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Mambo

(1950s - Present)

The 1950s

Mambo Styling

• Mambo Styling: Much like the closely-related Rumba, Mambo includes Cuban motion of the hips. This means that when your weight is on your left foot, your left hip is pushed slightly out to the side, and when your weight is on your right foot, your right hip is pushed slightly out to the side [RL53, DG56]. Although many sources consider the hips to be essential to the dance, others don't mention the hips at all [BT54, MS55]. Some sources note that while the hips move, the upper body remains still [RC51].
• Mambo Positions: Mambo can be danced in a variety of positions, including:
  • Closed Position: The usual closed dance position [DG56].
  • Hand Clasp Position: Open two hands [DG56].
  • Challenge Position: No hands [DG56].

Basic Steps

Most descriptions of the basic step of Mambo approximate this basic shape:

• Basic Shape: Break forward left (Q), rock back right (Q), step back left (S), break back right (Q), rock forward left (Q), step forward right (S) [AR54, MS55, TP55, DG56]. Sometimes the slows are described or illustrated as closes [RC51, AM54, BT54, FA55, BF56, DG56]. However, one source notes that this was done "for simplicity's sake," while many Mambo dancers actually rested with the right foot slightly forward of the left, as described here [MS55]. Some sources describe both versions as possible variations [TP55, DG56], while others have a strong preference for passing feet, citing that this makes it smoother [RL53]. One source has the slow steps as side steps [JB53]. Some sources have it turning to the left [RC51, RL53, AM54, BF56]. Several sources describe a basic that breaks back left and forward right [IW53, AR54].

• Forward Left on 2: The Lead breaks forward left on 2 (back right on 6) [RC51, FA55, BF56, DG56]. Perhaps Lead into it with a slow step forward right on count 4 [DG56].
• Back Right on 2: The Lead breaks back right on 2 (forward left on 6) [JB53, MS55, TP55 RL53]. Lead into it by stepping left in place on 1 [MS55], or 4 [TP55].
• Forward Left on 1: The Lead breaks forward left on 1 (back right on 5) [BT54].
• Forward Left on 3: The Lead breaks forward left on 3 (back right on 7) [AM54]. Lead into it with a slow step forward right on count 1 [AM54]. Another course has this same timing, but breaking forward right on 3 [IW53].
• Forward Left on 4: The Lead breaks forward left on 4 (back right on 8) [AR54]. Start by stepping forward left on 1, forward right on 2, holding 3, and breaking forward left on 4 [AR54].
• Double Mambo: Each slow step becomes a double step: step lightly on the first count, then firmly on the second count [MS55, DG56]. Alternatively, each slow step has a double Cuban motion, i.e., on the Lead's 4-and-1, his hips move right-left-right [RL53]. Or forward-back-forward, but this "is better suited for exhibitions than ballroom" [RL53]. This source notes that "the real Cuban mambo is always double" [RL53].
• Triple Mambo: Each slow step becomes a triple step [TP55, DG56]. Or, if you believe Robert Luis, "there is no such thing. It is an innovation of American Lindy and Jitterbug dancers; their performances look like that of Lindy dancers and they miss completely the feeling and spirit of this most exciting Cuban dance and the only credit they achieve is that of working very hard indeed" [RL53].

Breaks

These are variations of the basic step that break in different directions:

