Latin music
Brazil
o Samba- An Afro-Brazilian couple-dance and popular musical form.
Originally ‘samba’ was a generic term designating the choreography of
certain circle-dances imported to America from Angola and the Congo. In
the 1930s the urban samba acquired the character of a sung ballroom
dance, with the backing of a colourful orchestra whose percussion section
was considerably reduced compared with the concurrent Carnival samba.
o Bossa Nova- In Brazilian popular music, a movement that originated about
1958–9 and effected radical stylistic changes in the classical urban Samba.
The originators of the new style included Jobim himself as a composer and
João Gilberto primarily as a singer and guitarist. Their first important
recording was Chega de Saudade (March 1959). Although the samba
figured prominently in their repertory it was not their exclusive genre.
Argentina
o Tango- Argentinian dance, possibly imported into America by African
slaves, perf. by couples at slow walking pace to mus. in simple duple time
and with dotted rhythm like habañera. Became popular ballroom dance
after 1907
Cuba/Puerto Rico
o Salsa- Urban popular dance genre developed in New York City and Puerto
Rico during the 1960s and 70s, based on Cuban dance styles and
incorporating Puerto Rican elements and influences from jazz and rock.
The term ‘salsa’ literally means ‘sauce’, the culinary metaphor of a spicy
concoction mirroring the music's hybrid origins and infectious appeal.
o Danzòn- A formal ballroom couple-dance in rondo form derived from the
contredanse and the habanera traditions of the 19th century, both
considered part of the flowering of Cuban musical nationalism in the late
colonial period when a distinctly Cuban light classical music arose.
Dominican Republic
o Merengue- A dance of Venezuela, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It
combines rural, folk and urban popular traditions. In the Dominican
Republic it was originally the music of the peasantry, people who were
marginalized politically, socially and economically in the country despite
being a majority. By the late 20th century it had become a symbol of
national identity, epitomizing the creolism of Dominican culture.
From the Oxford Music Online resources