Ultimate Strictly

RUMBA

History

The origins of the Rumba can be traced back to African tribal dances which were introduced by the slaves who were transported to the New World. Its evolution started in 1890's Cuba, and the modern Rumba we know became popular in 1930's America, and even now, still includes the teasing elements of courtship, making it a sensual dance of seduction.

The dance

The key to Rumba is rhythm. It is the only slow latin dance, and the walks are included to provide movement across the floor. However, the dancers should only walk on the balls of their feet - no heel leads! In order to get the classic Rumba hip action, the dancers must use their legs by flexing and straightening them, simply moving the hips and bum from side to side is not enough.

A technically perfect routine is not enough; the Rumba should be romantic and seductive, so a connection between the couple is essential. The woman should flirt with the man and move away (such as in the fan position or by opening out), and the man's role is then to attract the woman again, and pull her back towards him.

Expect to see plenty of controlled turns and spins, as well as the spectacular Rumba drop, where the man will hold the woman around the waist while she bends and drops her upper body back with her arms and hands dropping to complete the line. In fact, arms are extremely important in the Rumba, and should be controlled and toned at all times, no flapping or throwing them around. As Len has told us in his Masterclass, the arm is made up of shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, which should flow like a sentence with the fingers finishing the line like the full stop of the sentence.

The best of Strictly

The closest to perfection we've seen on Strictly so far was the rumba performed by Kara & Artem in Series 8. Len told Kara she shouldn't be that good, and everyone watching was mesmerised, but Craig did spot that Kara's foot left the floor slightly during one of the steps, making it an illegal lift and had to dock them a single point, meaning both in week 11 and in the final, they scored 39 points. Close behind are Rachel & Vincent in Series 6, dancing a seductive routine to Paul Weller's 'You Do Something To Me', with the judges awarding it 39 points, with only Craig again not giving them a 10. Similarly, Matt & Flavia in the Series 5 Christmas Special, scored 39 points for a beautiful dance to 'Last Christmas', with again Craig being the only judge not to award them a 10. Christmas specials that include Rumba's always seem to produce great performances, with Zoe & Ian receiving 38 for their routine in the Series 4 Christmas special, and Dancing With The Stars contestant Rachel Hunter with our own Brendan Cole awarded 36 in the Series 3 Christmas special - although if it hadn't been for a slight mistake towards the end of the routine, who knows whether the 9's would have been converted to 10's?

The worst of Strictly

Fiona & Brendan performed the Rumba in Series 3 and received a 1 from Craig, and if it hadn't been for Len's mark of 6 making up almost half of their total points (13), this could well have been a dance to rival the lowest scoring dance in Strictly history, Quentin & Hazel's Cha Cha Cha. One year later, we saw Georgina & James perform the Rumba as their first dance on Strictly, which Len described by saying 'it had as much romance as an autopsy', and their total score was 14.

Scores for all Rumba performances:

*Arlene Phillips judged series one to six, while Alesha Dixon judged series 7 onwards.
**Len Goodman did not judge Series 9 Week 6 and actress Jennifer Grey took his place.