafted by generations of cuban musicians.Son Cubano

Mambo

Mambo developed from danzón-mambo in late-1930s/40s Cuba and exploded internationally via the big-band era. Mambo reached its height in New York at the famed Palladium Ballroom, where legends such as Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez elevated the music to a new level. The mambo dancing in the Palladium was a direct precursor to salsa when it burst onto the scene in the 1960s, powered by touring bands and cuban musicians who shaped popular dance across the Caribbean.

Bolero

The Cuban bolero is a romantic salon partner dance that flourished from the late 19th century and later fed ballroom “rhumba” styling. It moves slowly with expressive weight transfers and lyrical phrasing. The music has some similarities to cha cha, but is slower and more elegant—an enduring favorite in Latin America.

Pachanga

Pachanga is a playful late-1950s charanga-era dance with a bouncy knee action and gliding footwork. It has been revived in recent years by salsa artists such as Eddie Torres and Tito Ortos and is a staple in salsa shines. Pachanga is strongly associated with the Palladium years in New York and ties directly to charanga ensembles central to cuban music.

Rumba (Yambú, Guaguancó, Columbia)

Afro-Cuban rumba is a cornerstone folkloric complex with three principal styles: Yambú (slow, often elder/soft), Guaguancó (flirtatious couple game with the vacunao “vaccination” gesture), and Columbia (fast, traditionally solo/male). Rumba’s rhythms and body language permeate Cuban movement across genres, including casino and increasingly salsa. As one of the most recognized afro-cuban dances, rumba links social life, ritual, and street performance throughout the Caribbean.

Yoruba/Orisha (Santería)

Yoruba-derived sacred dances personify the Orishas, gods/spirits of the Santería religion. There are deities that each have their own unique dance style, including Changó (thunder), Yemayá (sea), Ochún (fresh waters), Elegguá (crossroads), Ogún (iron). The Yoruba dances have religious significance, but they are also taught by many teachers as folkloric dances, and Yoruba styling is often incorporated into casino, salsa and other dances. These roots are essential to understanding cuban culture and the evolution of cuban music.

Congo/Bantú (Palo, Makuta, Yuka)

Another common Afro-Cuba dance style comes from the Congo, and is referred to as Afro-Cuban Bantu or Afro-Cuban Congo. There are three dance styles that make up Colongolese dances:

Palo (from the Palo Monte religious complex) is known for its fierce, percussive quality—low center of gravity, sharp accents, stamps, cuts, and powerful torso work. The energy can feel confrontational or combative, channeling the drum’s attack.
Yuka is traditionally danced to a family of yuka drums and often depicts a playful courtship between a “chicken and hen” (gallo y gallina). You’ll see chasing motifs, pecks, and quick directional changes punctuated by hip and pelvic isolations that answer the lead drum.
Makuta is a communal celebration style with processional figures, big polyrhythmic hip-torso actions, and a buoyant swing that sits deeply in the groove.

Contemporary salsa and casino dancers frequently borrow Congo/Bantú flavors—Palo’s sharp breaks, stamps, and chest hits; Yuka’s playful “chase” and pelvic accents; Makuta’s rolling torso and grounded sway—for shines, body-movement sections, and Afro-Cuban fusion passages. In salsa these elements are used stylistically (not ritually), adding texture and rhythmic conversation with the music—signature characteristics of afro-cuban dances.

Abakuá (Íreme/Ñáñigo)

Abakuá is a male fraternal society of West African (Ekpe) origin in Cuba. Its masked dancer—the Íreme (Ñáñigo/“diablito”)—performs distinctive ritual steps seen in staged folklore today, often showcased by cuban musicians and dance companies on international tours.

Arará (Dahomey/Ewe-Fon)

Arará traditions (especially strong in Matanzas) honor deities of Dahomey/Ewe-Fon origin. Their music and movement are distinct from Yoruba forms but share the same Afro-diasporic depth, reinforcing the cross-currents between Cuba and the broader Caribbean.

Changüí (Guantánamo)

A festive rural music-dance from eastern Cuba with call-and-response vocals and tres riffs; it predates and feeds into modern son and remains a living community tradition. The bouncy step from Changüí has also been incorporated by many modern salsa dancers and celebrated by traveling ensembles of cuban musicians.

Nengón & Kiribá (Baracoa)

Two older campesino forms from Baracoa considered roots/precursors in the son family tree. Local ensembles keep them alive in community gatherings and regional festivals across Cuba and Latin America.

Sucu-sucu (Isla de la Juventud)

A regional dance-music style from the Isle of Youth, historically related to changüí and son montuno, practiced since the early 20th century (with some claims even earlier). It’s part of the rural tapestry of cuban culture.

Zapateo

A stomping, heel-toe campesino dance of Spanish lineage that took root in rural Cuba centuries ago and influenced other countryside genres—one of the oldest threads linking Cuba to the folk traditions of Latin America.

Danzón (National Dance of Cuba)

Danzón crystallized in the late 19th century (Matanzas) and is officially recognized as Cuba’s national dance. Its salon elegance shaped later forms like mambo and cha-cha-chá, and its orchestras helped define the golden age of cuban music.

Contradanza / Habanera

The 19th-century Cuban contradanza—internationally popular as the habanera—introduced hallmark Afro-Cuban rhythms (tresillo/cinquillo) to salon music and directly seeded danzón and, downstream, mambo/cha-cha-chá. Its spread across the Caribbean fed salon repertoires and future popular dance forms.

Cuban Dance FAQ

What Cuban dances are most popular worldwide today?

For social dancers: Casino, Rueda de Casino, Cha-cha-chá, Son, and Mambo are the most visible globally, with regional scenes for Bolero and Pachanga. These styles are ubiquitous across the Caribbean and Latin America.

Are Afro-Cuban religious dances done socially?

They’re primarily ritual or staged (folkloric) rather than social-club partner dances, but their movement vocabulary deeply informs Cuban styling across genres such as salsa. In short: afro-cuban dances influence how people move, even when the context is a social floor.

What’s the difference between Casino and Salsa?

Casino (often called “Cuban salsa” abroad) developed in mid-century Havana’s casinos deportivos. It’s typically circular and energetic, with figures like dile que no, enchufla, and vacílala, and it draws heavily on Afro-Cuban body movement. Dancers may use tiempo or contratiempo timing depending on the music (son, timba, etc.).

Salsa (as codified in the U.S.) is usually slot-based and line-oriented (think cross-body leads and traveling turns) and can incorporate multiple spins. There are regional differences in timing (on1 vs on2) similar to casino.

Convergence: As scenes cross-pollinate through festivals, socials, and online classes, the differences are softening. Casino dancers increasingly incorporate slot elements (e.g., linear cross-body pathways and turn chains), while salsa dancers borrow Afro-Cuban movement, rumba/Orisha flavor, and circular transitions—so you’ll often see hybrid vocabularies on the same floor.

And that’s our tour of Cuban dance—salon, folkloric, regional, and everything in between. If we missed a niche style you love, drop it in the comments and we’ll add it! Whether you come for the popular dance scenes or the deep folkloric traditions, exploring Cuba’s dances is a window into cuban culture, cuban music, and the creative pulse of the Caribbean and Latin America.