Rueda de Casino

Rueda de Casino (Rueda, Casino Rueda, Salsa Rueda) is a particular type of round dancing of Salsa. It was developed in Havana, Cuba in the late 1950s and early 1960s by the famous group Guaracheros de Regla and one of its main choreographers and creators was Jorge Alfaro from San Miguel del Padrón, a soloist of a comparsa.

Pairs of dancers form a circle, with dance moves called out by one person, a caller (or 'Líder' or 'cantante' in Spanish). Many moves have hand signs to complement the calls; these are useful in noisy venues, where spoken calls might not be easily heard. Many of the moves involve the swapping of partners.

The names of the moves are mostly in Spanish, some in English (or Spanglish; e.g., "un fly"). Some names are known in slightly different versions, easily recognizable by Spanish-speaking dancers, but may be confusing to the rest.

Although the names of the calls are presently the same across the board, the different towns in Cuba use their own calls. This was due to the fact that when the pioneers of Rueda de Casino started, they wanted to keep others from participating in their Rueda. Nowadays many local variations of the calls can be found. They can change from town to town or even from teacher to teacher.

Casino Rueda scenes may be seen in the movie "Dance with Me" and in the music video clip "No me dejes de querer" by Gloria Estefan.

List of moves

"Translations are in ( ), variants are in [ ] , explanations are in <>."
* A Bayamo
** A Bayamo por de bajo
** A Bayomo complicado
* Abajo (down)
* Abrázala (hug her)
* Adiós (bye)
** Adiós con la hermana (with the sister)
** Adiós con la hermana complicado
** Adiós con la familia (with the whole family)
** Adiós con la prima
** Adiós con (la) vuelta
** Adiós largo
** Festival de adiós [con una] [con dos] [con tres]
* Al medio [p'al medio] (to centre)
* A lo cortico
* Arriba al tiempo España
* Aspirina
* Avion
* Balsero (raftsman)
* Bikini
* Beso [El beso] (kiss)
* Besito (little kiss)
* Bola
** Bola una
** Bola dos
** Bola tres
* Botella [La botella] ... -> con la tapa (con tapa)... -> trunca
* Bulla [Una bulla] [Suena]
* Cadeneta (chain)
* Candado (lock)
** Candado de mentira
* Cero [El cero] (zero)
* Cien (one hundred)
* Coca-Cola
* Coco
* Coquita
* Consorte
* Croqueta [or Taxi]
* Cucaracha (cockroach)
* Dame (una) (Gimme one)
** Dame otra (give me another)
** Dame una/dos/tres... (gimme 1/2/3..)
** Dame y arriba [also Dame dos arriba, tres arriba...]
** Dame (una) con una (with clap(s))
*** (Dame) Dos con dos/una (dame dos with 2/1 claps)
*** Dame 1/2/3... con 1/2/3...
** Dame... con las manos [pasa con los manos, pasala con los manos]
** Otra (again)
* Danilo
** Danilo y dame
* Dedo (finger)
** Dedo saboreado (with flavor)
* Dedo, guarapo y bota(la)
* Dile que no (tell her "no")
* Dile que si (tell her "yes")
* Doble play
* Doble cero (double zero)
* Dos (two) [El Dos]
* Drácula
* Echevarria
* Enchufla (plug in)
** Enchufla pa'fuera
** Enchufla, Enchufla pero no dile que no (enchufla without "dile que no") <"Enchufla" by default includes Dame "5-7">
** Enchufla doble (double)
** Enchufla que no [Enchufla y no le llegas]
** Enchufla con la pierna (with the feet)
** Enchufla con vuelta (with turn)
** Enchufla con la familia
** Festival de enchufla [con una] [con dos] [con tres]
** Enchufla p'al medio (to middle) [Enchufla p'al centro] (to center)
*** Con una/dos (with 1/2 claps)
*** Con vuelta (with turn)
*** Con las manos (with hands)
*** Sin manos (without hands)
*** Cadena [Tranca]
**** Cadena y Mujeres y Hombres ... Se Fue (get out / on your own)
*** Cero (0)
*** Seis (6)
*** Ocho (8)
*** Ocho se fue (one goes around in an "8" formation)
** Enchufla y casate (get married)
**...la cunada,... la hermana,... su madre,... la tuya
** Enchufla por detrás
* Evelyn
