I don’t often write an entire post around a video, but I found this video to be interesting. If you are interested in learning about the Dominican Culture and people this video does a great job of describing the views of Dominican toward their culture and heritage.

It is interesting to note that the Dominicans are not the indigenous people of this island; this goes the same for the Haitians. Both are actually a mix of Africans that were brought in as slaves and French for Haiti and Spain for the Dominican Republic.

Even with this heritage in mind, Dominicans do not count themselves as black. (more…)

If you are looking for a national genre of music for the Dominican Republic, you would probably find Merengue at the top of the list. Merengue not to be confused with meringue the sweet fluffy beat egg mixture that goes on top of a lemon meringue pie, is not only one of the most popular genres in the Dominican Republic, but like most Hispanic music is a popular type of dance as well.

Merengue is divided into 3 general categories Perico Repiao, Merengue de Orquesta and Merengue de Guitarra.

Perico Repiao

Perico Repiao, definitely has a more distinct sound than the other two and would have to be the most authentic, least touched by modern influences. Perico Pepiao is characterized by a fast 2/4 beat that is definitely much faster than the rhythm of the other two and can tire out even the most experienced dancers.

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