La Conga! The Cuban Origin Of The Conga Line

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents information about & videos of La Conga in Cuba & the Conga line in the United States.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.

Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.

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INFORMATION ABOUT LA CONGA & INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONGA LINE
From http://americansabor.org/musicians/styles/conga Latinos in US Popular Music
"The term Conga refers to both a style of music and the dance that accompanies the music, as well as an Afro-Cuban instrument, the conga drum (traditionally called the tumbadora).

Originating out of the city of Santiago in Cuba, the conga became a popular festival dance in which members of the audience would join in line with the comparsas (performing musicians and dancers). The infectious line dance, which features a distinctive African-inspired rhythm, became popular with lower class Cubans, particularly Blacks and was banned in the 1920s and '30s in some Cuban cities, including Santiago.

However, during this time White Cuban pianist and composer Eliseo Grenet brought the conga craze to international audiences in Paris, London and New York and it has remained popular ever since. Gloria Estefan’s Miami Sound Machine further strengthened the Conga craze with their 1986 hit, Conga, and the line dance is now a ubiquitous party classic."
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga_(comparsa)#The_conga_of_Los_Hoyos
..."Congas and comparsas are different parts of the carnivals of Santiago de Cuba.,[1] and by extension, similar groups may be found in carnivals in Havana...

Los Hoyos is a district in downtown Santiago de Cuba and home to the Conga of Los Hoyos. The date of the founding of this conga is unknown, but it was already in existence in 1902 (del Carmen et al. 2005).

At first, the instruments of the group were a pilón, some bocúes, a cowbell and a güiro. Later, two redoblantes were added, the number of bocúes was increased and the cowbell and güiro were replaced by frying pans. Later still, the frying pans were replaced by the campanas (automobile brake drums or other pieces of metal chosen for their distinct sound qualities). Also added were the quinto and the requinto. Los Hoyos first began using a corneta china in 1916 (del Carmen et al. 2005).

During the carnaval season, Los Hoyos performs a traditional event known as an "invasión," in which it marches around the streets of Santiago and visits the neighborhoods where the other famous congas[7] are located. This "invasión" commemorates the invasion of the Army of Liberation at the end of the War of Independence. Los Hoyos also closes the traditional parades of the Carnaval of Santiago de Cuba (del Carmen et al. 2005)."..
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga_line
"The conga line is a Cuban carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat. The conga, a term mistakenly believed to be derived from the African region of Congo, is both a lyrical and danceable genre, rooted in the music of carnival troupes or comparsas.[1]...

Beginning in the late 1930s, and intensely in the 1940s, it [the conga dance] became wildly popular in the United States, due in no small measure to Hollywood's "Latin" musicals.[1] RKO's offerings were particularly influential, notably Too Many Girls (1940), in which Desi Arnaz appeared as a conga-playing Argentine student.[1] Spanish-Catalan band-leader Xavier Cugat, who gave Arnaz his musical start, helped to popularize the dance, but the biggest impact belonged to Arnaz himself.[1] With its simple march step, the interlinking of dancers snaking about in single file, and one-two-three-hump rhythm with the fourth beat strongly marked. The dance was not only attractive but also readily accessible to United States and other foreign audiences. The other important aspect of the dance was the music: The instrument use by musicians and even the rhythm they play was interesting. The dance started to gain some popularity in the United States around 1929 when the original La Conga Nightclub opened its doors. It was believed that the La Conga Nightclub was at Broadway and 51st street in New York.[3] By 1937, the conga was well known in New York."

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FEATURED VIDEOS: LA CONGA IN CUBA

Example #1: cubanfolkloricdance



cubanfolkloricdance, Uploaded on Sep 19, 2007

Conga Santiaguera - Performance by Ballet Folklórico Cutumba de Santiago, Cuba. More information on Cutumba at www.cubanfolkloricdance.com

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Example #2: La Conga Santiaguera Part 3



DJOMARITO, Uploaded on Jun 24, 2009
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This is La Conga in Santiago de Cuba (Los Hoyos)

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Example #3: La Conga Cubana - Santiago - Cuba - 014v02



CubaVideosCom, Uploaded on Nov 29, 2011

"La Conga" is one of the most authentic cuban musical traditions, one that makes everyone move. Santiago de Cuba is where the biggest, best and hosttest congas are found, they all gathers in the Santiago the Cuba Carnivals for the best Conga show in the world.

In this video the conga is performed by childrens as a practice for the later Santiago´s Carnival opening that same day. Original music by Yaso. More Cuba videos at cubavideos.com
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Here's the English text given in that video of comments that musician Jose Armando Garzon gave about La Conga [found at .17-.52]
“La Conga is a hybrid of what the Catalans call “La Joya” and one thing that came from Africa, “the Kinfruity”. It’s the day that the king was no king at all on the party day, the king was no king and the people could call the king anything, and do anything. Since then the singings in the conga are singings that sometimes...Well, they are irreverent! The conga is like that a group of people, singing, dancing, playing percussion instruments and doing all kind of mischief."
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I can find no information online about any dances called "La Joya"
or "Kinfruity". However, Jose Armando Garzon's description of a time when authority roles are subverted & normal rules are suspended correlates with the medieval European traditions of carnival. In his 1923 book Ashanti R.S. Rattray, describes a similar period of time in Ghana called "Apo" in which people ha what Rattray called "Lampooning Liberty". Rattray quotes an old high priest who said:
[Because conditions & interactions cause a person's sunsum [soul] to get sick and people are often prohibited during normal times from freely expressing themselves] "our forbears...ordained a time, once every year, when every man and woman, free man and slave, should have freedom to speak out just what was in their head, to tell their neighbors just what they thought of themm and of their actions, and not their neighbors but also the king o chief. When a man has spoken freely thus, he will feel his sunsum cool and quieted, and the sunsum of the other person against whom he has now openly spoken will be quieted also. The King of the Ashanti may have killed your children, and you hate him. This has made him ill, and you ill, too; when you are allowed to say before his face what you think, you both benefit. That was why te King of Ashanti in ancient times, when he fell sick, would send for the Queen of Nkoranza to insult him, even though the time for the ceremony had not come yet. It made him live longer and did him good." [R.S. Rattray: Ashanti, Oxford University Press, 1969, p. 153; originally published in 1923]

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FEATURED VIDEOS OF THE CONGA LINE
Example #1: Weekend At Bernie's II: The Conga Line



Uploaded on Oct 4, 2007

Bernie Lomax, brought back to life during a botched voodoo ceremony in "Weekend At Bernie's II", joins in a conga line in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The song "Momma Let Go" is written by Péter F. Wolf and performed by J. D. Nicholas.
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"Weekend At Bernie's" is a 1989 American movie.

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Example #2
Conga Line / Party Train set up version



CompleteMusicKC, Uploaded on Jan 3, 2010

Another good way to get guests on the dance floor with out asking them to come out on the dance floor.
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The Conga line dance begins at 2:18 in this video.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those who are featured in this post. My thanks also to the producers of these videos and the video's publishers on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting zumalayah.

Zumalayah showcases videos of dances & singing games done in circles or in lines, and other movement performance arts from African American culture, from African cultures, and from other cultures of the African Diaspora.

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