Seattle Rueda

Hi all,

I wanted to let you know that Carlos Lazo, the nice gentleman (and Great dancer) who you may have met or seen at Selena’s Saturday Night Salsa parties, is teaching dance classes in Kirkland.  I have put his CONTACT info up on the INSTRUCTORS & CLASSES section of this blog, so you can reach him for more info.

ahi nama!

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Learn about Cuban dance and culture from dancer and musician Roberto Borrell, who has over fifty years of experience in popular dance forms (danzon, son, son montuno, cha cha cha), folkloric (Yoruba, Dahomey, Abakua), rumba and comparsa!

Roberto Borrell Cuban Dance Weekend March 26-28

Friday night
Timba: Dancing in Time
Lecture/demo at Spitfire Grill in Belltown
Music and video from Roberto’s collection along with live dance demonstration in his fluid, effortless style!
7:30 pm

Saturday
At My World Dance and Fitness Studio
1-2:30 Folkloric dance class
4-5 Lecture-style listening class
5-6:15 Popular dance

Sunday
At My World Dance and Fitness Studio
1-2:30 Folkloric dance class
3-4 Listening class
4-5:15 Popular dance

Timba: Dancing in Time
7 pm at SLAB Georgetown (south branch of Seattle Drum School)

Folkloric Dance $18
Popular $15
Listening $12
Friday lecture demo: $5
Sunday lecture demo: pay what you can!

The Cuban Bootcamp Special!
Folkloric + Popular $28
Listening + Popular $24

Locations:

My World Dance and Fitness Studio
849 Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA 98144

Spitfire Bar and Grill
2219 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121-2058

Seattle Drum School Georgetown
1010 S. Bailey
Seattle, WA 98108

Description of classes

Folkloric: mostly Yoruba (Lucumi) dance with emphasis on footwork and its correspondence to the rhythms of the batá drums. Great foundational class for beginners and experienced dancers alike.

Popular: Dance traditions from early twentieth century to the sixties (mas ó menos): danzón, danzón-cha, son, son montuno, cha cha cha. Emphasis on footwork and proper body mechanics along with Roberto’s unique perspective on historical and social contexts. Again, a great foundational class for beginners and experienced dancers.

Listening class: lecture-style class with detailed explanations of popular dance song structure and musical cues for dancers. This is a rare opportunity to learn about the evolution of Cuban musical styles from danzón to son and son montuno through cha cha cha from Roberto’s unique perspective as a dancer and musician for fifty years. Great for both musicians and dancers.

Roberto is also available for private lessons, and can be reached at duquesne1@hotmail.com

Questions? 206/353-3527
Email mowimbale@yahoo.com

Updates on Facebook group Roberto Borrell in Seattle: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=167304009898

Bio from the Roots of Timba Project in San Francisco:
Roberto Borrell learned traditional and popular Afro-Cuban dance, percussion, and song from master musicians and dancers while growing up in la Havana Vieja, Havana, Cuba. He is a respected dancer and percussionist of Afro-Cuban Yoruba, Abakua (Calabar), Rumba, Arará (Dahony), and Palo (Congo). He also is an expert in pronunciation of the non-Spanish languages one must use to sing these Afro-Cuban genres, as well as being a master dancer and teacher of Cuban popular dance styles such as son montuno, danzón, and cha cha cha.
Roots of Timba Project
http://www.creativeworkfund.org/modern/bios/roberto_borrell.html

Bio from Boogalu Productions:
http://www.boogalu.com/generic_roberto.borrell.html

Roberto’s Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/robertoborrell

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Salseros, Ruederos, and Casineros de Seattle,

We are so excited! We’ll be up from San Francisco, visiting Seattle and teaching for a few days after the Vancouver Rueda Festival (April 9-11).

We’ll be teaching in Seattle on two nights:

Tuesday, April 13th (8 – 10pm at My World Dance Center – click for map)

Wednesday, April 14th (6 – 10pm at Crown Hill Arts/Elementary – click for map)

Stay tuned for more details about class descriptions and information about pre-registration. (Sidney’s Body Movement / Salsa Workout class will definitely be in the lineup!) Please email us at ryanandsidney@gmail.com if you would like to request a specific type of class. We’d love your input!

We will also be available for private lessons April 12th – 15th.

