The merengue is internationally recognized as the Dominican Republic's national dance. It is an integral and unifying element of Dominican identity both within that nation and among emigrants abroad. Although Dominicans often make the claim that merengue has always been in their blood, the dance is relatively young, and its popularity among Dominicans of all social classes and ages is an even more recent occurrence. This book presents three convincing arguments about the merengue's longevity as a unifying symbol of Dominican identity: Dominican identity and the merengue have necessarily been...

Bachata--a guitar-based romantic music that debuted in Santo Domingo's urban shantytowns in the 1960s--is today one of the hottest Latin genres. Dominicans at home and abroad have embraced bachata as synonymous with national identity. But fans and musicians who were part of bachata when bachata wasn't cool have not forgotten the social stigma the genre carried for decades.