The term rumbera comes from the so-called Cuban rumba that was popular in Mexico and Latin America from the late 19th century to the early 1950s.
Film noir was characterized by having among its protagonists the femme fatales, the cabaret women who aroused the passions of men and were often the source of conflict in the plot.
Gloria Grahame and Rita Hayworth created film noir images of women who enjoy singing cabaret and simultaneously make men suffer.
Although not in such stylized form (due to limited budgets), rumberas films tried to imitate in their musical numbers the guidelines of the genre.
In the Rumberas films the main heroines are women, generally humble and naive, who, because of a bad move of fate, are forced to fall into the underworld of prostitution and get involved with gangsters and pimps.
[3] The rumberas first came to the theatrical stage in the late 19th century, at the time of vaudeville and burlesque, accompanying the many comedians and buffs of Cuban origin who settled in Mexico City.
From the early 20th century until the 1920s, in the age of the great Mexican vedettes of the frivolous theater (as María Conesa or Lupe Vélez), rumba dancers began to emerge.
She was followed by others such as Consuelo Moreno in Mujeres sin alma, ¿Venganza suprema?, Rita Montaner in La noche del pecado (1933), and Margarita Mora in Águila o Sol (1937).
In addition, the Puerto Rican actress Mapy Cortés (called "The Rumbera Blanca") was famous for dancing the conga in numerous films.
Lolita Téllez Wood participated in three Mexican films: El rosal bendito (Juan Bustillo Oro, 1936), Mujeres de hoy (Ramón Peon, 1936) and Honrarás a tus padres (1936), the latter directed by Juan Orol, considered the "spiritual father" of the rumberas film.
[5] After establishing himself as a film director in Mexico, Orol became famous for the importation of numerous Cuban figures to the Mexican cinema.
Artists such as Pérez Prado, Benny Moré, Agustín Lara, Kiko Mendive, Toña la Negra, Rita Montaner, Maria Luisa Landín, Olga Guillot, Pedro Vargas, Amparo Montes and others deserve a special mention since their voices accompanied the rumberas in their musical numbers and contributed to their luster.
Many popular boleros of the time (mainly the songs of Agustín Lara, dedicated to prostitutes), served as inspiration for arguments or titles of the rumberas films (The well paid, Perverted Woman, Adventurous, Traicionera, etc.)
During the administration of the Mexican President Miguel Alemán Valdés (1946–1952), the growth of Mexico City as a great metropolis was reflected in the huge boom in cabarets and nightlife around the town.
They are the "jungle rumberas" (Tania, Sandra, Yambaó, Zonga, Tahími), inspired by characters from illustrated novels and taken to the movies mainly by Juan Orol.
They are the "jungle rumberas" (Tania, Sandra, Zonga, Tahími), inspired in personages of illustrated novels and carried to the cinema mainly by Juan Orol.
It is also important to emphasize that some rumberas (as Rosa Carmina or Ninon Sevilla), managed to combine around them filming teams that gave them success as few actresses attained in Mexican cinema (perhaps a privilege only limited to María Félix and Dolores del Río).
Her films include Courtesan (1947), Fire Venus (1948), Love of the Street (1950), If I Were Just Anyone (1950), When Children Sin (1952), The Naked Woman (1953), and Ambitious (1953), among others.
Her enormous charisma and extraordinary dance technique opened the doors of the film industry and gave her the opportunity to break into Hollywood.
Aguilar appeared as the dumbbell of popular Mexican comedians such as Germán "Tin Tan" Valdés and Adalberto "Resortes" Martínez.
Sevilla began her training in nightclubs in Cuba and arrived in Mexico in 1946 at the behest of filmmaker and producer Fernando Cortés.
Her films include Lost Woman (1949), Adventuress (1949), Victims of Sin (1950), Sensuality (1950), Adventure in Rio (1953), Mulatta (1954), and Yambaó (1956), among others.
After retiring from films for over a decade, she returned in the eighties, and remained active in television until her death[10] Owner of a unique stature (unusual among the actresses of the time) and a stunning physical beauty, Rosa Carmina came to Mexico in 1946 after being discovered by Juan Orol in Cuba.
A rain of decrees and regulations caused massive closure of nightclubs, variety theaters and dance halls that had served as a springboard and showcase to the most famous rumberas.
Even the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for many years prevented rumberas actresses from receiving the Silver Ariel Award.
In addition, in the second half of the 1950s, as a consequence of a series of changes in popular culture, Mexican cinema definitively diverted its focus towards new rhythms and problems.
[12] The rumberas began to move towards other film genres, took refuge in their personal shows in theaters and nightclubs, or opted for retirement.
The telenovelas of the Mexican pop singer Thalía were vital meeting points of the great rumberas,[clarification needed] who found a new way to stay current in the public memory and to approach new generations as popular legends.
Between 1997 and 2011, Mexican actress Carmen Salinas revived the classic Aventurera through a musical stage play (the longest in history in Mexico) in which she pays homage to the heyday of the rumberas film.
The stage play made it to Broadway and has been led by various actresses like Edith González, Itatí Cantoral, Niurka Marcos and Maribel Guardia, among others.