Music and dance genres relevant to kizomba events

Disclaimer: People will argue music and dance nomenclature till they are blue in the face. Part of this is because there are exceptions to every rule, and part is because the evolution of (and cross-pollination between) genres you’ll encounter at kizomba events is not unlike that of a living organism. They often seem to defy categorization.

It’s also important to note that terminology changes over time as music and dances evolve and spread geographically, so it’s always good to take everything you hear (or read, including here) with a grain of salt. The information on this site is intended for dancers in the pacific northwest area, so the focus is on what you might encounter in the US kizomba scene.

There are also many, many other relevant genres and fusion dances and more out there which are beyond the very limited scope of this page. That being said, here are a few handy bits of info about things you will likely come across at some point on your dance journey if you stick around.

Music/Dance forms from African countries

Kizomba and Semba

Kizomba originated in Angola, and initially became popular throughout the PALOP countries, and eventually spread to the rest of the world. It began developing as a distinct dance form during the post-colonial period of political turmoil that started in the second half of the 1970s. Kizomba events were often a rare safe space in a time of civil war.
The word kizomba means party in Kimbundu, (party more in the sense of community gathering with music, dancing and food, than ‘crazy night out clubbing’). The lyrics to kizomba songs are most frequently (though by no means exclusively) in Portuguese. You’ll also hear Kimbundo, Cape Verdean creole, English, etc.

Semba, an older Angolan music and partner dance, was combined with the influences of a number of other African and some Afro-Caribbean genres, and that eventually evolved into what we now know as kizomba.
A couple examples of older Angolan partner dances are rebita and massemba. They’re rarely encountered at events in the US but influenced the dance forms that followed. An abrupt belly-to-belly connection (the massemba or umbligada) is an iconic characteristic of these dance styles.

Coladeira, Funana, Morna and Batuque

Coladeira, funaná, morna and batuque a few of the Cabo Verdean genres that have been around for quite a while, which you also might want to check out. They are less commonly played outside of PALOP events, but they have certainly played a role in influencing the more commonly heard music. Plus they are definitely worth exploring in their own right.
Morna is more slow and sentimental for the most part, while coladeira and funaná tend to have an upbeat, cheery feel. Batuque, which has been around for a long time, performed traditionally, often incorporates groups of seated women doing percussion and vocals that the dancers then join.
The lyrics to these genres’ songs are generally going to be either in Portuguese or Cape Verdean Creole.

Non-partnered dancing examples: afrobeats, kuduro, afro house and coupé-décalé

These particular music genres started out mainly in Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire, though there are other genres in this wheelhouse that you may encounter from Ghana, the DRC and so forth.
This type of music is relatively fast-paced, percussive, and energetic and involves a lot of electronic music production rather than live bands. Rather than partnering with a lead and a follow, people will line dance, or sometimes dance in a circle, or just dance with whoever’s around them.

Antillean Music/Dance forms

Zouk and Konpa (or Kompa or Compas)

Caribbean music and dance forms from the islands of Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe that were then spread throughout lusophone African countries.
The influence of zouk on the development of kizomba is really interesting in the context of the African diaspora. The Africa-born rhythms came to the Caribbean (mostly aboard slave ships to start out with), evolved into something new, then traveled from the Caribbean back over to Africa. Upon their arrival, the new variants became really popular and were then incorporated to influence the creation of still more evolving musical styles.
Konpa has also become a common genre to encounter at kizomba events here in the states, largely thanks to the US Haitian population. Konpa also has it’s own associated dance style, distinct from kizomba.
Both of these genres typically have French lyrics.

European-born genres

Ghetto zouk and tarraxinha

These genres were initially developed in expat PALOP communities. Both have an emphasis on electronic production and have been popularized among international artists in PALOP countries and elsewhere.
Ghetto zouk is very popular in the states and it’s one of the genres that people here who are looking to listen to some kizomba music often encounter early on. Beginner dancers in the US who aren’t as familiar with polyrhythmic music genres tend to find ghetto zouk’s more straightforward rhythm very accessible and easy to follow as a listener/dancer.
Tarraxinha’s dance form has evolved into one known for a few characteristics that distinguish it from dancing kizomba. It emphasizes pelvic isolations and there’s not much traveling on the dance floor. It’s very common to insert tarraxinha moves into slow sections of songs from various other genres.
These songs are going to be in Portuguese for the most part, though English and French and sometimes Spanish lyrics are becoming more and more common.

Urban kiz, tarraxo, douceur

Urban kiz is a dance style, not a music style, and whether it should be considered a type of kizomba or a completely different dance has been topic of much debate. However you want to classify it, though, there are a number of fundamental differences between kizomba and urban kiz.
As far as what music people use for urban kiz dancing, there is a LOT of variety. It is often danced to pop or R&B remixes. Afropop songs are also very commonly used for urban kiz, as are ghetto zouk songs, and a number of other electronic-based genres, such as tarraxo and douceur. Every once in a while you’ll even see someone doing it to reggaeton.
Tarraxo is a music genre with an associated dance style. The music generally has a heavy, syncopated base line with a high degree of emphasis on rhythm and the dance tends towards a lot of staccato movements and body isolations. Vocals can be French, Portuguese, English, some other language, or a combination, but there are also many songs that are entirely instrumental.
Douceur refers to a (not coincidentally) “sweet” style of music that’s characterized by slower tempos, minimal percussion and very relaxed melodic lines, and generally tends towards French lyrics or straight instrumentals.
These categories of music and dance cropped up after the kizomba scenes had began to develop in Portugal, France, and other parts of Europe. Kizomba in those places began to be influenced by more modern European dance styles than those that had comprised the initial colonial influences. Eventually this led to the development of more fusion dance styles and to what is now commonly referred to as urban kiz.

I hope you enjoyed this small helping of musical knowledge, and that it helps you get even more joy out of your dancing. If nothing else, may it inspire you to do some googling. 🙂