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What is Rueda de Casino? Why do some call it "Casino Rueda"?

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Rueda de Casino is the correct name in Spanish. "Casino Rueda" is an English version of the correct name, due to the fact that the grammatical structure of English is a bit backwards from Spanish!

Rueda de Casino started in Cuba in the mid 20th century and it is the roots of what you can see danced in Miami, and around the world today. In Cuba, the people used to get together in large halls, called “Casinos”, hence the name. Some say it started in Santiago de Cuba, others say it started in the famed Casino Deportivo in Havana, or the Casino de la Playa, I don’t know for sure, I wasn’t there! When the casinos were closed, people still referred to the dance style by using the name of the places where people used to gather to do it: "casino" and the name stuck. Nowadays people refer to the music as "salsa" and the dance as "casino".

Casino itself has its roots in the “Danzón,” as well as its derivative, the “Son,” Afro-Cuban dances such as “Guaguancó,” the “Mambo”, a rhythm invented by Cachao in the world-famous Tropicana Club in Havana, in 1943, and popularized by Pérez Prado in Mexico, and "Cha-cha-chá" invented by Enrique Jorrín.

Rueda (as it is commonly called in Cuba) is a form of Casino danced in a round with 2 or more couples exchanging partners when one person calls out the turn names ("Rueda" is Spanish for “Wheel”, and “Casino” is known outside of Cuba as “Salsa”). 

The steps that are considered the “core” steps are danced in a similar fashion around the world and are the basic ones. Some of them are: Al Medio, Abajo, Dile que No, Adios, Adios con Hermana, (called "La Prima" in Cuba and Europe) Echufe (or in Miami: Enchufla), etc. The names may vary somewhat, but those are pretty basic steps, and I’ve personally seen them danced in Cuba, as well as in Santiago, Chile; Denver, Colorado and even Positano, Italy! 

What happens next is a result of dance in general being a fluid and ever-changing entity, not stagnant. Moves are invented locally that reflect cultural reality. In Chile you might find a step named “Entel Chile”, with a move that mocks someone talking on the phone, since Entel is the largest phone company in Chile. In Miami we have a step called “Balsero”, which imitates the movements of the waves (“Balsero” is someone who comes to the YUMA (USA) by “balsa” or “raft”). You won’t find that move in Chile because nobody gets to Chile by raft! 

While some of the moves are graceful and intricate, others are just plain funny, such as “fly” where the guys slap their palms together over the girls’ heads in a pretend fly-catcher move (as in "fly ball", not the kind that buzzes around your food!). After all, what is dancing all about if not to have fun with it?! 

In general, I would have to agree with my partner, Julián Mejía, in that in Cuba, dancers have more fun!  They worry less about "el qué dirán" (what people are thinking) and there are more movements that are playful.  Dancers in Miami do add more stylized hand movements, their movements are more refined and there are some steps that are definitely Miami in origin, such as "Coca-cola" (God forbid that the Cubans would name a turn after the "Aguas Negras del imperialismo")!

I will say, however, that Rueda is not as popular as it used to be in Cuba. Timba is the big rave nowadays, and you will see many dancing Despelote. But Rueda has taken on a life of it’s own around the world, which is exactly why SalsaPower.com is dedicated to helping Rueda grow and highlighting the people and places globally who have contributed to that end.

Miami, because of its large Cuban population, has a vast number of schools and instructors who specialize in Casino-style salsa and Rueda de Casino. If you go from one school to another, you will find different steps and turns, and even some subtle differences in styles. Some old-school dancers use the tap-turn, others insist it was not originally included in the “authentic” Cuban Casino. I personally learned it from a Cuban folklorist who is now in his 60’s, so I use it and I teach it. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m referring to the 4th beat of the measure where the dancers do either a little kick in the air, or a light tap with their foot, just before the “1” count. This is more visible when we start turns where the girl comes in and then turns back toward the right, such as in a “Sombrero,” or a “Vacila”. 

Miami Rueda is different from Cuban Rueda only because so many people have dedicated their lives to teaching it and making it grow. Once you get a population that is proficient in the basics, it is inevitable that they will begin to experiment, make more complex and challenging moves, and that is precisely what has happened, not only in Miami, but all around the world. Miami is unique because of its large population of excellent trained Casino-style dancers, many of whom have begun to give international workshops and export the Miami style.

At the same time, when I was in Cuba (as long as I didn’t open my mouth with my Chilean accent!), the few times I did find a Rueda to jump into, the local dancers thought I was Cuban because of the way I move (the ULTIMATE compliment!). In that sense, what we dance in Miami is not very different at all from what they dance in Cuba. 

In Cuba, as a result of the recent influx of people from all over the world going there to study “salsa” as the foreigners call it, there has been a rebirth of Casino and Rueda. There are many companies around the world that specialize in Dance tours to Cuba and the local Cubans have created schools or tailored programs especially to meet the needs of the visitors, catering to all levels of dancers.

If you can’t get to Cuba, there are Casino style instructors all over the world. Just check our SalsaCity listings for one near you!

Jacira Castro
Co-Founder, SalsaPower.com, Inc.

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This page last updated on:  31-Mar-2002