Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Merengue
Merengue is the national dance music of the Dominican Republic. From the minute you ar-
rive until the minute you leave, merengue will be coming at you full volume: in restaurants,
public buses, taxis, at the beach or simply walking down the street. Rhythmically driven
and heavy on the downbeat, merengue follows a common 2-4 or 4-4 beat pattern and Dom-
nicans dance with passion and flair. But what sets merengue apart from other musical
forms is the presence of traditional signature instruments and how they work within the
two- or four-beat structure. Merengue is typically played with a two-headed drum called a
tambora, a guitar, an accordion-like instrument known as a melodeon, and a güira - a metal
instrument that looks a little like a cheese grater and is scraped using a metal or plastic rod.
If you hit a dance club and take a shine to the music, you may want to pick up some CDs
before leaving the country. A few of the most popular musicians include Johnny Ventura,
Coco Band, Wilfredo Vargas, Milly y Los Vecinos, Fernando Villalona, Joseito Mateo,
Rubby Perez, Miriam Cruz, Milly Quezada and, perhaps the biggest name of all, Santo
Domingo-born Juan Luis Guerra. Rita Indiana y los Misterios, led by the eponymously
named vocalist and an accomplished writer, have created an 'experimental' merengue
sound, blending alternative rock and pop with traditional forms.
Even if you don't dance - something Dominicans will find peculiar - you'll be im-
pressed by the skill and artfulness of the way even amateurs move their feet and hips in
perfect time to the music. The
merengue típico
, or traditional folk genre, is a fast two-step
dance characterized by the close proximity of the dancers. The most prevalent of the folk
styles, called
perico ripiao
, originated in the northern valley region of Cibao and is still
commonly played today.
From its humble rural beginnings, merengue evolved into a more modernized orchestral
'big band' style, largely due to its elevated status as a national symbol embraced by Trujillo
in the 1930s. In typical Trujillo fashion, he ordered many merengues to be composed in his
honor. While the earlier traditional forms established the complexities of the rhythm and
the development of the dance, it was the orchestral style, called
orquesta merengue
or
mer-
engue de salon
, that drove merengue's rise to prominence by the 1980s, becoming a worthy
competitor of salsa. By the 1990s, contemporary merengue had incorporated electronic
drum beats and synthesizers, and this new sound was heard blaring out of cars, stereos and
nightclubs from Puerto Rico to New York City.
For most Dominicans, talk of merengue's origins - and Dominican merengue didn't
emerge as its own distinct genre until the mid-19th century - are wrapped up in notions of
