Cuba for Kids — Cha Cha Cha — All Around This World

In the late 1800s and early 1900s formal Cuban dance music, DANZÓN, drew its main inspiration from Europe, though danzón ensembles, called CHARANGAS, included African drums and percussion instruments as well as cello, flute and pianos. In the 1930s, Cuban big band musicians backed DANZÓN with African rhythms to form an up-tempo dance music called In the 1950s charangas created the CHA CHA CHA, taking some of the syncopation out of the African-inspired MAMBO, making it easier to dance.