THE 25 MOST POPULAR TYPICAL COLOMBIAN DANCES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The typical dances of Colombia are a series of musical rhythms and dance expressions, a product of cultural miscegenation, that have historically developed throughout the country.

These dances are a mixture of native, African and European pre-Columbian cultures that, since the Colony, were integrated to create these folkloric manifestations.

Cuadrilla dancing cumbia, one of the typical dances of Colombia

Each Colombian region has its own rhythms and dances that distinguish it. However, many of these dances are performed equally in different regions of the country.

The list of dances is multiple and varied in each of the six regions that make up the Colombian geography. For example, in the Caribbean Region, the following stand out: cumbia, bullerengue, porro, farotas, garabato, the sere se-se and the mapalé.

In the Andean Region, the typical dances are: bambuco, aisle, whirlwind and guabina; while in the Orinoquia region joropo and galerón are danced.

The Insular Region also has a rich dance culture. Among its typical dances are: calypso, chotis, mento, polka and quadrille (quadrille).

Likewise, the typical dances of the Pacific Region are: vallenato, abozao, bunde, jota chocoana and caderona, currulao and contradanza. And in the Amazon region the bëtsknaté and the offering dance are danced.

Dances and typical dances of Colombia by region

-The Caribbean Region

The Caribbean region is made up of the departments of Antioquia, Atlántico, Córdoba, Cesar, Bolívar, La Guajira, Magdalena and Sucre. The typical dances of this region are:

The Bullerengue

It is a ritual dance with a marked African influence, danced and sung simultaneously only by women, to the rhythm of the drum. The woman moves in an upright position, taking small rhythmic steps with her dress.

Originally it was used to celebrate the arrival of puberty for young people, but today it symbolizes female fertility. It is believed that she was born in the Palenque de San Basilio in the department of Bolívar.

The cumbia

It is one of the most representative dances of Colombian folklore. Cumbia is a mix of native, African and European rhythms. It is executed with a free movement and circular movements.

Sometimes, women carry lighted candles in their right hand, and in the left they hold one end of the pollera (skirt), which they move to the rhythm of the music to give it greater showiness.

Meanwhile, the man is walking around the woman, with the heel of the right foot raised and the knees slightly bent.

Also, he makes different figures, takes off his straw hat and places it on his head, always keeping his hands extended.

Originally, the cumbia was a funeral ritual dance (hence the candles), as it was used to commemorate wakes. It is generally danced at night.

Las Farotas

It is believed that this dance was born from an artifice used by the Caribbean Indians of the Faroto tribe to surprise and take revenge on the Spanish, who stalked and sexually abused their women.

Thirteen natives disguised themselves as women and went dancing on a raft to the other side of the river where the Spaniards waited. Upon arrival, they took the Spaniards by surprise and killed them with the knife.

It consists of a dance performed only by men, six on one side and six on the other, and in the center another that represents Mama, who directs this dance. It is danced to the rhythm of the drum and cane.

The Squiggle

This dance on the Atlantic coast symbolizes the confrontation, or conflict, between life and death. Its name derives from the wooden stick that is shaped like a hook, and has various uses in the Colombian countryside.

The dance is performed with the scribble or hook carried by the men. This stick has at one end several ribbons of yellow, red and green colors (the same as the Barranquilla flag). The dance is accompanied by a musical genre known as "chande".

The Joint

In addition to being a typical dance of the Colombian Caribbean, it is also a typical dance in the city of Medellín, department of Antioquia. This native dance mixes African rhythms and the sounds of wind instruments used in war bands.

Although at first it was danced individually, later it began to dance in pairs as a ballroom dance. It is danced in a circular way, being El ventarrón one of the best known musical pieces.

The Sere I know-I know

This dance is originally from the Antioquia coast. Afro-descendant miners from the Zamora area danced it as a couple. Women and men line up and carry lighted torches, representing the working day.

