1. Think that Cumbia and Salsa are the same dance.
Cumbia is a type of music and dance that originated on Colombia’s coast. It is a beautiful fusion of cultures from native Colombianos, slaves brought over from Africa, Panamanians and the Spanish colonials that blended together to create this genre of music.
Salsa, on the other hand, originated in New York with influence from the Latin community. Salsa has Cuban roots and the dance differs from Cumbia greatly. When out in Colombia, it may be tempting to fall back on the three Salsa steps you clung to from that semester abroad, but chances are you’ll be dancing Salsa while listening to Cumbia — which would be like line dancing to dubstep.