Cuba, 1990s
TIMBA
Muscular Cuban salsa
Timba is the name Cuban salsa took on from the 1990s onward, with bands such as NG La Banda, Los Van Van (in their new era), Manolito y su Trabuco, and Bamboleo. Musically, it blends son cubano, jazz fusion, funk, hip-hop, and rap, over extremely powerful structures featuring "bombas" (explosive breaks) and "despelotes" (frenzied instrumental sections).
Danced in Cuba in the same rueda de casino circles as classic Cuban Salsa, Timba has a distinct style: more muscular, bouncier, with accentuated hip play and body language that constantly responds to the breaks in the music. It's the dance of Havana and Santiago nightlife, and of the modern "peñas" (Cuban parties).
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Timba is danced on the same basic step as Cuban Salsa (Cuban "on 1"), but with a more elastic phrasing and plenty of "despelote" — moments when the couple separates to improvise solo over the breaks. It's a dance of intense listening: every musical break translates into the body.
Styles and fundamentals
The vocabulary remains that of Cuban Salsa (Dile que no, Enchufla, Setenta), enriched with very pronounced hip movements (accentuated Cuban motion), improvised shines, and street gestures (movimientos de barrio). Rueda de casino is also practiced in Timba, with modernized figures.
Main figures
- 01
Despelote
The couple breaks apart to improvise solo over a musical break. The hips, shoulders, and arms each play out an instrumental section.
- 02
Tembleque
A rapid tremor of the shoulders and torso, inherited from Afro-Cuban dances (santería).
- 03
Dile que no
The couple's basic figure, as in Salsa. The couple opens up, then comes back face to face.
- 04
Setenta complicado
An enriched variation of the classic Setenta, with more arm ties and turns.
- 05
Reparto
A street step popularized by Havana's reparto scene (Chocolate MC), with more urban and syncopated movements.
Reading the music
Timba of the 1990s-2000s: NG La Banda, Charanga Habanera, Los Van Van, Manolito y su Trabuco. Add to that the more recent Reparto and Cubaton scene (Yomil y el Dany, El Chacal).
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Afro-Caribéennes & Club
Cross connections
Styles from other families that share a common language with Timba.