If you’ve ever gone out to salsa dance here in San Diego you may have seen a peculiar style of salsa dance performed by not just one pair but by a group of people. That style of dance, Casino Rueda or Salsa Rueda, is punctuated by a round style of dancing salsa.
Developed in Havana, Cuba in early 1960’s, this style of dance pairs dancers in a circle where one person calls out the moves for the group to perform. Many “callers” develop an extensive array of hand signs to complement each call and easily lead the group in the various turns. There is even swapping of partners as you can see in this Salsa Rueda video I posted.
Locally here in San Diego there are a number of groups that cater to the Casino Rueda or Salsa Rueda Style. They include Rueda San Diego out of the North County. They offer classes and more information for those interested.
In the past I tried learning Salsa Rueda and found that it takes just as much if not more dedication to perfecting that style of dance. If you undertake to learn the dance make sure you find a group of Salsa Rueda dancers that can teach you the calls and moves. That way, the next time you see Salsa Rueda at the club you may just be able to jump in and join them.
My Philosophy:
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
What is Casino Rueda or Salsa Rueda all about?
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1 comments:
Thanks for bringing up the subject of rueda de casino and for linking to our web site for Rueda San Diego.
FYI, I wanted to point out that casino is the cuban style of salsa dancing and the difference with LA or on 2 styles goes beyond just dancing in a circle and swapping partners. Casino dancing has yet a different feel to it, with less emphasis on fast turns and spins but in my opinion more of a connection to the music and your partner. The moves are no more or less technically difficult but require an adjustment for regular salsa dancers because of the different spatial relationship behind the partners: LA style has more of a "linear" feel to it (partners dancing along a line, in general), while casino has a "circular" feel to it (partners rotating around each other).
Casino is also usually danced to timba (for example of well-known bands, check out Los Van Van, or La Charanga Habanera) which has often more complex beats than "typical" salsa heard in clubs and will often confuse unaccustomed dancers (especially more recent timba).
If you ever see us dancing in a club, I encourage everybody who wants to give it a shot to approach us and get into the circle! Rueda is all about the community and sharing the dance with as many as possible, so everybody is welcome.
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