Dances · Danzón

Just like the habanera, the danzón also derives from the contradanza and the danza criolla (creole dance) and is written in a 2x4 bar, following a Dominican rhythm, the cinquillo. The cinquillo is actually a group of five notes that are adjusted to the musical value of only four notes.

The danzón is slower with more cadence than the contradanza, the couple with their arms around each other, in permanent contact, practically without moving from the spot, with a similar posture to that in the tango but with the peculiarity that both keep eye contact. As a part of the Danzón’s structure is repeated, its rhythm is a catchy one, but the combination of wind instruments gives it an element of mystery, attaining certain contrast which makes communication easier when exchanging looks.

Musically the danzón is made up of an introduction of eight bars, which is repeated so as to have a total of 16 bars before the so called clarinet part comes in. Then the introduction is played again, acting in this case as a bridge and then the metallic part comes in (violin in the charanga) which, due to the longer duration of the figures, offers a slower style. The total length is 32 bars, returning to the repeated introduction.

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