The Dominican Republic, known as the DR, is the place to go for music! Rhythm and harmony run deep within the culture on the island. Many don’t know that the island of Hispaniola was the first island in the West instituted for the African Slave Trade. Its rich cultural history runs deep and rich to this day. You can’t think of the Dominican Republic without thinking of Merengue, bachata and the lively style of “son” music. Merengue is the national dance — and it shows. The old merengue works well with sound effective speakers and special effect lasers on a very Vegas-styled stage. My personal experience on New Year’s Eve merged traditional music and dance like merengue with pop music genre, the performances also included today’s vocal interpretations of Rihanna, Beyonce, Prince and Michael Jackson. These songs were performed by a band from Atlanta, Georgia called Like Totally Awesome Band and Latin Band Music by Frandy Sax.
The province of Puerto Plata faces the Atlantic Ocean on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, and includes nearby cities such as Sosua, Cabarete, Luperon and Costambar. As one of the Dominican Republic’s largest resort areas, Puerto Plata remains a favorite for visitors who wish to bask in the sun all day and indulge in a rich nightlife scene all night.
“Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the creation of the musical style called merengue, a type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats per minute (though it varies) based on musical elements like African drums, brass, piano, chorded instruments, and traditionally the accordion, as well as some elements unique to the Dominican, such as the tambora and guira Its syncronized beats use latin percussion, brass instruments, bass, and piano or keyboard. Between 1937 and 1950 merengue music was promoted internationally by Dominican groups like Chapuseaux and Damiron “Los Reyes del Merengue”, Joseito Mateo, and others. Radio, television, and international media popularized it further. Merengue became popular in the United States, mostly on the east coast, during the 1980s and 1990s,when many Dominican artists, among them Victor Roque y La Gran Manzana, Henry Hierro, Zacarias Ferreira, Aventura, and Milly Jocelyn Y Los Vecinos, residing in the U.S. (particularly New York) started performing in the Latin club scene and gained radio airplay. The emergence of bachata, along with an increase in the number of Dominicans living among other latino groups in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Massachusetts contributed to Dominican music’s overall growth in popularity.”
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