And just for fun, you can check out our performances from the 2010 SF Salsa Rueda Festival:

(Saturday Performance with 4 couples) (Sunday Performance with 12 couples)

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Ryan and Sid

www.RuedaConRitmo.com

301-775-6142

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Hi Everyone,

Monday Multi Level Rueda
University Heights Community Center
7:00-8:30pm, with time to dance and practice after class

I had many requests to keep my Rueda class going rather than take a between quarter break so I rented a room and we will be having class next week and continuously. Class has been moved to Monday nights, 7:00-8:30pm with time afterwords to dance. Still multiple circles, multiple levels, join anytime, drop ins welcome. Email if you would like more info.
Betsy
betsy@bienfeliz.com

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Sat March 27

Come play for a day of Rueda de Casino workshops taught by Mike and Simona of Rumbanana Salsa Group:

12-1pm – Beginners’ Rueda Bootcamp - So you’re getting the basics down, right?  Now let’s focus on adding more flavor, power, and confidence to your dancing.  We’ll break down in detail some of the moves you already know and add some new ones for you to push your abilities.  (Designed for beginners with some experience.)

1:1:30pm – Beginners’ Jam session – a half hour of called wheels to practice what we’ve learned.  Dancers from the advanced workshop are welcome to join and mingle!

1:30-3:30 – Advanced Rueda - Let’s get this rueda moving!  We’ll break down a few moves in detail to really work on styling and connection, and then add in a lot more to develop your power, coordination, reaction time, and flavor.  Moves will be intermediate level, but with an advanced focus on body motion and technique.

3:30-4pm – Advanced Jam Session – We’re pulling out all stops in this one…a half hour straight of advanced level wheels to test out what you’ve learned.

Cost : Session 1 + jam session ,$18    Session 2 + jam session $25

classes held at Phinney ridge community center  6532 Phinney Ave, Seattle WA

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From the Seattle-Cuba yahoo egroup:

Roberto Borrell will be coming back to Seattle for the last weekend in March to
teach Cuban dance! Tentative schedule will feature Borrell’s multimedia
presentation on Cuban music from the February 2010 Rueda Festival in San
Francisco.

In addition to the listening, popular dance and Afrocuban folkloric classes,
Roberto will teach an Afrocuban folkloric listening class for dancers aimed at
identifying and understanding the rhythms of the bata drums. This is a rare
opportunity to learn Orisha dances the “old school” way: in their cultural
context, not just choreography. Whether you dance at toques or on stage, or just
love the music of the Orishas, this is a great chance to learn from a master
drummer and dancer who himself learned from the great dancers and singers of 
Havana Vieja while growing up  and who danced in the front line of the
Folklorico Nacional.

March 26-28, Friday-Sunday; multimedia presentation on Friday night, details and
location will be announced soon! Folkloric and popular dance classes will be
Saturday and Sunday 1-7 at
My World Dance and Fitness Studio
849 Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA  98144

Roberto is also available for private lessons, and can be reached at
duquesne1@hotmail.com

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Hi Everyone,
Starting on  April 12th Rueda classes will be on Mondays and they will be longer, 7pm- 8:30pm. Still at the University Heights Community Center. There will also be some time after class with music to enjoy practicing and dancing with each other. Maritza and Carlos will be joining me as your teachers. There will be multiple circles and hence multiple levels. Please feel free to email me for more info and with questions. betsy@bienfeliz.com We are already having a lot of fun and I believe it is about to get better.  See you there

Betsy

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http://www.cubansalsavancouver.net

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I am starting a new dance venue in Tacoma at the Studio 6 Ballroom. (I’m still at the Tacoma Armory on Saturdays).  I am asking for volunteers to help me demo a rueda:  one this Tuesday, Feb 2, 2010 at 8:30pm. I know..I know..it’s a bit late. I’ll bake you cookies of you volunteer.

Then I need help with another demo on Friday, February 12th (yes…near Valentine’s Day) at 10pm. There is a dance that takes place at the ballroom that Friday…It’s Latin night. Absolutely gorgeous floor and lounge area. If you are interested, please e-mail me at funlatindance@yahoo.com

I believe the crowd on Tuesday is going to be huge. I promoted to all the colleges in the Tacoma area. Please come and dance with me. It won’t be anything complicated, it’s just for fun!

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My grand plan is on it’s way and the Rueda de Casino class is now a Multi-Level class with 2 circles, drop in option is available and you can pay per class. Starting next Tuesday Dennis Richards will be joining me and we will have a beginners circle and an Intermediate/advanced circle. Maritza is planning to join us next spring which will allow us to have 3 circles, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The curriculum will be specific for each circle, reflecting the matrix of moves used by SeattleRueda practica and mastery of the moves will allow you to progress to the next circle. Please do join us, support us, drop in, visit, bring a friend, spread the word. And email with any questions. betsy@bienfeliz.com.

It costs $10 to be on the roster, here is the link to register.  
https://depts.washington.edu/asuwxpcl/courses/view/10WI.15.02
Even though it says Level 1, referring to beginner level, it is NOW , Beginner and Intermediate/Advanced

Nos Vemos,
Betsy

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