Angola, 1990s
KUDURO
The electro-tropical energy of Luanda
Kuduro was born in the working-class neighborhoods of Luanda in the early 1990s, as a fusion of Angolan Semba, Kizomba, American hip-hop, and Caribbean Soca, set to raw, fast electronic production. Its name ("hard ass" in Angolan Portuguese) evokes the dancer's characteristic posture, torso leaning forward and hips engaged.
A solo or group dance, extremely percussive, it was carried by viral choreographies first relayed by cassette tapes and then by YouTube, and by artists like Buraka Som Sistema, who exported it to Europe in the 2000s. Today, Kuduro is an integral part of African urban culture and the Afro-European scene.
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Kuduro is most often danced solo or in a line, to fast electronic productions (around 140 bpm). The movements are percussive, sharp, and engage the whole body on very marked beats.
Styles and fundamentals
The posture stays low, with the torso leaning forward and heavy work on the hips, shoulders, and feet. The style's signature is a vocabulary of named "steps" that circulate from one choreography to another.
Main figures
- 01
Semba step
A step inherited from Angolan Semba, with a fast undulation of the hips.
- 02
Body percussion
Sharp isolations of the shoulders and hips on the strong beats.
- 03
Viral choreographies
Codified sequences spread by video, danced collectively at parties.
Reading the music
Angolan electronic kuduro (Tony Amado, Buraka Som Sistema, DJ Znobia).