KIZOMBA

Kizomba is mentioned in 1894 in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York which said "the genuine Kimbundu name is Kizomba, that is, dance."  In Angola in the 1950s the expression Kizombadas referred to a party. There was no association of the word to a dance or musical genre. However, the dance known as "Semba", "Rebita", "Kabetula", "Maringa", already existed in the 50's and 60's. Other dances coming from Europe like Tango were practiced by the Portuguese colonials. The "Plena" from Puerto Rico and are thought to be brought by the Cuban influence in Angola during the war. The style of Kizomba is now emphasizes a very smooth way of dancing with influences of Tango steps, but one of the main differences is that the lower body, the hip, does forward/backwards and circle movements. People dance on the tempo, as well as playing on the off beat and only sometimes using syncopation steps.