LA DANZA The "Danza" is the maximum artistic expression of the puertorrican culture. It is the musical form of the New World that most resembles European classical music both in its very rich melody and harmonic contents and its very deep character. The origin of the puertorrican danza is not clear, but most scholars agree that it began around the middle of the 19th century (around 1840). The first part, called the "paseo", usually consisted of 8 measures , and lacked a rhythmic base but served as a tonal introduction. The second part, which was called the "merengue" (which is the name of a delicious candy made of whipped egg whites and sugar) was extended from its original 16 measures to 34 in 1854 and up to 130 later on. Other parts began to appear and a new musical form began to take shape. The form continued evolving until by 1870 it was taken to a new artistic level by the young pianist Manuel G. Tavarez, who just arrived from his studies in Paris. His disciple, Juan Morel Campos took it from where he left it and developed it to its maximum expression, composing more than 300 danzas, most of them masterpieces of an exquisite beauty. The evolved danza was inspired mostly on women and love