What is Cumbia?
Cumbia is a style of music and dance that originated in Colombia and is often called the country’s national dance. It grew along the Caribbean coast out of a blend of Indigenous, African, and Spanish influences, with flutes and drums at its core. By the mid 1900s, cumbia music had been arranged for larger orchestras and radio, which helped it spread across Colombia and into the rest of Latin America.
Today, there are many regional variants of cumbia across Latin America, including Mexican and Peruvian styles that have their own instruments and sound. Cumbia is especially popular in Mexico and among Mexican-American communities in the United States, where it is a staple at parties, family events, and Latin night clubs.
Socially, when dancers talk about “cumbia” in clubs, they usually mean a circular partner dance done to these different cumbia music styles rather than the original folkloric format from Colombia.
Origins of Cumbia
Cumbia originated along Colombia’s Caribbean coast as a local folk music and dance. Historians trace it to the colonial era in regions around the Magdalena River and coastal towns, where Indigenous communities and enslaved Africans mixed their rhythms, flutes, drums, songs, and circle dances. Spanish influence shows up in the lyrics and dress.
Over time, cumbia moved from village festivities and processions into city carnivals and then to ballrooms and radio. In the 1940s and 1950s, bandleaders arranged cumbia for big orchestras, helping turn it into one of Colombia’s most recognized musical exports and a key part of the broader música tropical sound. From there it spread to countries like Mexico, Peru, and Argentina, where musicians created their own local versions such as Mexican cumbia and Peruvian cumbia (including psychedelic “chicha”).
The word “cumbia” is often linked to the word “cumbé,” a term associated with Afro-descendant dances and rhythms from the Bantu linguistic area, which fits with the strong African influence in the music and movement.
Cumbia Dance
In many modern scenes, especially in Mexico and the United States, cumbia is danced as a social partner dance in a circular motion around the partner. Rather than traveling in a slot like most salsa styles, couples rotate together around a shared point, similar to how East Coast Swing or Cuban salsa are danced.
Cumbia is typically danced on1, with the dancers breaking back on the first and fifth beat of the music. The basic has a relaxed, rebounding feel, and many dancers add small kicks or taps for styling. This club or social cumbia is the style most people encounter at Latin parties and night clubs.
The dance is very similar in style to salsa caleña, another Latin dance style that originated in Colombia. In fact, the basic steps for both styles are basically indistinguishable when danced socially. But in performance, salsa caleña is danced much faster with added kicks and cha-cha steps in between back breaks.
Dancers dancing salsa caleña:
Cumbia is danced primarily socially, either at parties or at Latin night clubs. Unlike other Latin dances such as salsa or bachata, it is rare to see cumbia performed on stage or taught in dance schools. Most cumbia dancers pick up the dance by watching others on the dance floor rather than through formal instruction, although there are now many instructional videos available on YouTube.
Traditional vs Club Cumbia
Traditional Colombian cumbia looks quite different from the club cumbia you see at socials. In its folkloric form, dancers often perform in lines or large circles with minimal partnering. Women use wide skirts to create flowing shapes and sometimes carry candles, while men often wear white clothing, hats, and scarves. The movement is grounded and processional, with steps that slide and mark the rhythm of the drums and gaitas rather than lots of turns or complex patterns.
Club cumbia outside Colombia is usually a simpler partner dance built around a circular back-rock basic, a few easy turns, and relaxed body movement that fits modern band and DJ sets. Both share the same musical family, but one is presented as a folkloric stage or parade tradition while the other is optimized for packed dance floors at parties and night clubs.