I will be dancing an international rumba for an event that is supposed to be like it is 100 years ago or more. I was wondering if anyone knew of any music (preferably classical) that would be suitable for this event. I understand that this is somewhat impractical as a concept, but it is what we have to deal with, so any advice would be appreciated.

This is a bit of a cheat. 100 or more years ago nobody would have danced a Rumba. So I'm suggesting music from a little less than 100 years ago: Ravel's Bolero. I'm not sure if it's suitable for the dance we now call Bolero, but I think you could dance an International Rumba to Ravel's Bolero. You need to look for a version that plays the music slowly. Many orchestras play it faster than Ravel intended, and doing a Rumba to those versions would be a race.

RE: 100 year old Rumba

As nloftofan1 said, no one danced international Rumba a 100 years ago. If you can settle for a few decades less, I have a suggestion.

"Quireme Mucho" translated into English as "Yours". It was written by Gonzalo Roig (Havana, 20 July 1890 Havana, 13 June 1970) who was a Cuban musician, composer, musical director and founder of several orchestras. He was a pioneer of the symphonic movement in Cuba. (Source: Wikipedia).

This song was very popular, world-wide in the 1930s or 1940s.

It is beutiful romantic song with simple but expressive words. Many famous performers, including Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Ray Charles sang a version of it. Linda Ronstadts version (Spanish) is danceable and occasionally, but very seldom, used at Rumba shows. I have not heard it at competitions. Maybe, because the beginning is not a clear Rumba and because the tempo is rather slow.

Listen to the various versions, one may work for you. Ravel's Bolero suggested by nloftofan1 would be an interesting choice as well.

Please let us know what your choice is, and if the audience liked it.

benwf83. Dance to the Classics Gunter Noris Orchestra. There is a Rumba by Chopin
A Cha Cha by Beethoven. A Paso by Bizet. A Jive by Rimsky Korsakoff. And a Samba by Strauss. All are of course adapted to suit the Tempos

If you really need to dance " Rumba " from a social standpoint, then, it would need to be the square form ( Danzon ).This concept dates back before 1900 .

Fairly simple to learn, based upon the Box step. There are vids on the net, that have performance styles .

There is loads of music if thats the route you want to go.

What about "Don't Cry for me Argentina"? It's a lovely song for a RUMBA or Bolero dance.

Franco