Bomba
The bomba is the moment in a timba song when the groove turns heavy and bare: the piano stops its tumbao or drops out completely, and the bass takes over with slides and stomps, locked in with the drums and percussion. For dancers it is the cue to let go: partners often break apart and dance solo.
What you do on the bomba
- Despelote: the most explosive form, with big, free movements of the whole body.
- Suelta: dancing apart from your partner, with your own styling and shines.
- Reggaetón moves: modern influences you often see in timba clubs during the bomba.
Listen to what the band does: the bomba is usually followed by a new gear or a coro, which is when you pick up your partner again. The musical side is covered on the music page about the bomba.
Moves
Timba is the music this site is dedicated to exploring. It emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s and crystallized in the early 1990s — born in a moment of social crisis, built on the full accumulated history of Cuban music, and still evolving today.
Lees meer >Despelote is the most explosive individual dance style in timba — a full-body release of energy that happens during the high-intensity bomba sections of a timba song.
Lees meer >Suelta is a solo timba dance style that is more grounded and contained than despelote — a cooler, more controlled individual expression that still responds directly to the music.
Lees meer >Cuban music is built on percussion. The extraordinary density and variety of Cuban rhythmic culture reflects the meeting of West and Central African drumming traditions with Spanish, Haitian, and creole musical practices over four centuries. The instruments below form the core percussive vocabulary heard across Son, Rumba, Timba, Danzón, and their descendants.
Lees meer >The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.
Lees meer >The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.
Lees meer > Timba, the explosive and rhythmically rich genre of Cuban dance music, transformed how the bass functions in popular music. In Timba, the bass is not just foundational — it’s fiery, funky, and free.
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- Who sings it Chorus (the coristas, sometimes the horns too)
- Purpose Repetition, hook and rhythmic anchor
- Characteristics Short, catchy, often syncopated
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