This black & white Arthur Murray instructional film demonstrates how to do the Rumba and the Mambo. The film dates to the 1940s. Arthur Murray (1895 – 1991) was a famous American ballroom dancer and businessman. After WWII, Murray’s dance instruction business grew with the rise of interest in Latin dance, and he regularly taught and broadcast in Cuba in the 1950s. He later hosted the television show The Arthur Murray Party for a decade from 1950-60.
Opening titles: The Arthur Murray Steps In The Rumba and Mambo (:10-:19). Title: Introduction to Rumba Motion. Mr. Luis Arnold walks, then sways his hips. Arnold keeps walking and swaying his hips and doing a box step, teaching the dance move (:20-1:47). Arnold does the movement to the right and then forward and back, all while swaying his hips. Title: Rumba Breaks: Forward, Back and Side Side Breaks in 5th Position. Arnold dances with a female and holds her close and they go side to side and sway (1:48-3:12). Title: Open Break. Couple dances in fancy clothes. Title: Mambo Box. Hips sway and forward side and forward back side. Mambo is performed. Title: Mambo Box Variation. The motion is explained and shown. Title: Mambo Breaks: Forward, Back, and Side. Couple dances these moves (3:13-4:51). Title: Back Spot Turn with Mambo Break. Couple does the turn and shows it again. Title: Forward Spot Turn with Mambo Break. Couple shows the move twice. Title: Box Break with Underarm Turn. Couple Shows the move twice and sways (4:52-6:05). Title: Simple Scallop. Couple turns and moves, does the move twice. Title: Underarm Turn. Couple performs the motion twice. Title: The Surprise. Couple sways and goes backwards. Title: Cross Step. Dance is shown twice. Title Cross Step Variation. The couple dances close and performs the motion twice. Title: Cross-over Back to Back. Couple shows the move twice (6:06-8:17). Title: Half Moon. Couple does a spin move twice. Title: Walk Around Spin. Couple performs the move twice. Title: Tale Turn. Couple pull away, spin, show the move. Title: The Scallop. Women does a spin, move is shown twice. Title: Dip Break. The man dips the woman slightly after a spin. Title: Mambo Drag. Couple spins and shows the move repeatedly (8:18-11:00). Couple dances performing many moves, then stops (11:00-11:29). End credits (11:30-11:51).
Rumba, also spelled rhumba, ballroom dance of Afro-Cuban folk-dance origin that became internationally popular in the early 20th century. Best known for the dancers’ subtle side to side hip movements with the torso erect, the rumba is danced with a basic pattern of two quick side steps and a slow forward step. Mambo is a Cuban style that combines elements of popular Latin dance genres with the musical sophistication of the son Cubano genre—the bedrock of the broader musical style known as salsa.
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