Figure 1.--Here we see a Conga-Line, probably at abirthday party. The snapshot is undate, but looks like tge eraly-1950s. |
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We see some images of pary dancing. We do not knoe much abouty hrm. All we have are the snapshots, motly from the post EWorld War II period. We donot know if this is when the party dancing began or when indoor photography became easoer. Probabky the best know dance is Conga-line dancing. The dancers form a long, holding on to the person in front, usually turning into a circle. There are three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick just before the fourth beat. Traditional Caribbean Carnival dances include the Conga and Chancletas (sandals). Conga suggests the Congom has a source, but there is no evidence of this. They are Latin American dances that originated in the colonial period. The Conga is an upbeat walking dance that accents the fourth beat of the measure as the dancers (solo or in groups) wind through the streets. In formal parade units, simple conga choreographies are an impressive, festive site. Britain of course had Caribbvean colonies. We are not sure when thr tradition was adopted in Britain as a popular paryy dance. Some sources claim that the Conga-line was more specifically related to Cuba, presumably implanted in the Caribbean by the enslaved people working on sugar plantations. It became especially popular in Cuba where it became a popular street dance. Politicians after the establishment of the Republic to attract popular appeal (1900s). Cuba of coirse was a Soanish colony, liberated by the Amricans (1898). Britain had little to do with Cuba exceot occasional attacks during era of the Spanish Main and wars with Spain. So the Conga line may have arrived via America. We know that it became popular in America (1930s).
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