Latin dance includes a wide range of dances originating in Latin America, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Examples include the Cha-cha-cha, Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Mambo, Danza, Merengue, Tumba, Bachata, Bomba, Plena, Paso Doble and Bolero. Some also include tango and Argentine Tango in this list, although they differ from the rest in their style. In Argentina tango is not considered folk dance as is the case with dances like chacarera, gato, escondido and zamba. Typical Bolivian folk dances are morenada, kullawada, caporales and the recently created tinku. In Colombia one of the typical dances is the cumbia.

During the Moorish occupation of Spain, the musical styles of the Roma, Jews, Spanish Christians and Moors contributed to the evolution of Latin music. The adoption of Moorish instruments and improvised high-pitched nasal singing style, and the characteristic Roma vocal trill spread to all parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as did, in the 16th century, the French troubadour tradition. Colonization of the Americas carried with it these Spanish musical traits. The Spanish D?cima song format of ten lines, each consisting of eight syllables, remains an important part of Latin music, as an aspect of corrido, bolero, and vallenato.