Who's Who in the Casino-Style Salsa World
Interviewed by Jacira Castro

This section is an on-going series, interviewing the directors and other well-known people in the Casino-Style Salsa World.

I finally got the chance to interview my friend and fellow casinero, Piero González of the Salsa Casino at Maryland group up in the Washington, DC area.  Piero is also the founder of the Yahoo Salsa club:  SALSEROCORNER

Jacira:  Piero, where did you learn Casino?

Piero:  My wife and I have been to Miami several times and have taken lessons with too many studios to list here. However there are two organizations that have had a distinct impact on our Casino style: Alberto Pulles/Mari Rebellón from Latin Groove Dance Studios and Carlos Muñiz from Salsa-Casino studios in Miami (a former instructor at Mystique). Their focus on clean and smooth execution has caused an impression on my Casino teaching style.

Jacira:  How long have you been dancing?

Piero: I have been dancing all my life. I grew up in a Latino household and you'd better believe I had to dance all the time with my aunts and cousins! I have been dancing Salsa since 1993. I was recruited to dance with a local dance company called the DC Salseros/Latin Vibes dance company. We represented DC in the Bacardi Congreso in 1998. That is where I first got my exposure to Casino. A performance by Salsa Fever dance studio at the Congreso convinced me that I had to learn what these people where doing. I spent the next few years perfecting my understanding of the style.

Claudia is originally from Miami and grew up with Casino Style Salsa. She was the lead dancer in a prominent Mexican folk group for several years in Miami. If you all don’t already know, Mexican folk dance has several dozen types of dances and requires years of training to do properly. This has contributed to Claudia’s control and precision when executing her sharp spins.

On the side, we are also in a NY mambo performance group in the DC area called Salsa con Caché. It is a strictly on-2 performance group. My fellow Mambo dancers are amazed at the turn patterns I do and all I have to say to them is CASINO, BABY!!!! Nobody does turns like Miami! Miami style Casineros have nothing to envy of other styles. As much as I love other styles, my true passion is Casino. Another interesting point is that several of my students are capable on-2 dancers so we occasionally dance Rueda de Casino but on 2!!!! It gives the Rueda a totally different feel. I recommend you try it.

Jacira: What other salsa activities are you involved in?

Piero: I DJ quite a bit on the side at this nightclub in DC called Zanzibar night club. Zanzibar nightclub is the premier place for salsa in DC. We play 95 to 99% salsa as compared to other music styles (merengue, cha-cha) We stick mainly to the classics. My favorite artists to play are Willie Rosario, Bobby Valentín, Tito Puente, Alfredo de la Fe, Sonora Poncena, and CHARANGA!! I am doing my best to educate people on Timba (Isaac Delgado, Carlos Manuel, La Caro Band, La Banda del Puerto, etc.) here in the DC area but it is an uphill battle, unfortunately.

My organization (SCAM: Salsa Casino at Maryland) http://www.salsaatmaryland.com also performs at many local festivals, dance studios, nightclubs and events. We are doing our best to spread Casino style to all of DC!

Jacira:  How would you describe your dance style?

Piero: We consider ourselves very flexible dancers and we combine elements from many styles when we dance. We prefer a smooth and clean style that is flavorful but avoid exaggerated styling and dangerous tricks. Our theory is that it is not how many turns or the footwork you know, but rather how you execute them. We are always focusing on technique and SABOR when we dance. We mix the footwork and track style turns (In a line as opposed as circular) of NY mambo and mix in the dynamic turn patterns of Miami Style Casino.

Piero and Claudia Gonzalez 

Salsa Casino at Maryland (SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Join the SCAM! Be part of the SCAM!
Its all a big SCAM!!!!

This group was originally created at the University of Maryland College Park. As a tribute to our original location, we have decided to keep the name Salsa Casino at Maryland (SCAM) instead of calling it Salsa Casino DC or Salsa Casino VA. Besides we like the abbreviation (SCAM)!

The Masters level group gives performances throughout the DC area.

Interviewed May 12, 2001