It is also known by the name of mapalé del negro, and it is executed with the feet bent. The movements during the dance imitate the work of the miners in the galleries.

The Mapalé

The mapalé dance takes its name from a fish that lives in the Magdalena River. It is a dance with a lot of African influence that was originally used to celebrate good fishing.

Currently, it has a connotation of a sexual nature and is performed in pairs, clapping hands.

Both the woman and the man dance it with short steps. The woman moves suggestively and the man exhibits his masculinity.

-Andean region

This region located in the Andes mountain range is made up of the departments of Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Santander and Antioquia.

It also includes Caldas, Caquetá, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Huila Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima and Valle del Cauca. His typical dances are:

The Bambuco

It is one of the most popular and important dances in the Andean region, and even in the country. Native, African and European cultures are present in it.

It is executed in pairs, which intersect forming an eight, keeping the hands on the waist and making gestures with a handkerchief.

Among the variants of this genus are the Guaneña and the Sanjuanero bambuco.

The whirlwind

It is a spontaneous dance of peasant origin. Through it different feelings are expressed: love, disappointment, veneration, etc. It is danced at festivities such as weddings, celebrations, etc.

He is executed as a couple, while the man gracefully pursues the woman and she tries to escape. Then the roles are reversed.

La Guabina

This European dance that originated in the 19th century. It has several types, depending on the department. La Cundiboyacense (Boyacá and Cundinamarca), La Veleña (Santander) and La Tolimense (Huila and Tolima)

The hall

Like the vallenato and cumbia, the aisle is a musical genre and a dance considered a national dance, since it represents the entire country.

It originated in the 19th century, and is heavily influenced by the European waltz. It is classified into two types and its execution depends on the occasion: the partying and the slow.

The first is instrumental, and is performed at weddings and other parties. On the other hand, the slow can be sung or instrumental as well, and is used in serenades.

It consists of three parts: the introduction that is repeated, "the pleasing melody" and is repeated again.

-Orinoquía region

It is made up of the departments of Arauca, Casanare, Meta and Vichada. Her typical dances are:

The Joropo

This dance is the most popular of the Colombian and Venezuelan plains, geographically integrated. It is influenced by Spanish fandango and, in fact, joropo derives from the Arabic xarop (syrup).

It is a joyful and festive dance that is danced while stomping with the partner holding hands, also doing turns holding hands and at the waist. It is performed to the rhythm of the harp, the cuatro and the maracas.

The Galeron

This dance is performed mostly during popular festivities. It is also a very happy and boisterous dance. Its name apparently originated in the seventeenth century, at the Galerones Festival.

Like the joropo, it is danced in pairs and zapateado. This dance is a kind of dance procession, where the man chases the woman. The man carries in his hand a handkerchief that he waves as he moves.

-Island region

It is made up of the islands of San Andrés and Providencia in the Caribbean Sea and the Malpelo and Gorgona islands in the Pacific Ocean. Her typical dances are:

The Calypso

It is the most representative dance of this region and is native to the neighboring islands of Trinidad and Jamaica. It is executed freely in separate pairs, with strong hip movements.

The Chotis

This dance is of French origin and arrived on the Island of San Andrés in the 19th century. It is danced in pairs holding hands. The pairs take two steps to the right and another three to the left.

The movements are smooth in a four-by-four measure, to which are added stomping that is marked to the rhythm of the music.

The Mento

It is of Antillean origin very similar to the rumba. The women set the pace gently, while being pursued by the men who woo them in a suggestive way.

This dance is similar to the cumbia. It is danced in loose pairs making short movements with the feet, hips and shoulders thrown forward.

The Polka

This dance is also of European origin and has two versions: the original polka and the jumping polka. The dance begins on the right foot on the count of three. The couple slightly lean their body forward, along with their right foot.

In the version of the skipped polka, only women participate who dance in circles and make small jumps accompanied by gentle movements.

