The history of Latin American dancing culture is getting explored at a new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. The interactive exhibition also features items by iconic artists like Rubén Blades and Celia Cruz.
The Museum of the City of New York is examining decades of dance culture with the exhibition “Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor.” It’s divided into five main sections including “Wepa! Freedom Dreams from Mambo to Merengue,” which focuses on how migration and immigration shaped different forms of Latino dance.
“New York City’s dance floors have always been more than just spaces to dance—they are cultural epicenters where innovation and tradition meet,” Derrick León Washington, co-curator of “Urban Stomp,” shared in a statement. “This unprecedented exhibition celebrates the enduring spirit of inter-connected communities and their defiant joy that continues to resonate on and off the dance floor.”
The genres of dance and music highlighted in the “Wepa!” section include salsa, merengue, bachata, and more. Those styles of dance are brought to life with items like Blades’ maracas, jacket, and a copy of his legendary album Siembra. Cruz, who was the queen of salsa music, also has an outfit on display as a part of the section. There’s also dance tutorials where visitors can learn how to move to bachata and merengue music.
Another section of the exhibit that has a heavy Latin American influence is “The Cypher: Breaks and Breakin.” This section is dedicated to hip-hop and ball culture and how that helped shape break dancing, which came from Black and Latine communities.
Those interested in experiencing the “Urban Stomp” exhibition can visit the Museum of the City of New York.