Using Rueda moves in your Cuban Salsa.

At the start of your Salsa life Rueda moves are such a excellent way of remembering sequences to give your Cuban Salsa some movement.

However there are differences between dancing Rueda and dancing Cuban Salsa.

Firstly in Rueda positioning, the way you are facing is of upmost importance. In Salsa you must forget this completely otherwise your dancing will look static. You must introduce more circular movement into your dancing. Take the move pimienta the timing is the same the turns are the same direction but the guy should increase the rotation around the women. Also try to get your torso positioned just ahead of the women as you move around her or her around you. This gives her another signal that you need her to travel in that direction and makes it look as if you are dancing connected as a couple. You are not trying to match the movements of 5 other guys in a rueda so you can use the feel of the music to put in more attitude and interpretation.

 

Basic moves for Rueda,

These are just a reminder of the moves not an exact description.

 

Casino or Guapea step: Lady on men's left, ladies do there basic step, men do a reversed basic (back on 1)with a small turn towards each other on the 5 while pushing off each other with outside hands. The end result should be a mirror image of each other. 

 

Dile Que No:  Moving the lady from the men's right side to his left

 

Dame:  As a Dile Que No but picking up new partner to men's right

 

Dame Dos:  As Dame but passing the first and picking up the second partner to the man's right.

 

Pimienta: A clockwise turn for the lady, men's left to ladies right hand ( moving from men's left to right side followed by Dile Que No )

 

La Cuchara: A clockwise turn for the lady, men's changes hand to right to ladies right. ( moving from men's left to right side followed by Dile Que No )

 

Vacilala: A clockwise free turn for the lady, lead from the men's left to ladies right. men's steps back to check her out and Dile Que No

 

 

 

 

La Rueda..    New Video's

 

This is the real fun bit,

 

  la Rueda de Casino.

 

Rueda is Spanish for wheel and Casino is the basic Cuban Salsa step used.

Its danced in a circle with as many couples as its possible to fit into the room. One of the Guys calls some set moves which are done in unison by the whole group. Partners are changed which gives the wheel movement. There are hundreds of moves but only a few basic ones are required to have a great Rueda.

 

Improving your Cuban Salsa

Rueda is one of the best ways of improving your Cuban Salsa and your timing. It also gets you use to dancing in a confined space with the awareness of where other couples are. Very helpful in a busy club with a full dance floor.

Rueda also teaches you something that not many Classes teach, how to leave your partner and dance apart if even only for a few beats. This is a very important part of Cuban Salsa and very often totally overlooked ! ( OK, so its my pet thing!!)

 

 .............................................

 

Rueda with Jacqui at "The Loft, behind Copelands Bakery The High Street Gorleston Norfolk". Has after many years has ended.

 

However some of her teaching has not been vain as on the first Thursday of the month it's Rueda night at the Dance Cuban Salsa classes.

The aim of these classes is to use Rueda as a way to improve the classes Cuban Salsa dancing. Also to give them the  ability to dance at a faster pace e.g.- Los Van Van's Tim pop.

 

 

More Rueda pics here 

 

Video of    Rueda moves.

 

 

Rueda at the Keir Norwich, Friday night

 

Coca Cola: Dile Que No but the man turns the lady with his left  hand to her right shoulder on the 5 anti clockwise, he turns with her to do another Dile Que No