La Quadrille (gang)

This aristocratic English dance was assimilated by the Afro-descendants of the islands of the insular region.

It is executed in pairs, who dance different rhythms while executing 5 figures (waltzes, handrails, changes, crosses and movements with turns).

-Amazon region

This region is made up of the departments of Amazonas, part of Meta, Guainía, Putumayo, Caquetá, Guaviare and Vichada. His typical dances are:

The Bëtsknaté

This ritual dance symbolizes the meeting of the different indigenous communities that inhabit Alto Putumayo. During the ceremony, food is exchanged.

The dance-parade is led by the elder matachin, who covers his face with a red mask and carries a bell. This ceremony is linked to the Carnival of Forgiveness festival.

The Offering Dance

It is a funerary dance in honor of the dead, which serves to give away food that the deceased used to consume while alive. This is the reason why each dancer carries a wooden plate.

The dancers make a circle and there is a man in the center, around him all the others turn. The musical instruments used in this dance are the flute and the drum.

-Pacific Region

This region, made up of the departments of Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño, has the following typical dances:

The Vallenato

It is a musical and dance genre originating from Valledupar, and is the most representative of Colombia in the world. This joyous rhythm is danced all over the country. The lyrics of his songs are very romantic and full of feelings.

The dance is performed to the rhythm of instruments such as the box, the accordion, the guacharaca and the accordion. Vallenato has several rhythms: son, merengue, tambora, paseo and puya.

The Abozao

It is an erotic dance that is danced between a couple, making suggestive gestures and movements with the legs. Men and women, formed in rows, dance separately. Sometimes the woman is surrounded by the man.

Its name is derived from the painter, which is the rope used to tie boats.

La Jota Chocoana and La Caderona

Both are dances of mestizo origin. In them, rhythms and movements of African culture and traditional European dances of the 18th and 19th centuries are mixed.

The chocoana jota represents a satirical imitation of the Spanish jota dance, which began in the 18th century.

It is danced in pairs, which are placed facing each other and presents some variations with respect to the Spanish version. In the Colombian version, they clap their hands too, but the movements are more abrupt and faster.

The caderona, on the other hand, is accompanied by singing the following verse with a chorus, while the dance is running:

“Caderona, come on, meniáte. With his hand on his hip. Caderona, come on, meniáte. Oh! Come, get down, to fall in love ”.

The Currulao and the Bunde

The currulao dance is considered the most important among Colombian Afro-descendants in the department of Chocó. It is linked to the time of slavery and mining work.

It is danced in pairs, using circular and linear movements, drawing eights during the movement. The dance imitates a courtship of the man to the woman.

This dance is danced to the rhythm of bass drums, drums, maracas and marimba

These same instruments are used for the bunde dance. What changes is the ceremony where it is performed, because in this it has a funerary character.

The Contradanza

This dance is of European origin between the 16th and 17th centuries. Its original name was countrydance, which in English means country dance. It was brought by the Spanish to Colombia in the 18th century.

Initially, it was a very elegant dance typical of the highest classes of society, then it became popular. It is danced in pairs with pre-established rules, accompanied by the clarinet and the euphonium, among others.

References

1. Traditional Dances and Costumes. Retrieved on March 9, 2018 from colombia.com.
2. Typical Colombian costumes and dances: by region and much more. Recovered from hablemosdeculturas.com.
3. Typical Colombian dances. Consulted of viajejet.com.
4. Choreo-musical folklore of the Colombian Caribbean (PDF). Recovered from scolartic.com.
5. Martín, Miguel Ángel (1979). Llanero folklore. Villavicencio: Lit. Juan XXIII. Recovered from banrepcultural.org.
6. The dance of the Farotas, an ancient tradition in the Barranquilla Carnival. Recovered from nytimes.com/es.
7. Herrera-Sobek, María (2012) Celebrating Latino Folklore. California. Recovered from books.google.co.ve.