The “Salsa Lovers” dance school in Miami, USA, created by Rene Gueits in 1994, has been the most influential for how Cuban Salsa has developed outside of Cuba and for how Cuban Salsa is taught and danced to this very day. “Salsa Lovers” developed a Cuban Salsa Syllabus and a teaching method structured through Rueda de Casino, and published a
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I hope to be the first Man back in Havana, or rather the first visitor, guest, tourist coming back. Ideally with the first flight, when international travel opens up again. March 24th 2020 Cuba locked down for tourists. I flew out the next morning. A couple of days before, the Cuban authorities started to transfer tourist from Case Particulares to
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The “Alex Routine” is my name for a one minute long social dance by Alexander Pavlov (Ukraine) and an excellent “I never back rock unless a bad Lead insists” Follow. When I first saw the video clip, I said to myself: I am going to learn and practice it like a routine. I want to own it. I now use
Read moreA short time ago I stumbled upon an extraordinary Cuban Salsa video from some workshop with Ruben Rodriguez, 2015. I find that the video is very inspiring for its relaxed social dance style and for a couple of details in the excecution of well known moves. I like that the relaxed style of Ruben Rodriguez is based on natural walking
Read moreIt helps a lot to break the move down into its basic named figures, because it is much easier to remember a sequence of names than a sequence of turn patterns. For a longer move it is important to know where to cut it short if necessary, and where to split it up to make it easier to practice the
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Moves are for Practica and for Rueda de Casino but should only be used sparingly or as an exception to the rule in social dancing. Less and less moves the better you get. This statement might be an exaggeration but it is not far from the truth. In most good dances I have ever seen, moves, except for the most
Read moreIf you are already an accomplished social dancer as a Lead or as a Follow, it might be the time to learn the other role. I have wanted to learn to dance as a Follow for a long time, and I have now started the process, and I want to share my experience. I believe in the benefits of switching
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Most dance schools have at least three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Many have five levels: beginner, improver, two intermediate levels and advanced. Some dance schools just number their levels. So far it makes sense. But it mostly makes little sense to group Salsa moves, figures, combinations, turn patterns (all four expressions mean the same) into such categories except for
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Some dancers don’t care about keeping different dance styles apart, pure and original. They like to mix it all together and make up their own unique fusion style of anything they find interesting. Such “cherry picking” is ok and a valid approach for anyone to follow but I don’t like that approach personally. It is nice that we have both
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