There are many dances in the Puerto Rican culture. Several of the most famous is  

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The most traditional dance comes from the 60's, 70's, and 80's.

 

Bomba

First developed at the end of the 17th century, Bomba flourished along the coast of Puerto Rico where West Africans and their descendants worked the colonial plantations. It was at "Bailes de Bombas" (Bomba Dances) where enslaved Africans celebrated baptisms and marriages, and also planned rebellions. For this reason, these celebrations were only permitted on Sundays and Feast Days. At Bailes the Bomba, the sounds of drums called "barriles," typically made of empty codfish or rum barrels, drew the crowd into a circle. Dancers took turns challenging the drums, creating a dialog with their movements that the solo drummer answered. It is said that women bomba dancers would typically dance with their skirt raised, showing their slips, to ridicule the attire (and fancy slips) worn by plantation ladies.

 

Plena

Plena was born in the working class barrios of Ponce about 100 years ago. Its origins can be traced back to the changes in Puerto Rican society caused by its transfer from Spanish to U.S. rule, and the abolition of slavery which caused displaced plantation workers to seek economic opportunities in the growing cities of the island. Plena was known as "el periodico cantado" (the sung newspaper) because it contained stories about the history and everyday life of the people. Besides having its musical and social roots in our West African heritage, Plena was also influenced by Jibaro (Spanish-Arabic) music, the native Taino Indians, and the music of the European-style salons, in addition to the music of displaced freed slaves who travelled to Puerto Rico from English-speaking Caribbean Islands seeking work.

Although by the later part of this century, Plena primarily could only be heard in our folklore (and during street protests), in recent years Plena has been given new life thanks to music groups in Puerto Rico and New York who have modernized the sound for today's generation. When Puerto Ricans think of plena, two favorite things come to mind: the white "Panama" hats typically worn by men and "panderetas" or "plenetas" (tambourines without cymbals), the three or more handheld drums of different sizes/pitches which together make up the rhythm of the Plena.

 

Salsa

 

    Salsa is not easily defined. Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.

    Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature, so the overall look and feel are quite different form those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.

    It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the clave.

    This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment. New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa".

   If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, because the original arrangement is not one they easily recognize. This is called "finishing," to enter the local market. This "finish" does not occur because the Colombian does not play Salsa, but it does not play to the rhythm of the Puerto Rican/Post-Cuban Salsa. I say Post-Cuban, because the music of Cuba has evolved towards another new and equally flavorful sound.

   Then, as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches, but one trunk that unites us all. The important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic world and has received influences of many places within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample of our flexibility and evolution. If you think that a single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you think that one style of dance is better, imagine that the best dancer of a style, without his partner, goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a club where a different style predominates. He wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None is better, only different. ˇˇˇViva la variedad, ˇˇˇViva la Salsa!!!