Seattle Rueda

Hey fellow casineros. When Georgia and I were down in Columbia City we saw a poster for some Afro-Peruvian Folkloric dance that looks amazing. Through August 2nd, at 7:30pm at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center is “An original bilingual musical based on Callejón by Teatro Del Milenio of Peru, Callejón is an adaptation and translation by local artist Rose Cano.” This Wednessay, July 23rd is a special performance of the Son de los Diablos at 4:30pm starting at the Columbia City Farmer’s Market and marching to the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. The music is live. Find more info here. And watch a well-produced making-of video here about a performance of the Son de los Diablos in Santiago de Cuba.

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Hey folks-My band Clave Gringa is playing at Egans Ballard Jam House (17th and Market) tonight (Thur) 7-8:30. Stop by before going to the beach event! Ann-ita

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Hi all!
I’m Simona from Rumbanana Salsa Group in Corvallis, Oregon… I’ve met many of you at various events, and most of you are part of our extended Casino Salsa family. I’d like to invite you all to a special event coming up this fall, and hope you will help us spread the word.

The weekend of October 17 – 19, 2008, our group along with the Oregon State University Casino Y Rueda Salsa Club is hosting Xtreme Cuban Salsa Weekend.

It’s a full weekend of performances, workshops, partying, live music and more partying. For those of you who have partied with the Rumbananas… you know what we’re talking about.

Joining the party are Henry Herrera (SalsaRacing, Miami), Duane Wrenn and Maribel Vasquez (Energetic Soul, Detroit), Jose Carrion (Academy of Cuban Folklore and Dance, Seattle), Julian Mejia (Salsatlanta, Atlanta) and many others.

Schedule, Hotels, Tickets, and all information are on our website at www.xtremecubansalsa.com.

Also, you can help us out by adding one of our banners to your websites: http://www.xtremecubansalsa.com/Promote.html

Got a killer Rueda de Casino team; an amazing Casino performance, or a truly soul-shattering afrocuban show? Perform at Xtreme Weekend – just send me your information, and a video clip of what you have in mind to rumbanana@gmail.com.

Thank you! If you have any questions, just send me a message!

Simona
Rumbanana Salsa Group
www.rumbanana.org
Corvallis, Oregon
“Biggest, little Cuban Salsa town in the U.S.”

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See you tomorrow night (Thursday, July 17th) for Casino on Cardboard.  All details can be found in the category to the right labeled Alki Beach Parties.

Starts at 7pm – ¡nos vemos allí!  Georgia

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Sorry for taking so long to post this (I am in Israel at the moment). As I mentioned earlier this should be a great opportunity to learn from two of the best instructors in North America.

When :

August 9th & 10th

Location :

Schedule:

Saturday, August 9th

• 2:00pm Dancing with and Understanding Clave
• 3:00pm Group Moves for the Rueda
• 4:00pm Athletic and Dynamic Salsa and Rueda
• 5:00pm Sidney’s Salsa Workout

Sunday, August 10th

• 2:00pm Dance on Whatever
• 3:00pm Sid and Ryan’s Favorite Moves
• 4:00pm Dancing the Rhythms of Salsa
• 5:00pm Sidney’s Salsa Workout

The Instructors

Sidney Weaverling is one of the founding members of the currently thriving Cuban-style salsa scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, with more than 10 years of experience as a teacher, performer, and choreographer. Expert in both following and leading, she has studied extensively in both Cuba and Miami, and has given salsa and rueda workshops across the United States and internationally.

Ryan Mead was studying jazz percussion at the New England Conservatory when he took his first trip to Cuba. He became an avid student of Cuban music and dance, making several trips to Cuba (most recently on a grant from Stanford). His greatest strength as a dancer and instructor is his musicality; he has created a vocabulary of rhythmic calls and steps to aid dancers in the understanding and interpretation of Cuban music.

Prices

One class: $15 advance / $20 door
Two classes: $25 advance / $35 door
Each Additional Class: $10 advance / $12 door
All Eight classes $75 advance / $90 door

For advance pricing send a check or money order to: (must be postmarked on or before Aug 4th)

Ryan Mead
c/o The Cottage Photographer
122 S. Jackson St #310
Seattle, WA 98104

Please include:

1. What classes you are signing up for
2. An email address for confirmation (will be sent on August 5th or 6th)

For further information contact ofer AT seattlerueda DOT com

Class descriptions

Dancing with and Understanding Clave

In this class we will focus on the clave — the rhythmic foundation of salsa and timba (and many other styles of music as well). We’ll examine the difference between son clave and rumba clave, 2-3 clave and 3-2 clave, and the myriad ways that this rhythm expresses itself in the music. You will learn moves, footwork, and calls that we have developed to connect with the clave and to express the clave through dance.

