Here's an excerpt from http://caribbean-guide.info/arts.and.entertainment/dance/

Caribbean Dance-Rhythm And Moves

"Many say that no matter where you turn in the Caribbean, you will hear music. Each island has its own particular rhythms, but the result is the same: dance. Some of these styles fuse to become new styles, but many of their basic elements remain the same.

Latin Beats
Mambo was popularized in nightclubs in Havana, Cuba, in the mid-1900s and was brought to the U.S. via Harlem. However, mambo evolved into the sexy dance style known as salsa when it was taken from the ballrooms and the dance floors to the streets. It combines many Afro-Caribbean elements but remains essentially faithful to the mambo.

The Dominican Republic and Haiti brought merengue to dance floors, but there are two different stories about the development of this dance. The first tells the story of a war hero returning from battle with an injured leg, limping and dragging one leg as he danced, all of the people at the victory celebration felt obliged to imitate his dance out of sympathy. The other story says it began with chained slaves, who were forced to drag their heavy foot along as they cut sugar to the beat of a drum.

Using a rhythm that is favored throughout the Caribbean, the merengue is an easy dance to learn for those who want to have a bit of Latin flair in their dance while on vacation. It's also well-suited to small, crowded dance floors since it does not require much room. Bachata combines merengue with the romantic bolero style.

The rumba, originally a slow dance, has become even slower over time. It is another very sexy dance, and one where the pattern is very small and good for crowded dance floors. Meanwhile the cha cha is a mid-tempo dance, a variant between the rumba and the mambo.

French Rhythms
Zouk is a form of dance and music in the French Caribbean descended from the Brazilian lambada. From the word "party" in French Creole, zouk has been described as a lighter version of the lambada, whose music combines reggae, salsa, and merengue with a fast beat.

The beguine is a dance also adapted in Guadeloupe and Martinique, though it began as a slow rumba. This slow, close dance gained popularity in major part due to a song written about the dance by Cole Porter.

Music and Dance
Throughout the Caribbean, music and dance go hand-in-hand. This is particularly true when it comes to new and popular dance styles. Dances are often named for the music or song that they resulted from.

On Jamaica, dancehall music often inspires new styles, and these styles can change as quickly as the popular music itself. These are usually named by the song, but songs themselves call out new dance moves".