In essence, the history of this dance is much the same as that of International Ballroom Rumba up until the point where Monsieur Pierre started codifying the dance based on his experience in Cuba. This did not catch on in North America to the same degree it became accepted in the rest of the world such that the dance evolved in its own way in North America until it reached its current version but without the distinct characteristics Monsieur Pierre brought back from Cuba.
The most striking difference is that American Rumba starts on beat 1 while the International version has dancers take their first step on the second beat. Other differences include the fact that in American Rumba knees are bent and then straightened whereas In the international style rumba, every step is taken with a straight leg. Moreover, the international basic step is linear with a larger side step on beat 4 whereas the basic step in the American version resembles a square hence the name “box step”. There are of course other differences between the American and the international style such as the speed of the music, the musical articulation, etc. but in essence both the American and international style of Rumba are westernised codified ballroom dances which are connected to historical Cuban dances but have lost most of their recognisable Cuban heritage in the way they are performed today.
To most Cubans who excel at Rumba, Son, Cha Cha, Mambo etc. the modern day Cuban connection to ballroom Rumba, whether it is American or International, is absurd. While there may be an ongoing continuing debate among ballroom aficionados around the smaller subtleties between American and International style Rumba as well as other variations that receive this title, to Cubans it is not the “American” vs. “International” designation that raises any concerns but the overall misclassification of any of such westernised ballroom dances under the general term “Rumba”.
