Music & Dance

Apparently no one ever told Latinos that disco is dead. Because disco remains alive and well in this land. At night San José gets into its stride with discos hotter than the tropical night. On weekends rural folks flock to small-town dance halls, and the Ticos' celebrated reserve gives way to outrageously flirtatious dancing befitting a land of passionate men and women.

Outside the dance hall, the young prefer to listen to Anglo-American rock, like their counterparts the world over. When it comes to dancing, however, they prefer the hypnotic Latin and rhythmic Caribbean beat and bewildering cadences of cumbia, lambada, marcado, merengue, salsa, soca, and the Costa Rican swing, danced with sure-footed erotic grace. Bars and discos don’t start rocking until 9-10 PM, but the action lasts until 2 AM

Infinito Disco is the most well-known and glitziest, with a young crowd that parties all night. The entrance is on the outside, in front of the parking lot next to Friends. The party often lasts until dawn, though El Pueblo closes at 2 AM. (Other discos also party all night.)

The Coco Loco, also decked out with a spacious dance floor but more subdued in ambiance, attracts a slightly more mature crowd. (But after a few shots of guaro, suddenly they can get just as wild as in the other discos.) In addition to meeting tourists from around the world, you will also have a chance to drink and party with plenty of young locals dancing and drinking the night away here.

On the Caribbean coast music is profoundly Afro-Caribbean in spirit and rhythm, with plentiful drums and banjos, a local rhythm called sinkit, and the cuadrille, a maypole dance in which each dancer holds one of many ribbons tied to the top of a pole: as they dance they braid their brightly colored ribbons.

Many dances and much of the music of Costa Rica reflect African, even pre-Columbian, as well as Spanish roots. The country is one of the southernmost of the "marimba culture" countries, although the African-derived marimba (xylophone) music of Costa Rica is more elusive and restrained. The guitar, too, is a popular instrument, especially as an accompaniment to folk dances such as the Punto Guanacaste, a heel-and-toe stomping dance for couples, officially decreed the national dance.

A number of folkloric dance troupes tour the country, while others perform year-round at such venues as the Melico Salazar Theater, the Aduana Theater, and the National Dance Workshop headquarters in San José. Of particular note is Fantasía Folklorica, a colorful highlight of the country's folklore and history from pre-Columbian to modern times.

Costa Rica's biggest cultural event is the International arts festival held annually in San Jose for about two weeks in March. The festival features theater, music, dance, film and a variety of art shows with participants from many countries. Performances include the Costa Rican Chamber Orchestra, a Brazilian chamber orchestra, a string, woodwind, and harpsichord sextet, and Costa Rican music for two guitars. Also important are the Monteverde music festival and the South Caribbean music festival, held in Puerto Viejo.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

A2Z Languages highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.

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