La rueda de casino

During the 1950s in Cuba, there was a popular dance – some called it a craze – which was danced in the streets, in clubs and in people’s homes. It was called CASINO RUEDA or RUEDA DE CASINO, or simply RUEDA.

RUEDA means “wheel”. CASINO refers to the kind of turns and pauses that are commonly seen even among those who dance modern-day salsa. The originality of the RUEDA, its uniqueness, lies in the fact that it is danced in a circle, in a “RUOTA”, with a single group of participants rotating round and round, quickly swapping partners and performing other complex figures.

Every movement, known as a “CALL”, has a name, and it is the responsibility of the “MOTHER” – as she is known, that is, the LEADER of the RUEDA – to give the commands, often in rapid succession. Many figures also have hand signals as well as a name, so that the “mother” can give the commands even if there is a lot of noise in the hall and the music is very loud.

La Rueda can be small, consisting of just two couples, or as large as the venue allows – even as many as a hundred couples.

Dancers learn to broaden their goals for development and their outlook, which is sometimes limited to performing standard figures when dancing alone or in a pair. With the RUEDA, you learn to coordinate and refine your style and sense of rhythm to perform it to the best of your ability. When everything When this happens, it’s truly thrilling! A genuine and unique sense of group harmony develops, to the point where you can feel the whole circle ebb and flow, and “breathe” to the wonderful Afro-Cuban/Latin American music. The result is a sensational form of dance, which is fun both to DANCE and to WATCH!

The many variations of Rueda – the circular changing of partners – have their roots in the colonial era; they probably arose from a “mezcla”, a blend of French court dances (brought to Cuba by the people of Haiti) and movements of the AFRO-CUBAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLE!!!

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