Get ready to rumba

Get ready to rumba as Radio 2 launches a season of dance-related programming with a new seven-part series from the multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan. Other season highlights include a documentary from Len Goodman, following on from his Dancing Years series last year, and, in December, a show called Super Troupers, in which Arlene Phillips looks back at the dad-titillating TV dance teams of the 1960s and 70s.

c’s Latin Beat explores the history of Latin American music — that bubbling blend of European folk, African music and indigenous rhythms. It’s an intoxicating mix of samba and bossa nova from Brazil, rumba and mambo from Cuba, salsa from Puerto Rico, cumbia from Colombia, tango from Argentina, mariachi from Mexico, and merengue from Dominican Republic.

Estefan is a good choice as guide, although you wouldn’t guess as much from the way she’s quoted in the press release (“I am so happy to be able to share my Latin roots and the passion of the music to the listeners of BBC Radio 2”) but the content achieves the nigh-on impossible of keeping devotees happy with intelligent insight from Latin American music experts and introducing the genre to people who know nothing about the subject.

On a final, more serious, note: let’s make the most of series like this while we still can — the BBC’s latest cuts have hit Radio 2 particularly harshly and it’s unlikely that such grand-scale productions will get made in future.
About this programme

New series. The singer-songwriter celebrates Latin popular music, beginning by exploring that of her homeland Cuba and tracing the roots of the Miami scene. Tonight's playlist includes Gloria's first international hit Conga and tracks by Beny More, Perez Prado, Celia Cruz and Roberto Torres.

Source: Jane Anderson

Posted in Gloria Estefan , Latin American music , Latin Beat , Latina Gloria Estefan , salsa circuit , salsa dancing steps , Troupers