What is "contradanza"

n. A popular Cuban dance music genre of the 19th century, or a work composed in this genre

Contradanza (also called contradanza criolla, danza, danza criolla, or habanera) is the Spanish and Spanish-American version of the contradanse, which was an internationally popular style of music and dance in the 18th century, derived from the English country dance and adopted at the court of France. Contradanza was brought to America and there took on folkloric forms that still exist in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Ecuador.

In Cuba during the 19th century it became an important genre, the first written music to be rhythmically based on an African rhythm pattern and the first Cuban dance to gain international popularity, the progenitor of danzon, mambo and cha cha cha, with a characteristic "habanera rhythm" and sung lyrics.

Outside Cuba the Cuban contradanza became known as the habanera - the dance of Havana - and that name was adopted in Cuba itself subsequent to its international popularity in the later 19th century, though it was never so called by the people who created it.

Contradanza is a folk and acoustic music band formed in 1998 in Seville ( Andalusia, Spain), playing traditional music as well as original compositions in the style.

Contradanza offers a different perspective of folk and traditional music by collecting various influences they manage to blend in their acoustic mixer: traditional music, flamenco, jazz, Arab music, renaissance dances. Special focus is set on the revision of traditional ballads and of Andalusian popular lyrical poems as well as on the composition of their own pieces based on the study of contemporary Spanish poetry.