Rumba, the dance of love, is one of the most romantic and passionate of the Latin dances. Of all dances, actually. It's no wonder why it's a second most popular Latin dance, just behind Salsa. It's a great dance for weddings. In this article we will take a peek into the history of rumba, or sometimes rhumba.

The origins of rumba go back to the sixteenth century Cuba. It appeared with the arrival of black slaves that were imported from Africa by the Spanish colonists. Rumba was originally danced to a mixture of flamenco melodies and the rhythms of the African slaves music.

The original form of rumba was very fast and sensuous. Because of this it was often viewed as immoral and sometimes suppressed and restricted. The word rumba comes from the Spanish word "rumbear" which means going to parties, dancing, and having a good time.

Afro-Cuban rumba is very different than the rumba we know today. American style was popularized in the United States in 1930s. At that time it had a fast tempo and was usually accompanied by Big Band music. Early American Rumba was danced almost twice as fast as the modern ballroom rumba.

Modern rumba is usually danced to music with four beats to the bar. The rhythm is slow-quick-quick. It can be danced to a wide variety of music genres from Latin music to modern day pop hits. The famous rumba songs include: Traces - Gloria Estefan, Falling Into You - Celine Dion, And I Love Her - The Beetles, Girl from Ipanema - Frank Sinatra, It's Now or Never - Elvis Presley, and so on.

Rumba evolved quite a bit from its Afro-Cuban roots. From the original wild and fast paced dance to more stylized and slower appearance. In both cases, it is the dance of passion.

Today, rumba is danced all over the world and is one of the most popular ballroom dances. One of the main reasons of its popularity is the ease of learning.