Conga line

2025-10-05T00:26:01Z

2605:8D80:60A0:5FCA:D4C:1C08:EC7C:D06D:

{{Short description|Cuban novelty line dance}}
{{About-distinguish|the international novelty dance|Conga (music)}}{{More references|date=December 2022}}{{Other uses|Conga (disambiguation)}}
[[File:US Navy 081203-N-7446H-004 Sailors from various Yokosuka commands form a conga line with students and members of the Yokosuka Social Welfare Center.jpg|thumb|280px|A conga line formed during a Christmas [[disco]] party.]]
The '''conga line''' is a [[Novelty and fad dances|novelty]] [[line dance]] that was derived from the [[Cuba]]n carnival [[Conga (music)|dance of the same name]] and became popular in the US in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In order to perform the dance, dancers form a long, processing line, which would usually turn into a [[circle dance|circle]]. It has three [[shuffle step]]s on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat. The conga, a term sometimes mistakenly believed to be derived from the African [[Kingdom of Kongo|region of Congo]], is both a lyrical and danceable genre, rooted in the music of carnival troupes or [[comparsa]]s.<ref name="davis">Davis, Pablo Julian. "Conga", ''People, History, Culture of Cuba''. Luis Martinel-Fernandez, D.H. Figneredo, Louis A. Perez, Jr. and Luis Gonzales. London, Westpoint Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003. 396-397.</ref>

==Origin==
The conga dance was believed to have been brought over from Africa by enslaved people in the West Indies,<ref name="watson" /> and became a popular street dance in Cuba. The style was appropriated by politicians during the early years of republic in an attempt to appeal to the masses before election. During [[Gerardo Machado]]'s dictatorship in Cuba, [[Havana]] citizens were forbidden to dance the conga since rival groups would work themselves to high excitement and start street fights. This was not the case when [[Fulgencio Batista]] became president in the 1940s - he permitted people to dance congas during elections, but a police permit was required.<ref name="orovio">Orovio, Helio. ''Cuban music from A to Z''. Durham: Duke University Press, 2004. 57.</ref>

==Description==
The conga dance style is more of a march, which is characterized by its distinctive [[conga drum]] rhythm. It differs from the [[Cuban rumba]], which uses movements considered "[[Hip (slang)|hip]]" and shows the sensually aggressive attitude of each dancer. [[Conga music]] is played with a [[staccato]] beat as its base, which gives [[rhythm]] to the movements of the dancers. Conga dancers lift their legs in time with the rhythm of the music, marking each beat with the strong motion of their body.

The basic [[dance steps]] start from left leg 1-2-3 kick then repeat, opposite. Originally, a band member wearing a drum would venture onto the dance floor and begin zig-zagging around while drumming out the rhythm. Dancers would start joining up behind the drummer, forming a line that moves like a snake in an open circle. The line (or the circular chain) would grow longer and the drumming more intense until it finally stopped. The dance has two styles, which is a single line form and partners. The single line is more popular in Cuba.<ref name="watson" />

== Western popularity ==
Beginning in the late 1930s, the dance became popular in the [[United States]]; however, in the 1940s, it became very popular due to Hollywood's "Latin" musicals. [[RKO Pictures]]' offerings were particularly influential, notably ''[[Too Many Girls (musical)|Too Many Girls]]'' (1940), in which [[Desi Arnaz]] appeared as a conga-playing Argentine student. Spanish-Catalan bandleader [[Xavier Cugat]], who gave Arnaz his musical start, helped to popularize the dance, but the biggest impact belonged to Arnaz himself.<ref name="davis" /> It is prominently featured in the 1941 [[Deanna Durbin]] film, ''[[It Started With Eve]]'', in which [[Deanna Durbin|Durbin]] and [[Charles Laughton]] dance the dance together in a nightclub.

With its simple march step, the interlinking of dancers circling about in single file, and one-two-three-bump rhythm with the fourth beat strongly marked, the dance was not only attractive but also readily accessible to US and other foreign audiences. The dance started to gain a foothold in the US around 1929, when the original [[La Conga (nightclub)|La Conga nightclub]] opened its doors in [[Manhattan]]. It is believed that the La Conga was at Broadway and 51st Street.<ref name="watson">Watson, Sonny. [http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3conga.htm "Conga"], ''Street Swing''. 1999. Accessed August 6, 2006.</ref> By 1937, the conga was well known in New York.

The widespread popularity of the dance resulted in many cultural references in contemporary media. For example, the conga line was a recurring theme in [[Warner Bros.]] animated cartoons of the 1940s.

This music and dance form has become totally assimilated into Cuba's musical heritage and has been used in many film soundtracks in the US and [[Mexico]].<ref name="orovio" /> One of the earliest and most successful of 20th-century Cuban musical exports, the conga lacked the [[polyrhythmic]] sophistication of the [[son (music)|son]], [[mambo (music)|mambo]], or [[salsa music|salsa]] but served to nurture the future receptivity of an international public to the wider gamut of Cuban musical styles.<ref name="davis" />

== In popular culture ==

1940 “Too Many Girls” starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

1940 “Strike Up The Band” starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney

1941 "Ball of Fire" starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. Nightclub singer Sugarpuss O'Shea (Stanwyck) teaches the professors the conga and subsequently perform a conga line in the library.

In the 1950 Malayan movie entitled ''Twin Sisters (Kembar?)'', in the opening scene, a conga line is performed by the guests in a party scene.

The 1955 musical film adaptation of ''[[My Sister Eileen]]'' features a conga line as a recurring gag.

In the 1963 film ''[[Billy Liar (film)|Billy Liar]]'', a scene at the Locarno Dance Hall in [[Manchester]] features the conga line.

In 1984 the British band [[Black Lace (band)|Black Lace]] reached number ten in the UK charts<ref name="everyhit">[http://www.everyhit.com/ EveryHit.com] - search for "Black Lace" as "Name of artist" and "Do the Conga" as "Title of song".</ref> with the song "Do the Conga".

In 1985 the Cuban-American band [[Miami Sound Machine]] reached number ten on the US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] with the song "[[Conga (song)|Conga]]".

The long-time jingle for [[Dad's Root Beer|Dad's Old-Fashioned Root Beer]] employed a conga beat.

The weekly fundraising event held by the charitable organisation Phone Credit For Refugees every Friday is based around the formation of a virtual conga line.

In season 4 episode 2 of the AMC series ‘’[Mad Men]’’ entitled, “Christmas Comes But Once a Year,” Joan Harris. (Christina Hendricks), leads a conga line at the SCDP, (Sterling Cooper Draper Price), office Christmas party.

In the video game ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'', players are able to form Conga lines using the in-game taunt system, by purchasing the taunt through the in-game store.

== See also ==
* [[Bunny hop (dance)|Bunny hop]]
* [[Letkajenkka]]
* [[Polonaise (dance)|Polonaise]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Dale A. Olsen, Daniel E. Sheehy. ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music''. Garland Publishing: New York and London, 1998. 825.
* Roberts, John Storm. ''The Latin Tinge. ''2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

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[[Category:Conga (music)]]
[[Category:Dance in Cuba]]
[[Category:Novelty and fad dances]]
[[Category:Group dances]]
[[Category:Line dances]]
[[Category:Circle dances]]

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Conga line