Rueda de Casino

It is one of the most fun ways to dance with your friends while you make a circle and improvise several sequences of Cuban Salsa steps.

Rueda de Casino
Rueda de Casino at Bucerias.

Ficha Técnica

Categoría/Category: Baile de Salón Latino/ Latin Ballroom Dance

Lugar de Nacimiento/ Birthplace: Cuba.

Fecha de Nacimiento/ Birthdate: 1950’s.

Status: Además de en Cuba, es bastante popular en Miami, México, Colombia, Venezuela, Europa y Rusia./ Besides Cuba, is very popular in Miami, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Europe & Russia.

Dato Divertido/ Fun Fact: Se llama “De Casino” porque el estilo de baile Casino se desarrolló adentro del Club Casino Deportivo en Cuba./ It was called “De Casino” as the Casino dance style was developped in the Club Casino Deportivo in Cuba.

With Israel Andalón you can learn in the following places:

Salsa Casino Intermedios y Rueda de Casino.
Intermediate Cuban Salsa & Rueda de Casino.
Viernes 8:30pm en Cloud Nine.
Fridays 8:30pm at Cloud Nine.

Or book a private dance class with Israel through Airbnb:

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/418420

Rueda de Casino

In the 1950s, the Rueda de Casino style was developed from the Cuban Salsa Casino style in Havana, Cuba, specifically at the Club Casino Deportivo (a club that was originally for whites). This style consists of several dancers forming a circle. One person is assigned to shout (“cantar”) instructions for all dancers to do certain combinations or change partners. This style was inspired by European contradanza dances brought to Cuba during the colonial era that already featured figures between several couples. All Rueda de Casino teachers worldwide normally use the same nomenclature in Spanish to call the different steps, although there are several differences by country and by geographic area.

Lety, Arely, Luis e Israel bailando una Rueda de Casino en las playas de Puerto Vallarta.

Pasos Básicos/Basic Steps:

The most basic step for the Rueda de Casino is the “guapea”. Some teachers start it on beat 1 and others on beat 5. The most basic moves to change partners are the “dame”, the “prima” (previously called Adios), the “enchufe” and the “dame en directo”. Some basic figures are taken directly from Cuban Salsa partner figures such as the “sombrero” (previously known as Cagua) and the “Vacila”. Other commands are used only to make the rueda more fun, among which the most basic are the agua (hip shaking) and the “fly” (basic clap in one beat).

Pasos Intermedios y Avanzados/Intermediate and Advanced Steps:

There are a great variety of intermediate and advanced steps, as broad as the creativity of the dancers, but almost all of these steps are based on various standard combinations such as the “Sombrero”, the “Vacila”, the “Setenta”, or the “A Bayamo” and from more complex variants of transitions such as “dame”, “prima” or “enchufe”. In a modern way, combinations for a couple are borrowed from other dance styles and individual steps borrowed from other Cuban dance styles such as the Mambo, the Cha Cha Chá, the Reggaeon, the Rumba (the Yambú, the Guaguancó and the Columbia), the conga and Afro-Cuban or Yoruba dances.

Música para el baile Casino/Music for Cuban Salsa dancing:

Although Rueda de Casino can be danced to any Salsa music, purist Cuban Salsa dancers prefer Cuban music for dancing. Cuban music is complex and depending on the type of key used, the instruments, the speed or the number of singers, it can be classified into genres as diverse as Son, Changüí, Nengón, Songo, Charanga, the popular Timba or more recently Cubatón (Salsa and Reggaeton).
Among the most prominent Cuban orchestras are Juan Formell y Los Van Van, Alexander Abreu y Havana D’ Primera, Elito Revé Jr. y su Charangón, David Calzado y La Charanga Habanera, Leoni Torres, El Niño y La Verdad, La Orquesta Femenil Anacaona, Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco, Adalberto Álvarez y su Son, Paulito FG y la Corte, Dayron y El Boom, Maikel Blanco y su Salsamayor, Pupy y los que Son Son, Maraca y Otra Visión, or Timbalive among many others.

Sugerencia Musical en Spotify.

Congresos y Eventos Masivos/ Congresses and Massive Events.

Although Rueda de Casino dance lovers have not created a marketing similar to that which the Americans have done around On1 and On2 Salsa, there are some events that are worth mentioning due to their frequency and magnitude:

Baila en Cuba: Congreso Mundial de Salsa Casino efectuado la última semana de Noviembre en La Habana Cuba.
World Cuban Salsa Congress held the last week of November in Havana, Cuba. http://www.bailaencuba.soycubano.com/

Cubame Mucho: Franquicia de Congresos de Salsa Cubana realizados a lo largo del año en las principales ciudades europeas.
Franchise of Cuban Salsa Congresses held throughout the year in the main European cities. http://cubamemucho.com/

Cuba baila en México: Congreso Nacional de Salsa realizado usualmente en un fin de semana de Marzo o Abril en la ciudad de México.
National Salsa Congress usually held on a weekend in March or April in Mexico City.
http://www.salsaclases.com/

SBK Vallarta: El Congreso SBK en Puerto Vallarta se celebra entre Marzo y Mayo y suele incluir bastantes talleres de Salsa Casino y Rueda de Casino, además de otros bailes latinos.
The SBK Congress in Puerto Vallarta is celebrated between March and April and includes plenty of Cuban Salsa and Rueda de Casino workshops among other latin dances.
https://vallartasbk.com/

Bibliografía/Bibliography

Rueda de Casino con Cuballarta en el Hotel Hilton, Puerto Vallarta.
Rueda de Casino con los Timbardientes en Sukha Beach, Bucerías.

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