Rumbanana Salsa Group is presenting a four-hour Casino Rueda Workshop on October 5 [editors note: this was posted in 2003], and you might be wondering what is Casino Rueda, and what does gambling have to do with dancing?
The word Casino can be a little misleading, and some people might think that you have to place bets, know how to play cards and have a decent poker face. Fortunately, that's not the case (unless you really like to gamble, then you'll be upset that Casino has nothing to do with gambling - sorry). The following article explains a little about Casino, and how it includes the Rueda (wheel in Spanish).
Casino is a social dance related to Salsa that developed in the 1950s in Cuba. It was first danced there in large halls called casinos, and spread to the United States through Miami's Cuban population. Casino-style Salsa is essentially danced to the same timing as other Salsa styles, like in N.Y. and L.A., but it has a looser feel to it. Based on a different set of basic movements, it is designed so that a couple can dance intricate turn patterns on a tightly packed dance floor. There is almost no rock step like in other Salsa forms and the lead and follow stay close together so that they can do some of the really wild and pretzel-like turns. It's really a lot of fun.
So how does Casino include Rueda? The word Rueda means wheel in Spanish so Casino Rueda is danced in a wheel using Casino-style Salsa moves. Couples form a circle and go through dance patterns that involve switching partners - kind of like Cuban square dancing. There is another style of Rueda - primarily on the West Coast. Groups in L.A. and other Western cities have developed their own style, which took the concept of dancing in a wheel, but based the moves on L.A.-style Salsa instead of Casino. The October 5th workshop, presented by Rumbanana, will teach Casino Rueda (or more accurately, Rueda de Casino) the way it would be danced in Miami and Cuba.
Why learn this style? That's easy to answer - it's a lot of fun. It's also very social because you get to meet lots of people as you dance. For beginners who have never danced Salsa, it's a great way to get started. Casino teaches you all the basics of Salsa and has a strong emphasis on rhythm. After Casino, learning other styles of Salsa is easy. For experienced Salsa dancers, this is a different style to try out. By learning another style, it will make you a stronger dancer and it will give you more options on the dance floor.
Here's a more thorough explanation of Casino Rueda from SalsaPower.com.
If you'd like to see what Casino Rueda looks like, check out the video clips on the Rumbanana workshop website.
