Beguine (dance) Beguine (dance) The beguine is a dance and music form, similar to a slow rhumba. It was popular in the 1930s, coming from the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, where in local Creole "Beke" or "Begue" means a White person, and "Beguine" is the female form. It is a combination of Latin folk dance and French ballroom dance, and is a spirited but slow, close dance with a roll of the hips (a movement inherited from rumba) After Cole Porter wrote the song "Begin the Beguine", the dance became more widely known beyond the Caribbean. The song was introduced in
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. All tracks written by Cole Porter, except when noted. Side one Side two Side three Side four 1997 reissue, previously unreleased bonus tracks Personnel adapted from the liner notes of CD reissue. Performance Brass and woodwind members Rhythm members Rudimental string members Technical Reissue Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book is a 1956 studio album by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by Buddy Bregman, focusing on the songs of