This chapter examines social dances that display national dance formation and how they rise to national status in one country, while other nations identify only one dance for hundreds of years. It first considers examples of Creole dances that have become synonymous with island identity, such as Jamaican reggae, Trinidadian calypso, Dominican merengue, and French Caribbean zouk. It then explores the Cuban dance matrix and its various segments, including Native American dance, Spanish dance, African dance, and Haitian dance. It also traces the development of Cuba's national dances, focusing on danzón, son, and rumba and suggests that national dance depends on relevance to historical conditions, which class/group is in power, and the pertinent cultural values that are encapsulated within dance movement. The chapter concludes by noting how Caribbean dances surface toward the national level, match national concerns, and become attached to the national imagination.