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| internet source: Zizomba dancing |
Zizomba is a dance, as well as a music style. The Angolan word 'Kizomba' comes from the Kimbundu language meaning 'party', that pretty much tell the style. Kizomba absorbed the traditional carnival dances like Semba, Kabetula, Kasukuta, Maringa, Caduque, Rebita, Cidralia, Dizanda and was danced in its home country; later the dance and the music travelled to other Portuguese speaking countries such as Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, Brazil and the territory of Macau and the spreading helps it gain its popularity over the world. Unlike the other non-ballroom type of Latin dances which are hot and exciting, it is mostly a romantic dance which emphasis on the hip with very few footwork and sometimes it could be mistakened as Zouk; however, technically speaking, the slower version of the Angolan Semba formed what we call 'Kizomba basics' nowadays.
Semba and Kizomba carry different tempo, however, when the new music genre rose the traditional Semba dancers still danced their Semba step to the Kizomba tempo. Therefore, the basic footstep pattern are almost identical. The key point should a dancer note is the musicality. Similar to the Ballroom Rumba and the Mambo/Salsa, the dances may share a great deal of figures but the music they dance to should give the dances completely different feels. And, because of the evolution, from 1970 onwards, some dance moves are particularly dance to the newer dance but not its mother, Kizomba now does have some moves which are unique from Semba. 1970s was a breaking point for the dance help it out from the shade of Semba- the civil war which bring Cuban presence in Angola. There was cultural influences from different aspect so the music and dance honestly reflected the cultural merges. Since Milonga and Tango were also brought to Angola as a result of globalization, Kizomba also developed as 'African Tango'.
Today, when Kizomba has become a dance craze, we do not name it after its 'parent' or 'uncle' dances but only Kizomba.
Learn more about the other dance styles? Check here.
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Learn more about the other dance styles? Check here.
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