The Rumba preceded the Mambo and the Cha-Cha-Cha by a few years as a ballroom dance  in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It turned out to be too difficult a dance for the amateur social dancer that the latter dances eclipsed it in popularity. Yet the Rumba remains a dancer’s dance, with a place among the ten dances in  the international dance competitions. 

Origins
No one is quite sure where the Rumba actually originated, but rhythmic analysts declare that the dance more likely was created by the African slaves who were brought under the influence of the Spanish colonizers.  
        The Rumba, just like the now-forgotten Son, was a combination of the color and temperament of Spain with the powerful movement and rhythm of African Jazz. The real Rumba remains pure West African in every way except the melody. The double hip movement of the Rumba, completed in two and a half beats, is a highly complicated basic dance rhythm transported unadulterated from a tribe of Southern Nigeria. 

Music and Timing  
The Rumba has a fascinating rhythm and music written in 2/4 or 4/4 time. The complete rhythmic pattern is composed of double-single-double-single rhythm units. and consists of 8 beats of music. Basic music tempo averages 27 bars per minute, though the range can be from 24 to 44 bars per minute.  If the music is slow, the dancer will be dancing Open Rumba or Mambolero. 
        If the tempo is Mambo, then the dance is Mambo.  The counting is similar to the Cha-Cha-Cha where the dancer “breaks on two”. (Refer to the Cha-Cha-Cha chapter on music and timing.) The dancer makes the actual foot movements only on Counts 2 3 4 and 6 7 8. Pause on Counts 5 and 1. 

The Hold  
The Closed Hold used in the Samba, Mambo and Cha-Cha-Cha is the same for the Rumba. The body is held naturally upright with the shoulders relaxed. The weight of the body is kept mainly on the soles of the feet.  
        The Open Hold is a position in which the Lady and the Man are apart and facing each other, the Man holding the  Lady’s right hand in his left hand, with arms just above waist level and not quite straight at the elbow. The Lady’s arm should remain relaxed and her left hand should not be lower than waist level, and should always be ready to return comfortably to the Man’s right shoulder when he wishes to regain normal hold.  
        In the Fan Position, the Lady and the Man are apart, holding as in Open Hold. The Lady is on the left side and slightly in front of the Man, at right angle with him. Her left foot is back. The Man has his feet apart with his weight on the right foot. 

Footwork  
All the steps are danced on the ball of the foot first, immediately lowering softly on the flat of the foot. Heel leads are never used. This distinctive footwork can be achieved with a mastery of body flight. 

Leading  
The leading should be firm but light, and only when changing from one figure to another. The Lady, having received the lead for a figure, should dance the remainder on her own, particularly in movements where she is in Open Hold. 

Hip Movement  
A very slight lateral movement of the hips on Counts 4-5 and 8-1 of most basic figures characterizes the Rumba. This occurs because the full weight of the body is not immediately transferred to the foot on Counts 4 and 8, and the step is taken on a relaxed knee. As full body weight is taken in the leg on Counts 1 and 5, the knee straightens and the other knee relaxes.  
        This results in a very slight and very subtle swing of the hips. The hip swing should not be stressed and made obvious, and is mostly a feeling the dancer experiences through the relaxing and straightening of the knees. The straightening should be soft and the knees must never be fully braced.

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