• Side Breaks: Both feet break to their corresponding sides, closing them together on the slow step [IW53, AM54, AR54, BT54, MS55, TP55, BF56, DG56]. Alternatively, you can step back on the left slow step, and forward on the right slow step [DG56].
• Mambo Charge: Similar to the Side Breaks, but on the forward diagonals (for both partners at the same time, bringing the opposite shoulders close together) [DG56].
• Forward Breaks: Both feet break forward [AR54, MS55, TP55].
• Back Breaks: Both feet break back [AR54, MS55, TP55].
• Twist Step: Same as the Basic, except that the right foot breaks back to the back left diagonal [MS55].
• Open Break: Same as the Twist step, but both feet break back to the opposite diagonal [MS55]. When both partners do it at the same time, you can flip from one half-closed position to the other [TP55].
• Turnabout and Break: On the left-footed slow and following quick-quick, the Lead turns tightly to the left while the Follow turns tightly to the right, rolling away from each other with no hands. Then catch and do the Lead's right side of an Open Break [TP55].
• Cross Step: Same as the Basic, but the left foot breaks forward to the right forward diagonal [MS55].
• Crossovers: Same as the Cross Step, but both feet break forward to the opposite diagonal [BF56, DG56]. This can be done by both partners at the same time, switching from right-in-left hands to left-in-right hands [BF56].
• Crossovers with Rollaway: When the Lead's right foot and Follow's right foot cross over, the partners roll away from each other in three steps, the Lead turning to the left in place as the Follow turns to the right in place [BF56].
• Mambo Look: Same as the Basic, except that the left foot breaks directly to the side [MS55].
• Tap Step: Same as the Basic, except that the left foot taps to the side during the count before the forward break [MS55]. Another source mentions a tap when the foot is free during the pause on count 1, without specifying where [RL53].
• Kick Step: Same as the Basic, except that the right foot kicks forward during the count before the backward break [MS55]. Another source mentions a kick with the free foot during the pause on count 1, without specifying where [RL53].
• Dip Step: Same as the Basic, except that you do a "quick, shallow dip" on the back break, "as if you were falling" [RL53].
• Triangle: Back half of the Basic is the same. Forward half is: cross left over right, step side right, step side left [MS55].
• Right Turn: Back half of the Basic is the same, except that the slow forward step is diagonally forward right. Then cross left over right, turning right (Q), step left back toward starting position, continuing to turn right (Q), and step right into starting position (S) [MS55]. Other versions turn with three running steps to the right [DG56], six running steps to the right [DG56], or three running steps to the left [DG56].
• The Sterney: Back half of the Basic is the same, except that you tap left to left side during the hold. Then tap left across in front of right (Q), kick it forward (Q), and step back on it (S) [MS55].
• Kick-Tap-Tap Step: Back half of the Basic is the same, except that you kick left forward during the hold. Then tap left across in front of right (Q), tap left to side next to right (Q), and step further to the side on it (S) [MS55].
• Pendulum: Back half of the Basic is the same, except that you kick left forward during the hold. Then tap left to side (Q), tap left closed to right (Q), and step side on it (S) [MS55].
• The Mambo Chase: On the left-footed break step, turn 180° to the right to face away from partner. Then turn 180° to the left on the right-footed break step to face partner again. When both partners do it in sequence, they appear to be chasing each other [BF56]. An alternative version: back half of the Basic is the same, except that you pivot 180 degrees to the right on the slow step with the right foot. Run two quick steps away from partner, and pivot 180 degrees to the left on the slow step with the left foot, then run two quick steps toward partner [DG56].
• Merry-Go-Round: Repeatedly rock forward left and back right in Mambo timing, turning slightly to the left [JB53].

1. to dance opposite (or in other words, in parallel), with the Follow doing the opposite footwork (replace "forward" with "back") with the opposite feet (replace "left" with "left")
• e.g., the Lead does Forward Breaks while the Follow does Back Breaks
2. to dance with the Follow doing footwork that mirrors the Leads
• e.g., the Lead and Follow both do Side Breaks at the same time
3. to dance in an alternating fashion, with each partner doing exactly the same footwork, one after the other
• e.g., the Lead does a Triangle on his forward half, then the Follow does a Triangle on her forward half
4. to dance something totally different from your partner*
• e.g., the Lead does a Triangle on his forward half, then the Follow does a Right Turn on her forward half

The Music

Here's a sampling of early Mambo music:

Sources

• RC51 — Reba and Bonnie Churchill. (1951, February 1). "Everybody's All 'Hipped' Up Over Mambo, New Dance Hit." The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA).
• JB53 — Joe Bonomo. (1953). Improve Your Dancing, Pocket Manual. New York.
• RL53 — Robert Luis. (1953). The Cuban Dancer's Bible, ¿Rumba, Mambo? New York.
• IW53 — I. F. Waglow. (1953). Social Dance For Students And Teachers. Dubuque, IA.
• AM54 — Arthur Murray. (1954, May 24). "Mambo Is Modern Offspring of Its Parent, The Rumba." The Miami News (Miami, FL).
• AR54 — Angela M. Rosanova. (1954). Ballroom Dancing Made Easy. New York.
• BT54 — Bob Thomas. (1954). Let's Dance with Marge and Gower Champion. New York.
• FA55 — Fred Astaire Dance Studios. (1955). The Fred Astaire Dance Book and Record, Rumba with Basic Mambo. New York.
• TP55 — Thomas E. Parson. (1955). Ballroom Dances For All. New York.
• MS55 — Martin Sterney. (1955). How to Mambo. Brooklyn.
• BF56 — Beale Fletcher. (1956). How to Improve Your Social Dancing with the Fletcher Count System. New York.
• DG56 — Dance Guild, Inc. (1956). Mambo Made Easy. New York.

© 2018 Nick Enge

For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.

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