"Boogaloo" with Rodrigo Cortazar in Tisno, Croatia (El Sol). "Gimme Some Love" by Joe Cuba

Описание: Festival: elSol Tisno 2025 (September 17 -22)
Song Credit: Gimme Some Love - Joe Cuba

What is Boogaloo?
The Boogaloo in the context of mambo refers to a vibrant fusion dance style and music genre from the 1960s, which combined elements of Latin music (like mambo and cha-cha-chá) with African American rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul.

Characteristics of the Dance Style in Mambo
Freestyle and Improvisational: The dance was loose and allowed for personal expression, rather than a strictly regimented form.

Rhythmic Focus: It was often described as a "funky cha-cha-cha," utilizing a side-to-side or triple-step footwork pattern.

Body Movement: Dancers incorporated distinct arm swings, head nods, shimmies, and full-body pulsating motions, reflecting the energetic and syncopated music.

Connection to Mambo: The boogaloo dance and music grew out of the Mambo era in New York City and is now often incorporated into the dance vocabulary of intermediate and advanced salsa/mambo dancers, usually as part of the "shines" (solo footwork).

The Music
The accompanying music, also called boogaloo (or bugalú, shing-a-ling), was a short-lived but highly influential genre popular in the United States, especially in New York City's Spanish Harlem, with famous songs including Pete Rodríguez's "I Like It like That".

It is important to note that this 1960s social dance is distinct from the later funk-oriented Electric Boogaloo street dance style that developed in California in the 1970s, which is a form of popping and uses robotic movements and muscle contractions.