BEGINNING
LEVEL (SALSA) RUEDA DE CASINORueda De Casino originated in Cuba's Havana or Santiago gambling casinos in the early 1960s. It represents a marraige of the European contradance and the recently emerged mambo craze. (Attributions to choreographer Jorge Alfaro are dubious, since he was born in 1960.) In those days, the term "Salsa" was not being used: the world still called the dance "Mambo." It became hugely poplular after a television performance in 1980. Soon, every neighborhood in Cuba had a mix of common patterns and unique moves. Rueda in Cuba has a history of cliqueishness. People from outside the "hood" could not participate, because they didn't know the local moves - this was intentional - go figure. And every single modern instructor everywhere in the world puts his/her own spin on it, creating patterns unique to the locale. The patterns vary from the complex, to the humorous, to the risque, to the downright weird. Yet, there are many moves in common. Oh yes, "Rueda" tanslates as "wheel," and "Casino" translates as "gambling club" - a club dance done in a rotating wheel formation.
Kurt learned Rueda from Brian Bromka, upper New York State's foremost expert in Salsa and Rueda. Brian traveled to Cuba seven times in the last few years on USA research permits. Brian leads the huge Syracuse La Familia Salsa network.
STARTERS
al medio - Jockey step (touch step) "to the center"
un flaco - Tighter circle (one bigger step to center on 1) "a
fat one"
un gorda - Looser circle (one bigger step to outside on 5) "a
skinny one"
saca al agua del pozo - Water from the well (dip to center on 1)
"take water from the well"
mas profundo - Deeper
p'arriba - Go up (L forward, aka camina para delante aka tiempo
de espana) "upstream"
p'abajo - Go down (L backward, aka camina para atras) "downstream"
tarro - New partner, guys go (L go under hand to next F) aka pegale
un tarro "pot"
dos tarros - Skip to new partner - guys go (L go to next 2nd F)
aka pegale dos tarros
un tarro para las mujeres - New partner, women go (F go to next
L) "taro by the women"
un tarro y mentira - Guys fake out (L under hand & return 2x8)
"tarro and lie"
tarro con mano - New partner guys, keep the hand (L goes under,
but keeps partner #1 hand)
aka un tarro y no la sueltes aka tarro
sin soltar "tarro with the hand"
sueltela - Re-connect (CP with current partner) "Get free"
muevete - Bigger steps "move it"
salsa - Salsa (salsa breaks)
LEVEL ONE
contra - Contra step aka paso basico aka guapeando aka guapea "elegant"
)
para abajo - Back & forth (bring F out to R, and in to center,
leader's doing break step)
dame - New partner "give me" aka dame uno, aka
dame otra
dile que no - Cross body lead (bring R partner to L) "tell
her no"
una bulla - Yell (hey! 5) "a rowdy noise"
slow bulla - Slow yell (start 5, rise to "hey": 1)
suena la - Stomp (stomp 5) "make a sound"
chevaria - Twist (123, away, towards, away partner #1) "fantastic"
silencio - Silencio (shhh!:1)
foto - Photo (click & freeze:1, exit with "dame")
ni pa ti ni pa me - Two hands clap
(hand claps new & prev. partner, center: 7&3,
new partner:1, 1st partner:5)
fly - Fly ball (clap to next partner:1)
fly dos - 2 flies (2 claps to next partner:12) "fly two"
LEVEL TWO
dame otra - Give me a new one (new partner)
dame dos - Give me a 2nd (L walks 123 to 2nd new partner, then
dile que no)
dame con los manos - 3 new ones (dame with hand connection, 3 in
a row)
una con una - Clap and give me one (clap:7, break step, dile que
no) "one with one"
una con dos - Clap twice and give me one (clap:78, break step,
dile que no) "one with two"
dos con dos - Clap twice and give me a 2nd "two with two"
al centro - To the center (from contra step, turn for 1, Leaders
do break step)
flor - La flor "flower"
enchufela - in the door (inside turn, L: back walk walk, walk 123
to partner #2, break, dile que no)
enchufela doble - swinging doors (IT, OT, IT, then as above, L's
all back breaks on these)
enchufela no te lleges - in the door and stay
(IT, OT with no partner switch to dame or para
abajo) "plug it"
enchufela doble - (2x inside turn, then new partner)
adios - Half pivot (1/2 couples turn, dame) "goodbye"
adios con la familia (as above, then link R arms to do-si-do to
dame "Goodbye with the family"