From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The huapango is the name of a Mexican musical style and the accompanying lively dance of Spanish origin that is especially popular in the lands along the Gulf of Mexico. The huapango is a rythmic style of the Son Huasteco genre. Performed by singers and instrumental ensembles ranging from a duo of guitars to a full mariachi band, it is characterized by a complex rhythmic structure mixing duple and triple meters which reflect the intricate steps of the dance. The huapango is danced by men and women as couples; the men sing, the women do not. Nicolas Slonimsky explained that the word huapango "is derived either from a native vocable meaning ‘on a wooden stand’ (the huapango is danced on a platform), or it may be a contraction of Huastecas de Pango, "Pango" being another name for the River Pánuco and the Huastecs the indigenous population of that area. A very well known piece of classical music is the Huapango, by the Mexican composer José Pablo Moncayo.
