Music feeds the soul of this country; it’s the pulse that runs through the blood of every Colombian, from the cradle to the grave. In this chapter, learn more about how music in Colombia has evolved over time, together with the accompanying dance moves.
Men singing and playing La Cumbia, a musical style typical of Colombia’s Caribbean region.
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Music
Some countries are musical by default. In Latin America, for example, most countries have developed musical genres that are an extension of their rich culture. However, only a few countries can claim that music is as much a part of their identity as any other aspect of their nation. Of course, Cuba and Brazil come to mind. Then there’s Colombia. You can’t talk about Colombia’s cultural heritage without mentioning music – the two are that intertwined. As the culture varies from region to region, Colombian music also changes across the topography, making the country home to a wide array of diverse musical genres. Go anywhere in Colombia, and you are guaranteed to hear great music.
Folk dancers in Bahía Solano.
Alamy
This diversity is the result of disparate peoples, including the indigenous, Europeans, and Africans, all mixing over the course of several centuries. Their influences and culture have combined to create various styles of music that not only have roots in the cultural history of the nation, but have been adapted and have evolved over the years to find their place in the popular music scene. In Colombia, you’ll hear local versions of rock and classical music, as well as types of salsa unique to Colombia that have been adapted to reflect the country’s national identity.
Colombians are crazy for salsa in general, and whether it’s from Cuba, New York, Puerto Rico, or even their home country, they love it all equally. This is never more evident than it is in the south, where Cali has proclaimed itself the salsa capital of the country.
The love Colombians have for salsa can be seen in the number of famous composers and musicians that have been born and bred in the country. Fruko y Sus Tesos is an iconic Colombian salsa group that is famous in the US, as well as Colombia and other South American countries. Jairo Vela, from Cali, is one of the most prolific composers in the genre and became famous as one of the founders of the influential salsa band, Grupo Niche. The other founder was Alexis Lozano. Some other noteworthy salsa artists from Colombia include Joy Arroyo, Cristian del Real; other famous bands include Alquimia, Los Nemus del Pacífico, Grupo Galé, Guayacán Orquesta (also founded by Alexis Lozano), and La Sonora Carruseles.
Shakira performing.
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Move further toward the Caribbean Coast and you will hear eclectic styles that represent the aforementioned co-mingling of various influences. One such genre is vallenato, which was born in the city of Valledupar in the early 20th century and became popular in the 1980s. It’s a good example of the merging of culture; within this genre you have instruments from Europe (the accordion), Africa (drums), and indigenous tribes (the guacharaca, a percussion instrument). The vallenato genre is a combination of four rhythms: son, puye, merengue, and paseo, and you’ll know it the second you hear that accordion and guacharaca kick in. Today Valledupar hosts an annual vallenato festival, which is the largest in Colombia.
Cumbia dancer in Cartagena.
AWL Images
Shakira Shakira
International pop music icon Shakira has filled her cabinets with Grammy Awards and Billboard Latin Music Awards; she’s toured the world and sold millions of albums. But her origins weren’t exactly the stuff of legend. She was born Shakira Isabel Mebark Ripoll in Barranquilla, to a Colombian mother and a Lebanese father. She signed her first record deal at 13 and after a few setbacks achieved national success with the 1996 album Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet). From there it was a meteoric ascension to international success with hits such as Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don’t Lie. Shakira went on to become the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time.
But aside from the most popular forms of music are a number of regional genres and sub-genres. These include porro, a kind of big-band style that originated in Sucre, on the coast. Champeta is a popular genre in Chocó, Cartagena, and Isla San Andres, and its West African rhythms have changed little over time. In the Andean region of Colombia you will hear bambuco, an indigenous musical expression with a slight European influence. It has melancholic, slow, folk-like rhythms and has been traced back to the Muisca Indians.
And of course one of the most famous musical expressions to be borne on the Caribbean Coast is cumbia (see box). Visitors lucky enough to spend time in Colombia’s various regions will likely hear enough different types of music that they will begin to piece them all together and get a better picture of the country’s musical scene. Even though the styles may be somewhat disparate, similar influences are found everywhere, and they all contribute to create something wholly unique yet undeniably Colombian.
Cumbia and the coast
La Cumbia is the dance style most symbolic of Barranquilla’s Carnival and of the Colombian coast in general. It is based on the Colombian musical genre cumbia, which originates from three distinct ethnic groups: African, European, and the indigenous.
The European component to the dance is illustrated by the dress and interpretation of the music. The costumes worn by the dancers represent the European colonial period, while the instruments used and the rhythms of the dance are distinctly African. So what the Caribbean Coast offers in the form of dance is not only a fun activity, but a teaching tool used to express culture and history.
Dance
No single activity enjoys more popularity with members of the national population than this form of expression. In general, Colombians don’t need much of a reason to go out and cut loose on the dance floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s the weekend, a weekday, a celebration, a birthday – pretty much any time is a good time to dance in Colombia.
Most of the music that visitors encounter in Colombia was designed to go hand-in-hand with dance. Salsa, cumbia and vallenato are all popular music forms that were created specifically with movement in mind – and everyone takes part. The Colombian culture is such that both men and women are equally technically proficient when it comes to dancing. However, in truth most men learn from a young age because it’s explained to them in no uncertain terms that if they want to impress a lady in the future, they need to learn how to dance.
The whole culture of dance is something Colombians take very seriously. To this end it isn’t uncommon for male tourists to find themselves being dragged unwittingly to a bar dance floor by a single local desperate for a partner. Those who respond to a dance request with ‘I don’t know how’ will most likely be met with bewilderment. To a Colombian, everyone can, and should, dance – the fact that one might not actually know how is purely incidental. Cali is the official salsa capital of the country (and it boasts the famous international festival), but visitors can rest assured that salsotecas abound throughout the country, in almost every city and town. At the very least you can be certain that even in the tiniest of watering holes, the proprietor will play some salsa over the loudspeakers at some point.
During Cali’s salsa festival Colombia welcomes participants from all over the world to come and take part in a series of contests to crown the best dancer. Unsurprisingly Colombian locals often dominate the competitions, but their efforts have also been rewarded on the global stage. For many years salsa championships have been held in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Colombians have taken home first-place honors here as well. No matter where they compete, it seems that the Caleño style of salsa, unique to Colombia and technically different from Puerto Rican and Cuban styles, wows audiences and judges alike.
But Colombia isn’t only salsa. Many of the country’s most famous dances have their roots in the coastal regions of Colombia, in cities like Cartagena and Barranquilla. The African beats and frenetic rhythms of popular coastal music, such as cumbia, were born in the sultry nights of the area and live in the blood of the people. Coastal cultural heritage and history can be seen in the traditional folkloric dances of this region too. These are never more on display than during Barranquilla’s Carnival (for more information, click here), when the parade’s festivities showcase different types of dance. Many date back to the earliest colonial years of the Colombian Coast. This history is evident in the elaborate and colorful costumes of the dancers; costumes inspired by the African tribes that ended up on the shores of the Caribbean many centuries ago.