Mambo developed in Cuba in the late 1930’s & early 1940’s. Mambo is deeply rooted in African drum rhythms & spiritual practices brought to Cuba by the slaves. The backbone of the dance is a simple alternating step with the left followed by touching the floor with the right toe. This pattern is then repeated by stepping on the right & touching the floor with the left toe. At the same time the dancers are also performing pelvic thrusts backwards & forwards in double time. Mambo begins with 3 dance steps to 4 beats of music, but the rhythm is uneven & causes the dances to be more unpredictable & exciting. Mambo is very fast, with a very bright, lively sound. There is a great deal of free-style, improvisation & fancy footwork between the man & woman since they often are dancing separately, face to face & not restricted by the closed position embrace of Son & Danzon.