Black Slaves Dancing. Anon, 19th c. engraving. New York Public Library

The rumba was originally a neo-African secular festival dance which, like dance forms in Africa, was theatrical in nature. All that remains in the modern rumba is a rhythmic, sensual element, since other stages in the dance narrative have been dropped.

La rumba era originalmente una danza neoafricana de festival secular; como otros bailes africanos era de naturaleza teatral. La única cosa que queda de este rumba moderna es su ritmo y su sensualidad, ya que otras etapas de la narrativa danzática han sido abandonadas.