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Dances · Rueda de Casino
In
Cuba, the Salsa dance goes by the name of Casino, which comes from the so called 'Rueda
de Casino' (Casino Wheel), a formation made up
of several couples which, guided by a "leader",
make figures and exchange partners. It originally comes
from the French Contradanza,
which was famous in the 18th Century and
very popular at Cuban society balls.
There are at least
two couples are required to dance the Rueda de Casino, but there is no upper limit. One of the daners must be familiar
with the steps and turns and the other one must lead.
For the Rueda it is important not to do too many or too complex turns ;
the leader’s originality can be shown by leading
the "wheel" gracefully and creatively,
decorating the instructions with expressions or
small stories, which make the Rueda a dynamic,
vibrant and spicy experience.
This way
of dancing salsa has a competitive element that makes it very interesting (especially
if many couples are involved), where the "leader"
tries to cry out instructions for turns that are
a little confusing. The couples must answer by
trying to match the leader’s instructions
as closely as possible. If they make a mistake
they must leave the Rueda.
The Rueda is like a typical dance of suburbs,
where each suburb has its favorite "leader",
its private turns and sequences, as well as other
aspects that differentiate it from the Ruedas
of other suburbs or areas. On festive days or
at Carnaval in Cuba it is common for one Rueda
to challenge another, and the Rueda with the least
mistakes and greatest fluidity and grace is the
winner.
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