Mambo.

Format:

Video

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Latin Music.

United States and Canada.

Cubans.

Dance technique.

Dance history.

Dance and dancing.

Prado, Pérez,.

Local Subjects:

Latin Music.

United States and Canada.

Cubans.

Dance technique.

Dance history.

Dance and dancing.

Prado, Pérez,.

Genre:

Documentary

Physical Description:

1 online resource (55 minutes)

Place of Publication:

Paris, Ile-de-France : Qwest TV, 2003.

Language Note:

In Spanish.

In English.

System Details:

video file

Summary:

Yves Billon's documentary begins in 1947 in Havana, where the greatest rhythmic explosion of the 20th century took place: the mambo - a fusion of drums and brass in an atmosphere where rum, cigars, glitter, feathers and joie de vivre draw the stereotypes of tropical exoticism. The maestros' names are Chapotin, Bola de Nieve, Benny Moré and above all Pérez Prado, a brilliant composer and arranger inspired by North American jazz, who would go on a pathway to triumph from Mexico City to Los Angeles. This era also belongs to the dancers and actresses Ninón Sevilla, Tongolelele and Amalia Aguilar, who took power by exhibiting a sensuality contrary to the morality of the time. Cha cha cha cha, rock'n roll and Beatlemania would eventually dethrone the mambo, whom the Cuban revolution accused of being sold to imperialism. But the archives bear witness to the intoxication that seized the orchestras and bodies, exuding a happiness whose echo continues to reach us. Eric Delhaye

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed July 15, 2024).