BugalĂș
/bu.ÉŁaËlu/noun
A Cuban popular-music and dance style that combines Afro-Cuban rhythms with rhythm and blues, especially prominent in the 1960s.
Did you know?BugalĂș emerged among New Yorkâs young Latino communities as a fusion of Afro-Cuban music and African American rhythm and blues, making it a powerful cultural bridge during the civil-rights era.
Etymological Timeline
Early 20th Century
English
boogaloo
âAn American dance term whose precise origin is uncertain; it later became associated with loose, energetic dancing.â
1940sâ1950s
English
boogie
âA term associated with blues-based dance music and energetic dancing; its relationship to boogaloo is suggestive but not conclusively established.â
1960s
English
boogaloo
âA rhythm-and-blues dance and musical style emerging in African American popular culture.â
1960s
Spanish
bugalĂș
âA Spanish-language adaptation of boogaloo used for the new Afro-Cuban and rhythm-and-blues fusion.â
1966â1967
English/Spanish
boogaloo / bugalĂș
âThe style gained major popularity through New York Latino bands and recordings.â
Modern English
English
bugalĂș
âA historical Cuban-American musical genre and dance, also spelled boogaloo.â