Kizomba

Kizomba
Stylistic origins	Zouk Zouk-love Semba
Cultural origins	Late 80's, ANG
Mainstream popularity	Angola, and other lusophone countries (Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Portugal, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, Brazil and the territory of Macau)
Other topics
Music of Angola

Kizomba is one of the most popular genres of dance and music created in Angola. Derived directly from Zouk, sung generally in Portuguese, it is a genre of music with a romantic flow mixed with African rhythm. The kizomba dancing style is also known to be very sensual.

Origin

Kizomba was developed in Angola late 1989 to early 1990s. It is a fusion of Semba (the predecessor of samba) with the zouk music styles from the French Caribbean Islands. It is also performed in other lusophone African countries and in Europe. It is known for having a slow, insistent, somewhat harsh, yet sensuous rhythm; the result of electronic percussion. It is ideally danced accompanied by a partner, very smoothly and slowly, though not too tightly. A rather large degree of flexibility in the knees is required, owing to the frequent requirement that dancers bob up and down.

Cultural influences

The influence of Angolan kizomba is felt in most Portuguese-speaking African countries, but also Portugal (especially in Lisbon and surrounding suburbs such as Amadora or Almada), where communities of immigrants have established clubs centered on the genre in a renewed kizomba style. Kizomba is now also quite popular among white people that come to these clubs in growing numbers. The São Tomean kizomba music is very similar to the Angolan, Juka is the most notable among the Sãotomeans, but it is also one of the most notable performers in the genre. The exact origins of tango—both the dance and the word itself—are lost in myth and an unrecorded history. This dance is mostly borrowed from Argetine Tango. The generally accepted theory is that in the mid-1800s, African slaves were brought to Argentina and began to influence the local culture. The word "tango" may be straightforwardly African in origin, meaning "closed place" or "reserved ground." Or it may derive from Portuguese (and from the Latin verb tanguere, to touch) and was picked up by Africans on the slave ships. Whatever its origin, the word "tango" acquired the standard meaning of the place where African slaves and free blacks gathered to dance.

In Angola most clubs are based in Luanda. Famous Angolan kizomba musicians include Neide Van-Dúnem, Don Kikas, Calo Pascoal and Irmãos Verdades, among many others, but Bonga is probably the best known Angolan artist, having helped popularize the style both in Angola and Portugal during the 1970s and 1980s.

Kizomba dance: In Angola in the 1950's the expression Kizombadas referred to a party. There was no association of the word to a dance or musical genre. However the dance known as "Semba", "Rebita", "Kabetula", "Maringa", already existed in the 50's and 60's. Other dances coming from Europe like Tango were practiced by the Portuguese colonials. The "Plena" from Puerto Rico and Merengue are thought to be brought by the Cuban influence in Angola during the war. The style of Kizomba is now emphasizes a very smooth way of dancing with influences of Tango steps, but one of the main differences is that the lower body, the hip, does forward/backwards and circle movements. People dance on the tempo, as well as playing on the off beat and only sometimes using syncopation steps. In the modern Semba dance, it is easy to observe how so many of the steps have been influenced by Cuban dance and perhaps vice versa, as you can find high similarities in both genres.

Popularity

Countries where Kizomba is most popular include Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Portugal, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, Brazil and the territory of Macau.

Various individuals who feel involved with the Kizomba culture have been seriously promoting it in other countries, such as Belgium and surrounding nations, where an independent Kizombalove Academy has been created by José N'dongala.

Kizomba in the UK

Kizomba has been present in the UK for about 20 years with Afro-Portuguese parties organized as early as 1991 in various venues around London. It only started crossing over to the public from 2005 when Iris De Brito started showcasing Kizomba in various Salsa around the UK and the rest of Europe, generating significant interest in public and opening the doors to the likes of Miguel Monteiro, Sa'id Sallu or Kwenda Lima. Iris regularly performs and teaches internationally while developing Studio Afro Latino school a platform for the development of Salsa Dance and Afro-Latin Rhythms.

Since 2008, Kizomba UK has been promoting events in London and beyond with the objective of bringing together Kizomba & Zouk enthusiasts beyond their origin or age through regular events in London and beyond, including weekly classes and club at Zoo bar since 2009, the co-organization of 'El Grande', the largest and longest running Latin night in the UK (also voted by the public best Latin night in the UK in 2010 and best Kizomba Club in the UK), co-organising UK's largest weekly Afro-Caribbean night at Cucci Club in Wood Green (north London) and of course The International Afro-Latin festival BATUKE! now heading to its 3rd edition (see www.BATUKEFESTIVAL.com)

Since 2009, many other groups have emerged promoting Kizomba around the country. These include, Kizmania Angola, Kizomba Yeto, Latin Quarter Live, Pitanga Dance Company, Essensual Dance and many more!

Kizomba De Roda was first showcased in the Uk in September of 2011. The syllabus for this new way of dancing Kizomba was written by Christian Jean-Francois, [2], voted Best Male Kizomba Teacher UK 2011.

Commercial releases

The "Afro Caribbean Mega Mix" is a CD with a mixture of music from different countries. The Nha África - Paixão e Ritmo (mixed Portuguese and Portuguese Creole for My Africa, Passion and Rhythm) compilation album, launched in Portugal in 2005, is a successful collection of Angolan and Cape Verdean romantic songs. Other successful former release is Lusodance, Mussulo, Kizomba de Angola and Kizomba Dança comigo are also great choices as compilation albums.