From the Streets of America to Brisbane and Melbourne: Reggaeton

In the 80`s, when Hip Hop culture emerged from the ghettos of the Unites States, bringing rap, break dance, graffiti and music, it was restricted to limited locations in North America and to poor areas. Nowadays, after many years, Hip Hop is increasingly popular, even in Australia. In Brisbane, there are various schools if you are looking to learn this dance style. In the heart of Melbourne, where many streets are embellished with graffiti, Hip Hop is evident.

This cultural expression also helped to create a new musical rhythm in Latin America, known as Reggaeton. This genre emerged in the 90`s in Puerto Rico and became popular in the early 2000’s in many Latin American countries, including Colombia. It started as a hybrid of Jamaican Dancehall, Trinidadian Soca, Salsa, Bomba and Latin American Hip Hop.

Manuel Carvajal Guerra, 27, from Colombia, came to Melbourne in 2013 and found many places to dance Reggaeton in town. “Most of the DJs in Melbourne know that Reggaeton is one of the favourite musical genres of Colombians. Even at Brazilian parties thereis a special time to play Reggaeton. It’s the Latin American culture in Australia,” he said.

Brisbane’s Latin community has also welcome the Reggaeton fever by holding parties that showcase this rhythm in a vibrant atmosphere in the Valley and West End, even choreography courses are being offered and sometimes they give you the option to perform on stage at public events.

By Gringo Magazine