The
guaracha is a genre of
Cuban popular music, of rapid tempo and with lyrics. The word had been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in
musical theatres and in low-class dance salons. They became an integral part of bufo comic theatre in the mid-19th century. During the later 19th and the early 20th century the guaracha was a favourite musical form in the brothels of
Havana. The guaracha survives today in the repertoires of some
trova musicians,
conjuntos and Cuban-style big bands.