Tips to Improving Your Casino/ Rueda de Casino Skills:
- Persistence in the learning process. DON'T GIVE UP after one class or a series. We have all, including the instructors, messed up the rueda and caused a train wreck. If you are personally invested, take more classes.
- Intentionally FIND THE BEAT everywhere you go. Play Cuban music where ever you go, in your car, at the gym, at work on your headphones, while you are cooking..in the shower!! Scroll down below for Cuban music access. The more you are exposed to it, you will find the beat. It's a personal journey.
- To help you find the beat in different tempos, use "The Clave" app to help you with timing and footwork practice. This will get your ear trained to hear the clave in every song. You can buy it through Google Play or through iTunes. There are many apps that do the same thing such as the Salsa Rhythms app, Salsa Beats Beta app, Rhythm Trainer app.
- Practice! Practice! Practice! Think "Karate Kid The Movie!" Take the movement and repeat over and over again until it becomes muscle memory.
- Attend social dance events outside the classroom. Check the Upcoming Events Page to find out when we meet.
- If you are a "read first, move after" type of learner and love to read and learn about Cuban music and dance, I highly recommend reading the well detailed posts from the blog Son Y Casino by Daybert Linares Diaz.
- Use the Ruedawiki or Rueda Moves" video library links below to visually study and practice these moves outside the classroom.
- Sign up for a Cuban dance congress for the practice and the social piece of the dance - Scroll down below to learn about the popular Cuban Dance Festivals around the U.S., Mexico, Canada and of course Cuba
LEARNING TOOLS
Ruedawiki.org
Check this amazing Wiki-based rueda library of dance moves! A good place to start for folks who are learning Cuban Salsa/Rueda for the first time and are visual learners!
RUEDA MOVES
https://sites.google.com/site/ruedamoves/home
If you are new to casino or rueda de casino, this link is awesome. Thanks to Shannon Kelly from Rumbanana Dance Group in Corvallis, Oregon, she put a lot of time into this website. So happy to have it accessible for learning moves around the world on casino and rueda de casino:
YouTube Channels/Subscriptions
If you have a YouTube Account, you can subscribe the following for some video instruction of the following subscriptions:
SalsAtlanta
The Cuban Way
SalsaFuerte
SalseroLocoVolante
katicubanita
ryanandsidney
Medianochesalsa
There's probably more, but you can do the research and/or Google it.
CUBAN MUSIC ACCESS
www.timba.com
To listen to some really good timba, son, Cubaton, this link can give you the latest on the new music plus let you know which bands are touring direct from Cuba etc. There is a radio link on this website that will stream in some excellent mixes of timba music.
Timba Para Siempre
This is an awesome internet radio station, spearheaded by the efforts of casineros and DJ's in France. You are sure to hear the latest and the greatest timba music.
CUBAN MUSIC ACCESS FOR PURCHASE:
Mp3 Cuban Music - I buy from here a lot
www.cubamusic.com
AMAZON - I also buy from here when the music is available
www.amazon.com
Google Play -
https://play.google.com/music/
for practice start with:
- Juan Formell y Los Van Van (Albums: Chapeando, Llego Van Van or La Fantasia)
- Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor
- Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son
- Pupy "Cesar" Pedrosa Los Que Son Son
iTUNES
www.iTunes.com
Festivalsero.com - A link to all different dance congresses around the world; salsa cubana is in there.
Still updating below:
Are you Traveling and Want to Dance Casino/Rueda de Casino? Where to check Databases:
www.salsapower.com
If you plan to travel, try this link first to see if there is casino/rueda de casino nearby your travel location. Sometimes the city liaison may not have their info updated. Below are some links to casino/rueda community and dance instructor guides/directories:
http://www.saocodc.com/worldrueda.cfm
The DC Casineros did a fantastic job on building a list of rueda communities from the US and the world.
http://www.casinoruedaconnection.com/index.html
This link was a really great find. It not only has a listing of places to dance casino or learn casino, but it will give you the history and a lesson about what the "clave" is all about in the music and much more!
Ruedawiki.org
Check this amazing Wiki-based rueda library of dance moves! A good place to start for folks who are learning Cuban Salsa/Rueda for the first time and are visual learners!
RUEDA MOVES
https://sites.google.com/site/ruedamoves/home
If you are new to casino or rueda de casino, this link is awesome. Thanks to Shannon Kelly from Rumbanana Dance Group in Corvallis, Oregon, she put a lot of time into this website. So happy to have it accessible for learning moves around the world on casino and rueda de casino:
YouTube Channels/Subscriptions
If you have a YouTube Account, you can subscribe the following for some video instruction of the following subscriptions:
SalsAtlanta
The Cuban Way
SalsaFuerte
SalseroLocoVolante
katicubanita
ryanandsidney
Medianochesalsa
There's probably more, but you can do the research and/or Google it.
CUBAN MUSIC ACCESS
www.timba.com
To listen to some really good timba, son, Cubaton, this link can give you the latest on the new music plus let you know which bands are touring direct from Cuba etc. There is a radio link on this website that will stream in some excellent mixes of timba music.
Timba Para Siempre
This is an awesome internet radio station, spearheaded by the efforts of casineros and DJ's in France. You are sure to hear the latest and the greatest timba music.
CUBAN MUSIC ACCESS FOR PURCHASE:
Mp3 Cuban Music - I buy from here a lot
www.cubamusic.com
AMAZON - I also buy from here when the music is available
www.amazon.com
Google Play -
https://play.google.com/music/
for practice start with:
- Juan Formell y Los Van Van (Albums: Chapeando, Llego Van Van or La Fantasia)
- Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor
- Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son
- Pupy "Cesar" Pedrosa Los Que Son Son
iTUNES
www.iTunes.com
Festivalsero.com - A link to all different dance congresses around the world; salsa cubana is in there.
Still updating below:
Are you Traveling and Want to Dance Casino/Rueda de Casino? Where to check Databases:
www.salsapower.com
If you plan to travel, try this link first to see if there is casino/rueda de casino nearby your travel location. Sometimes the city liaison may not have their info updated. Below are some links to casino/rueda community and dance instructor guides/directories:
http://www.saocodc.com/worldrueda.cfm
The DC Casineros did a fantastic job on building a list of rueda communities from the US and the world.
http://www.casinoruedaconnection.com/index.html
This link was a really great find. It not only has a listing of places to dance casino or learn casino, but it will give you the history and a lesson about what the "clave" is all about in the music and much more!
