Given that the genre enjoyed its great zenith of popularity between the sixties and seventies, some of the great figures of Catalan rumba have recently left us. In recent times, we have seen the disappearance of El Petitet, el Chacho – one of the great legends of Cera street – and most recently, Delfín Amaya, a member of the popular duo Los Amaya, who died last week. Considered one of the main exponents of the genre, he was one of the great innovators of rumba; he introduced elements that were then emerging in pop music, such as electric guitars and psychedelia. An interpreter of undisputed anthems like Caramelos, ¡Qué mala suerte la mía!' or Vete, together with his brother José, he participated in the closing ceremony of the Barcelona Olympic Games, sharing the stage with Peret and Los Manolos. A relative of the famous dancer Carmen Amaya, Delfín was born in Oviedo, although he developed his entire career in Catalonia.
Catalan rumba claims itself at Unesco and in dance halls
Take flight the rumba dance, which experts describe as a more carefree sevillana
If there's one thing we have plenty of in Catalonia, it's rumba legends. Peret, El Pescaílla, Los Amaya, Rumba Tres... the list is extensive and of the highest quality. Time and persistence have proven right those who claim Catalan rumba as our musical and popular genre par excellence. Although today its most classic version may not be experiencing a period of particular momentum, there are a good handful of bands that have modernized it and brought it into their own territory, as is the case with Habla de Mí en Presente or Maruja Limón. It is clear that its footprint in our local iconography not only has a past, but also a present and a future. The singers, the palmeros, Spanish guitars, the fan (the name given to the characteristic guitar technique of rumba), concerts, gypsies, and the revelry: all of this is rumba. But, what about dancing? Well yes, rumba is also danced, and a lot. “You could say it's the most carefree, most festive flamenco style. It's what is danced at major festivals, weddings, and communions,” explains Ariadna Rojano, a professor of this discipline at the Bailongu school, in the Sagrada Família neighborhood of Barcelona.
“Rumba is born in the street, daughter of Cuba and a little gypsy,” sang the late Gato Pérez in one of his most representative songs. And he was right, because part of the origins of this style take us to the Caribbean island, where a new style was forming from two of the major influences arriving there: traditions from Central and West Africa and elements of Spanish popular culture. In Cuba in the early 20th century, three types of dances associated with this genre were danced: the yambú, the guaguancó, and the columbia. Once they arrived in the Peninsula, other variants were created, and the movement became much more linked to flamenco and sevillanas. “It's a fun and carefree dance, with a lot of foot coordination and toe tapping with arm movements,” clarifies Rojano. All this without forgetting the more technical part, associated with flamenco tradition. “Rumba comes from this style and adopts its most postural technique,” adds the dancer. The truth is that today it is difficult to find a stable circuit where rumba is programmed with any regularity. But you only have to take a look at many of the major festivals in the country, especially those in Gràcia and Sants, to see that listening to and dancing this music continues to be a beloved and very popular activity.
Loli Acebal, an art historian and educator, decided to learn to dance rumba after being surprised by its energy. “At various points in my life I had been approaching flamenco and sevillanas and, finally, in mature age I got more serious about it. I signed up for a school and when, at one of the festivals we do, I saw the girls dancing rumba, I didn't even think about it.” For Acebal, who had been dedicating herself to sevillanas for a few years, it was a kind of revelation: “When we go out to party they play a rumba and we move, but there I discovered that it could be choreographed collectively and I really liked everything it conveyed.” Although she is Argentine by birth, her adoption of Catalan culture from a young age brought her this very specific and local soundtrack: “Who hasn't listened to Peret and El Gato Pérez?”, she asks herself. From here, the natural step was to move her skeleton to their greatest hits. “We have rumba super-integrated, here with the Catalan and in Andalusia with the flamenco. Without anyone teaching us a single step, when one of these songs plays, the body moves on its own, like a rhythm we have innately. I wanted to put technique into this way of dancing that is so ours,” remarks Acebal.
Desire and attitude
Although one might think there are many similarities between dancing rumba and sevillanas, they are not exactly the same. "In the musical aspect, rumba stands out for being much more cheerful. Regarding movement, it has a binary four-beat rhythm, and from this, the 'punteos' emerge, its casual style, and the energy it conveys," says Ariadna Rojano, who speaks of a complexity that adapts to each person. "There is a clear base of basic steps that can then be made more complicated. Anyone can dance the base, because with a minimum sense of rhythm, tapping your feet a little, and moving your arms, you can already perform a rumba." Of course, once you start learning and add more flamenco technique, you can enrich it as much as you want. Her student, Loli Acebedo, points out that rumba is more instinctive than sevillanas: "Sevillanas have a pre-set structure that you have to follow, while you add your art and improvisation. Rumba, on the other hand, gives you more room, it's more open, and it connects you with the bodily knowledge that Mediterranean cultures have and that has to do with collectivity," she concludes.
In Barcelona there are several options for learning to dance rumba –Gracia Flamenca, Ritmos Barcelona, U!Dance–, although nowadays it is more popular to do Cuban rumba than Catalan or flamenco. At Bailongu, classes are one hour long and, as is usually the case, they begin with a warm-up to awaken the body. Then, the rhythm, arm technique, and body posture are worked on, among other things. Finally, you move on to dancing from sequences or mini-choreographies, which is how dancers assimilate the basics and have more fun. A remarkable fact they explain from the school is that the vast majority of people who sign up for rumba classes are women. However, according to the teacher, Ariadna Rojano, you don't need prior experience to learn rumba. “You just need a bit of attitude and a desire to have a good time. We start from scratch, working on the basics with basic points and adjusting the rhythm to internalize everything little by little. You don't need anything else: just the desire to enjoy,” she explains.
International rumba
In parallel with the dancing, there is a struggle that is becoming eternal, and that is the recognition of the music. In this regard, the Platform for the Defense of Catalan Rumba continues with its demand to get the genre inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. Its latest action has been to bring other territories into the claim, adding the Association Cap Gély Figuerolles of Montpellier as a requesting member. “It is a first step to promote the international candidacy of Catalan rumba,” assured Sicus Carbonell, president of the Fundació Sabor de Gràcia, on his social networks.
The formation of this alliance has added synergies for an initiative that since its inception has sought to safeguard the origins of the genre, born in the gypsy communities of Barcelona in the 1950s, mainly in the Raval, Gràcia, and Hostafrancs neighborhoods. The controversy has also accompanied the proposal, as in recent years there have been situations of some tension, when the Spanish Ministry of Culture raised objections to the adjective Catalan, arguing that the music should be presented as Spanish rumba to succeed before UNESCO. With the incorporation of this variant, the initiative would not only bypass Madrid's blockade but would also demonstrate to the world that Catalan rumba is an open and inclusive heritage.