conga

Etymology

For the dance: * Borrowed from Spanish Congo (“Congo dance”), so-called for being of sub-Saharan African origin.

noun

1. (music) A tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban hand drum of African origin.
2. (dance) A march of Cuban origin in four-four time in which people form a chain, each holding the hips of the person in front of them; in each bar, dancers take three shuffle steps and then kick alternate legs outwards at the beat; the chain weaves around the place and allows new participants to join the back of the chain.
   The conga dance, with its long line that might eventually sweep in everybody in the place, and the kick on the fourth beat and the fruited headdress that were to become her trademarks. 1979, John Storm Roberts, The Latin Tinge, New York: Oxford University Press, pages 81–82

verb

1. To dance the conga.