* Exhibe(la) (exhibit her / show her off)
* Fly [Un fly] [Fly dos]
* Frankenstein
* Gancho (hook)
* Guapea [guaperia] (prep / basic step)
* Havana
* Helicoptero
* Huracan (hurricane)
* Juana la cubana (the guy from Cuba)
* Kentucky
** Kentucky complicado
* La rosa (rose)
* Mantecado
* Montaña (mountain)
* Hombres derecha (men to the right)
* Hombres izquierda (men to the left)
* Mosquito (everyone claps above their head on the next 1)
* Mujeres derecha (women to the right)
* Mujeres izquierda (women to the left)
* Noventa (ninety)
* Nueve (nine)
* Ochenta y quatro
** Ochenta y quatro moderno
* Panqué
* Pasa con los manos (pasala con los manos, dame con los manos) (pass with hands)
* P'al medio [Al medio] (to centre)
** Pa'Arriba (upstream)
** Pa'Abajo (downstream)
* Pa' Afuera (turns the circle inside out)
* Pa'Tras (backward)
* Para Ti, Para Mi
* Para Ti, Para Mi
* Pelota (ball)
** Pelota (con) dos (with 2 claps)
** Pelota (con) quatro (with 4 claps and everyone turns to left)
** Pelota (con) loca (crazy)
* Peluquería
* Photo [Una Foto]
* Ping Pong
* Play
** Doble Play
** Triple Play
* Prima
** Prima doble
** Prima con hermana
* Principe bueno
* Principe malo [Castigalo]
* Policía
** Policia de Miami
* Ponle sabor (give it flavor)
* Puente (bridge)
* Rico pa el
* Rollo y Guaguanco
* Rompela
* Rubenada
* Sabia (wise person)
* Saboreado
* Sacar agua del pozo
* Seis (6)
* Serrucho (saw)
* Setenta (70)
** Setenta complicado (complicated 70)
** Setenta Miami
** Setenta con las manos (with the hands)
** Setenta por debajo largo
** Setenta por debajo largo
** Setenta nuevo (new)
** Noventa (90)
** Setenta y Uno (71)
** Setenta y Dos (72)
** Setenta y Tres (73)
* Sencillo
* Siete (7)
** Siete loco
** Siete moderno
** Siete con Coca-Cola
** Siete loco complicado
* Sin manos (without hands)
* Sombrero
** Sombrero doble
** Sombrero p'abajo [Sombrero por de bajo]
** Sombrero doble
** Sombrero doble complicate
** Sombrero de Manny
* Suena [Bulla] (make sound)
* Tarro [Un tarro] (horn)
** Hombres un tarro
** Mujeres un tarro
** ... de mentira (change your mind)
** Dos tarros
** Tarro, pero no la suerte
* Tarrito (cheat)
** Tarrito de mentira (cheat... but change your mind)
** Pegale Tarrito (cheat, hold hands) -> Se Fue (get out / on your own)
* Telefoto
* Talía
* Three-way stop
* Trenecito
* Twist
* Uno (one) [La una]
* Vacila(la) (check her out)
** Vacila con vuelta (with turn)
** Vacila y sienta {sienta la}
** Vacilence los dos (together)
** Vacilence los dos con vuelta
* Xemena
* Yogurt
** Yogurt con tapa
** Yogurt con todo el mundo
** Yogurt con la vecina
** Yogurt para siempre
** Yogurt shake

External links

* [http://www.rumbanana.org Rumbanana Group Corvallis, Oregon]
* [http://www.opensourcesalsa.com Indianapolis Rueda (list of calls)]
* [http://www.saocodc.com Learn to Dance Rueda in the Nation's Capitol]
* [http://www.saocodc.com/syllabus.cfm A Syllabus of Rueda Moves]
* [http://michbuze.club.fr/burdi/rueda.htm large selection of videoclips of Rueda de Casino commands - French site]
* [http://www.salsarueda.com/rueda/rueda_calls.html#top Rueda commands with description]
* [http://wikibooks.org/wiki/Rueda_de_Casino wikibook for rueda commands]
* [http://www.latinos.co.nz/salsa.php Various styles of Salsa]
* [http://www.absolutesalsa.com/list.htm list of Rueda de Casino steps]
* [http://www.salsapulse.com/C.html Salsa Casino/Rueda Dance Pattern Descriptions]
* [http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/salsa/salsa.html#Steps Salsa Steps from "Salsa in Singapore" : Check out Christine Tan's awesome moves descriptions pdf/word document]
* [http://www.SonMas.net DC Salsa Rueda Dance Troupe]