Major Influence of France in Latin Music and Dance

France and its colonies in the West Indies have had a major influence in the development of Salsa and Zouk. Its reach spans over a period of centuries. From the “Contredanse Français”, which was introduced to the rest of the European society around 1690, to Zouk music invented in the 1980's: France's footprint has been growing steadily during the evolution of Latin Music and Dance.

“Contre Dancing”, which is considered an English dance by many, was actually a very popular dance in the 14th century French ballrooms of the upper class known as the 'Contredanse Français'. The Contradanse went from being exclusive to the French oligarchy and turned into one of the most popular dances in the whole European society. Contredanse evolved into three modern styles of dance: Line Dancing, Tango, and Salsa.

From Contredanse to Tango

The Contredanse was brought to Cuba by French planters fleeing from the island of Saint Domingue - now Haiti and the Dominican Republic - during the slave revolt called the “Hatian Revolution” of 1791. The Afro-Haitians added a syncopation called the Cinquillo to the Contredanse, which is also found in Tango. The Tango is also an evolutionary form of the Contredanse. In fact, the Argentine Tango found its way back into Argentina through France. The popularity of Tango started in France in the 1920's, and spread all over the world. Because of this, Tango moved out from the lower-class brothels of Buenos Aires and became a more respectable form of music and dance.

From Contredanse to Salsa

Contredanse was renamed 'Contradanza Cubana' in 17th century Cuba. Fro the Contradanza emerged the faster and more tuneful Danza, with the dance having niftier steps and a tendency of couples to dance by themselves. By the 1870's, Danza evolved into Danzon, that is now considered the national dance of Cuba. From the 1870's to around 1916, Danzons were played outdoors in the town square by recreational versions of military bands called 'Orquestas Tipicas', and they were played indoors by groups known as 'Charangas Francesas' ('French Orquestras'), or Charangas for short. Charanga music kept evolving and became an integral part of the New York based Salsa.  

From Zouk to Salsa

The Paris based studio technician Jacob F. Desvarieux and Pierre-Edouard Decimus, who are accredited with inventing Zouk Music, formed the Zouk band Kassav in 1979. They decided to make Guadaloupean Carnival music and record it in a more fully-orchestrated yet modern style by mixing Haitian Kompa, Cadence-lypso from the island of Dominica, Puerto Rican Salsa, Calypso from Trinidad, and Republic of Cameroon's rhythm Makossa. Kassav, the group which was formed with members from the French Oversees Departments Guadeloupe & Martinique,  was one of the domineering bands in the Caribbean and in Latin America in the 1980's. Their music was so popular, that it drew attention of many international Merengue and Salsa Artists such as Wilfrido Vargaz, Joe Arroyo, and Marc Anthony, who started to mix Zouk and Hatian Kompas in several of their songs.

This is a videoclip of another popular Zouk band, Zouk Machine, with their international hit “Maldon”.
 

From the French Antilles to Brazil & the rest of the World

Brazilian dancers were desperately searching for proper music to dance to when Lambada music lost its popularity around the half of the 1990's. A former member of Kassav, Patrick St. Eloi, is the initiator of “Zouk-love” music. This is a sub genre of Zouk music, where it is slower and more dramatic. Zouk-love has its origins in a slow tempo form of the “Cadence” from the island of Dominica. Zouk music had already started to gain popularity in Brazil in the late 1980's, with different movements and associated with the Lambada, influencing and being influenced by it. The Brazilian dancers used the popular Zouk music and created Lamba-zouk or Zouk Lambada Dance.

In the following videoclip, Patrick St. Eloi sings his Zouk song “Limye”.

The Kizomba Music Dance from Angola, Cola-zouk & Cabo-love from Cape Verde, Ritmo Kombina from Curacao, Zouk R&B mix from the U.S.A & Brazil, and Haitian Compas-love are also derrivatives of Zouk, which basically sounds the same but have notable differences for the ones who are familiar with the different genres. Zouk & Kizomba Dance instructors, DJ's, and the many bands in different countries are now spreading Zouk music around the globe. 

The French can be proud of their role in the development and spreading of international Partner Dance and Music.