Sandungueo

ORIGIN OF Sandungueo

Sandungueo is a dance that is closely related to urban music, more specifically reggaeton, and emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Puerto Rico, as a variant of the dances of the Dancehall and Hip hop culture.

In this dance the participants must show a seductive attitude, since it is manifested with the practice of exaggerated movements of lewdness and sensuality.

The position of the knees should be determined: slightly bent, and in the man should include loose movements, performing certain typical gestures of provocation. In the woman, it should be completely provocative, shaking and moving her hips vigorously.

Sandungueo comes from “sandunga”, a term used to refer to the grace or sparkle that a person has, although the word may vary according to the region and context. It is said that whoever has or possesses sandunga is a sandunguero or sandunguera.

This Spanish word is difficult to translate, and is considered to be part of the colloquial language and speech, however, some people hold the theory that “sandunga” could refer to a certain Africanism, that is, as a loan that comes from the African language.

This theory is based on the sound “ngu” very present in the phonetics of the word, and would have a very close relationship with the historical slave trade of the Spanish Empire, as it would have been brought from Africa by slaves at that time.

CURIOSITIES OF Sandungueo

It is known as “La Sandunga” to a very traditional song from Mexico, more specifically from Oaxaca where the meaning would be, the party or parranda.