Group Moves for the Rueda

To dance group moves is to dance rueda in the truest sense. In this workshop we will teach moves that incorporate all the dancers in the rueda, dancing not as individual couples but as an entire group together. We will revisit our favorite group moves that we have learned from our teachers in Cuba and Miami, and show you new group moves of our own creation.

Athletic and Dynamic Salsa, Casino, and Rueda

Cuban-style salsa has always included vigorous and athletic moves and movements for both male and female dancers. In this class we’ll show you a wide variety of dynamic moves that will energize your salsa dancing, and we’ll teach you how to execute these moves safely. We’ll draw from classic Cuban moves such as Setenta por las Piernas and Enchufla como Paulito. We’ll also introduce new moves such as Flojito and The Matrix.

Sidney’s Salsa Workout

In this highly energetic class, we explore the roots and relatives of Salsa in Rumba, Son, Mambo, Cha-cha-cha, Merengue, Comparsa, Samba, Afro-Cuban folkloric dance and more! Through isolations we gain strength, flexibility and articulate expression throughout the entire body beginning with the core. We warm up with the basic salsa footwork and move on to explore more complex rhythmic variations, stylistic embellishments and related dance styles building towards completing the class with a dynamic and fun choreography.

Dance on Whatever

Has anyone ever asked you if you dance “on 1″ or “on 2″? In this class we’ll explore some of the different meanings and limitations of those terms and then move beyond them. We’ll learn how to dance comfortably on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, on Son Time, Contratiempo, and how to seamlessly transition between all of them in a single song. We’ll teach calls such as Apúrate, Demórate, and Ponche that we’ve developed to enable the dancers to switch time in the rueda as a group, and techniques that enable couples to change time together fluidly.

Ryan and Sidney’s Favorite Moves

In this class we’ll show you our favorite moves that we have learned from teachers and videos in Cuba, Miami, and across the US, as well as new and original moves that we have developed. We draw from moves such as Mundo Loco, Pasea con estilo, Setenta Estirado, Fulano por debajo, Pasea y barajéala, and more.

Dancing the Rhythms of Salsa and Timba

Salsa and timba are incredibly rich and rhythmically layered — they offer a great abundance of musical material to draw upon as dancers. This class will help you unlock the wealth of rhythms present in salsa and timba and show you how to express these rhythms with your body. We’ll isolate and explore many of the individual rhythms that make up salsa’s polyrhythmic texture, such as tresillo, ponche, bombo, platillo, and quinto. We will learn and practice dance steps that correspond to each of these rhythms. This rhythmic understanding will enhance your enjoyment of the music and invigorate your dancing, both in the rueda and with a partner.

See the video on YouTube

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HI all

there’s a peace concert all day at gasworks park, so be prepared to spend extra time finding parking.

just a heads up. see you all there!

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This is one of the instructors at the Cubamemucho Congress in Munich in 2007. He is AMAZING!

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This evening from 7-8:30pm 8825 Rainier ave. s. For more info: Naomi 206.632-8559

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CASINO ON CARDBOARD: Alki Beach Party

WHERE:  Alki Beach on the sandy strip off of Alki Avenue SW in West Seattle.  Our exact location on the strip of sandy beach may change each week depending on availability.  (We are usually at about 57^th Ave SW near Duke’s Chowder House.  Park and simply listen for Cuban music to find us.)

WHEN: Thursdays, 7pm (began June 26)

WHAT: cardboard-duct-tape dance floor, music, sunsets, dancing, friends, long nights, and pure fun

As you see we have a new sound-system thanks to our new “Chairman of Sound.”

Feel free to bring your music and $ donations for duct-tape.

I’ll be coordinating the event with the help of John again this year; please contact me with any info/questions via the blog or email.

**In case of bad weather, view the blog for any cancellations.  (Last year we didn’t need to cancel a single time due to weather!)

See you there.  Georgia.

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