Casino Rueda is a really fun dance. However, it is very rare that you see it done and people who know how to do it are even more rare. This group Ritmos Latinos performed it in Ankara, Turkey. They are a pretty good example of Casino Rueda and for the most part they are together on their moves. That is probably the hardest part of Rueda is getting all the couples doing the same thing at the same time. I consider it the syncronized swimming of salsa dancing.

If you ever come across a Casino Rueda class… take it!
When it is done right it looks great!

Casino Rueda

We had a group of 30 students that all wanted to perform in a show last December and we were not exactly sure how we were going to teach 15 couples a routine that would look good. The show was called Dancing for a Cause and it benefited the Make a Wish Foundation and we wanted to make sure it was a really good performance. After a decent amount of panicking over what we were going to do with 30 students and only about a month to prepare, we remembered that Jay knew Casino Rueda quite well.

The show went so well that 7 months later we are STILL getting compliments!

-Elizabeth

It never fails to amaze me how popular Salsa dancing really is around the world.  In Burgas, Bulgaria the Black Sea Salsa Festival is going on. Here is the information from the website, www.blackseasalsafestival.com. I also posted a video of  one of the performance couples that won 2nd place last year. If anyone went to the Black Sea Salsa Festival let me know. I would love to hear how it was.

2nd BLACK SEA SALSA FESTIVAL
14-16 August, 2009
Part of Spirit of Burgas

The 2nd Black Sea Salsa Festival will be held on August 14-16 as part of the big music and dance event “Spirit of Burgas”. Bourgas, being the second largest seaside city in Bulgaria will host the Festival on its very beach. There will be a lot of dancing, live music, shows and partying.

It’s that time again, my friends at “OK Salsa Fever” are gearing up for their monthly Salsa Dance Social this Saturday at The Oklahoma City Swing Dance Club in Oklahoma City, OK. I really love going to this monthly social when I am in town because the dance floor is HUGE and all the people are really awesome- So if you are in the area, you should really check it out

Cover is $5 – OKCSDC members $10 – non members and the price  includes:
 Basic Latin dance lesson 8-9pm (Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha
Snacks & soft drinks are provided and it BYOB if your 21+ 
They will be having Salsa and Rueda demonstrations this weekend so be sure to make it out this Saturday. It will be lots of fun!

As always, there will be awesome door prizes, FREE parking and a great smoke-free non-competitive atmosphere.  

For more information, contact Debbie by email at oksalsafever@yahoo.com or by phone at (405) 620-0372

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10255612816888

This is a video clip of a Rueda de Casino performance a group of our Students from The University Of Texas at Dallas did for a program called “Dancing For a Cause”. This performance consisted of student performers from the University and all of the revenue generated was donated to The Habitat for Humanity and Make a Wish Foundations.

This was a mix of our intermediate and beginner level Salsa Students at UTD. None of them had ever seen Rueda de Casino before this performance. We spent only a month and a half, practicing twice a week preparing for this performance. Not bad for people who had never even seen the dance 6 weeks prior. 

Elizabeth and I are the ones wearing all black, and I am doing the calling. Our students Alvaro Munoz, Ivan Oropeza, Jay Belmarez, Jim Xia, Robert Simpson, Stephanie Rumple, Dulce Armendariz, Yesenia Sanchez, Yasmin Chau, Jennifer Isaacs and a few others all worked really hard on it and did a great job.

Make sure to leave your comments and tell them what you think! 

~J

An amazing instructor and personal friend of my, Sarah Knudson is holding authentic Cuban-style Salsa and
Rueda de casino. Sarah has lived in nearly every major city that has a Salsa scene and specializes in Afro-Cuban Salsa and Guaguancó . She actually liven in Cuba for some time to perfect her style.

Classes will be every Tuesday for the month of May (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) from 7-8pm.

This workshop is going to cover the basics of cuban-style Salsa, Rueda & men’s and women’s styling. It is an excellent workshop for dancers of all skill levels and is sure to challenge everyone who attends. Both novice and advanced dancers are welcome, this workshop is going to be a blast!

The cost will be $10 per class or $35 for the month. Ask about student discounts .

Classes start Tuesday May, 5 2009 and they need a minimum of 7 people to continue the workshop for the month.

Lessons will be held at
Sonder Music, Dance and Art
225 E Gray St.
Norman, OK

Drop-ins are welcomed for the first week of the month but we need a minimum of 7 students enrolled to continue with this class for the month. Please register in advance on the website – we are now offering paypal for advance payment as well.
http://sondermusic.com/dance/cuban.php

Visit their website for reservations. You can also call or email Sarah at (626) 807-8410  or almacubana2007@yahoo.com.
Make sure you post your comments and pictures from the event!