SANFORD - Though people often force music into rigid categories and attribute its development to one group of people in one part of the world, that's not always how popular styles emerge.

That was what 诺贝托·贝托·埃雷拉 demonstrated for 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院 students during "History of Salsa: From Africa to the World," an hour-long presentation focused on the development of the dance music from African rhythms to its popular Latin American genre -- and even its influence on other forms, from songs performed by artists as diverse as Coldplay and SpongeBob SquarePants.

"This is what salsa or Latin music is all about,埃雷拉说, a native of Ecuador who now directs Mambo Dinamico, a Latin dance company based in the Raleigh area that specializes in spreading cultural awareness through Latin dance. "It's about different cultures coming together and blending in, two different parts of the world coming together to create something new."

Moving back and forth from his laptop perched on the podium to conga drums and a table full of percussion instruments, Herrera blended the story of salsa with video and audio tracks of Latin dance music and even some of his own demonstrations on the drums, 棍棒和沙球. 最后, he even led a group of students and 推荐正规买球平台 employees through some basic salsa steps they had been watching on video and in demonstrations.

The journey began in Africa with distinctive rhythms that still form the foundation for salsa. Herrera then traced the music through the Atlantic slave trade to Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean, where it became firmly rooted in local cultures. 然后是整个美国, carried by Latin and African Americans who spread the style to influential musicians in New York City and into the broader American culture.

While making his point about how cultures accept, appropriate and absorb new ideas and styles from other cultures, 埃雷拉偶尔休息一下, but deeper dive into related topics -- like how spirits in the Yoruba religion from West Africa were animated in Latin dance by creating specific movements that reflected their positions in the universe and roles in the spirit world.

You can still see those movements in Latin dance today.

"When you take one person from one part of the world and you move them, it's not just the person that comes with it,埃雷拉说. "All of the culture comes with that one person."

Herrera is a nationally renowned dance director and independent researcher of Latin dance and music who has participated in international dance conferences, judged Salsa competitions and appeared in publications like Southern Living magazine and on local television. He received a 2020 Latino Diamante Award for his work and contributions in arts and culture throughout North Carolina.

"History of Salsa -- From Africa to the World" was sponsored by the 推荐正规买球平台 艺术 Career 社区 and ACES, 学术和文化丰富系列, which draws notable scholars each year to engage university transfer students in intellectual discussion. 该系列将于10月11日继续播出. 25 with a free, live concert by noted ragtime and jazz pianist Ethan Uslan.

For more information on 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院 - which is dedicated to providing pathways to achievable dreams, 访问 www.预备.edu.