My Instructional Approach - Every Rueda instructor has a particular point of view on what Rueda is, how it is danced, and how to teach it. I am no different. Let me share my basic points of view with you.
RuedaUSA Goals - First of all, here are RuedaUSA's goals in teaching Rueda:
- Create a positive and fun place to learn Rueda
- Make you a better Casino dancer
- Make you a better leader or follower
- Make sure you can dance the Beginner and Intermediate Rueda moves very well
- Make sure you can apply your Rueda moves to your partner dancing at the clubs
- Make you a better club-style Salsa dancer
- Add Rueda and club-style turn patterns to your Salsa repertoire
- Add footwork/shines to your dancing
- Enhance your sense of timing and understanding of the 8-beat structure of Salsa
- Add stylistic elements to your dancing
Miami vs. Cuba - I've never studied Rueda in Cuba. All my Rueda training comes from the way Rueda is done in Miami. I realize that Miami Rueda is a bit different than how it is danced in Cuba. Other than having studied several videos on Cuban Rueda, I'm no expert on how Rueda is danced in Cuba. In this respect, I'm not much different than most other Rueda instructors throughout the United States.
Miami Style - My basic approach is to teach my RuedaUSA students as close to the way Rueda is danced in Miami as possible. When I started RuedaUSA, I adopted the Salsa Lovers Dance Studios Rueda tapes as my standard. That turned out to be a pretty good choice, considering that the Salsa Lovers tapes have virtually defined Rueda to the world over the past two dacades.
Since that time, I've incorporated instructional approaches, moves and techniques from other excellent Miami Rueda studios into my RuedaUSA methodology. Most of the Miami schools vary only in minor detail in how they teach Rueda, or how they execute the moves. Therefore, I believe it's totally appropriate to talk about the Miami style of dancing and teaching Rueda.
What I am fundamentally trying to achieve at RuedaUSA is to make sure my students know how to dance Rueda the way it is danced in Miami. I want them to know the beginner and intermediate moves rock solid, so that they can execute them on demand. From there, with minor adjustments, they can dance Rueda anywhere in the world. The Advanced moves are interesting, but are not indispensable to a casinero's repertoire.
Learn Well & Dance Anywhere - One of my greatest experiences as a casinero came during a visit to Orlando five years ago. By the time of that trip, I knew the beginner and intermediate Rueda moves really well. During that trip, I hooked up with Mike Barbieri at a night club in Orlando. Barbieri is the Director of Salsa Heat and teaches huge Rueda classes at various locations in Greater Orlando. He is also the really sharp dancer in the Luz Pinto Rueda tapes.
While at that Orlando night club, Barbieri invited me to join one of Salsa Heat's club ruedas. With a twinge of trepidation, I joined in. Result??? I fit in without missing a beat! I might as well have been trained by Barbieri himself, it was that seamless. What a rush!! That's the manner in which I want my RuedaUSA students to be able to dance, wherever they go.
Two Problems Areas - There are two problems in the Rueda world that I am trying to address at RuedaUSA. The first problem is that too many Rueda instructors treat Rueda as being different from club-style Salsa. At RuedaUSA, we believe that approach is a fundamental mistake. That attitude drives a wedge between casineros and salseros. We feel that Rueda should be viewed as another interesting and valuable way of dancing Salsa. It should be viewed as a complement to every salsero's repertoire.
We believe that all Salsa dancers should learn Rueda at some point in time. That won't happen, though, if Rueda instructors continue treating Rueda as something separate, unique and distinct from regular Salsa. All to often, Salsa and Rueda don't mix in clubs (outside of Miami). In some cases, I have witnessed outright hostility (including deliberate elbowing, tripping and pushing) by club salseros toward casineros while dancing Rueda at one club or another in the Greater Washington area. That is very unfortunate.
The second problem is that many instructors teach Rueda as though Rueda is a specific set of moves - Miami moves - or Cuban moves. The feeling is that if you don't dance the way these moves are done in Miami - or Cuba - you are not dancing authentic Rueda. That narrow minded attitude is unfortunate. We should all enjoy dancing together and have fun, while recognizing and appreciating the differences in styles between the Miami and Cuban camps.
RuedaUSA addresses these two problems in a couple of ways. First of all, we view Rueda, and we teach Rueda, as being very similar to regular Salsa except for the fact that it is danced in a circle. The moves vary somewhat, but both are Salsa, and both are fundamentally similar in the overall. Over 75% of Rueda moves can be used in partner dancing in a club environment. Many of the Rueda moves are very attractive and add significantly to a salseros' repertoire.
Secondly, we do not view Rueda as a particular set of Miami moves, or a particular set of Cuban moves. We view Rueda as a methodology for dancing Salsa in a group. In dancing Salsa in a group, there are many moves we can choose from. We can choose Rueda moves from Miami. We can choose Rueda moves from Cuba. We can choose interesting Rueda moves developed by other Rueda schools. We can choose interesting Rueda moves developed by RuedaUSA. And, amazingly enough, we can even incorporate club-style moves into our ruedas that are interesting and beautiful. We appreciate and enjoy the way Rueda is danced anywhere and everywhere.
Club-style Flavor - The Rueda moves developed by RuedaUSA (e.g., El Codo, Shoulder Check por Afuera, Flamenco Nuevo, Reguilete, Brazo, Elise, etc.) have the look of club-style Salsa. They are the kind of graceful, flowing moves that attracted most of us to Salsa in the first place. These moves look familiar to club-style dancers. The incorporation of such moves into Rueda is one of the ways RuedaUSA is trying to bridge the gap between Salsa and Rueda, between salseros and casineros.
When club-style dancers see RuedaUSA's performances, their reaction is that they understand what we are doing and they like it. They don't see it as totally different and foreign. As a result, they are much more likely to want to learn Rueda at some point in time, and they are much more likely to be receptive to Rueda when they see it danced in the clubs. We are making great strides in making Rueda attractive to salseros in the Salsa clubs where we dance Rueda in Washington and Baltimore.
Turn the Music on Already!! - At RuedaUSA, we spend most of our class time teaching Rueda in the circle with the music turned on. Most Rueda schools spend most of the time on dry runs with the music turned off. They take the students out of the circle, line them up facing the mirrors, and walk through the moves over and over again. This wastes time and often leaves students mumbling to themselves... "when are we going to get to dance?"
When I was learning Rueda in Washington DC, I considered myself lucky if we danced one song during the entire lesson! Very often, we didn't get to dance one lousy song from beginning to end. I hated that!
Even at the most popular Rueda schools in Miami, the standard routine is to teach dry for 15 minutes and then play one song - teach dry for another 15 minutes and then play one song. Students dance to music no more than about 12 minutes in a one-hour lesson. At RuedaUSA, our classes not only last well over an hour, but we dance to music all night long. At most Rueda schools, playing music is the exception. At RuedaUSA, playing music is the norm.
Maintain the Circle - I believe students learn a lot faster and better when they spend most of their time in the circle dancing, repeating the moves over and over again, with the music turned on!!. PLUS, they have a lot more fun. We rarely break out of the circle formation to go over moves. That wastes time and gets the group out of dance mode. In circle formation, we stop the music momentarily, review a move, turn on the music, and dance!!
Selected Music - I carefully select the music I play in class so that it's at a tempo that facilitates the learning process. It is very aggravating to try to learn the mechanics of a move to music that is too fast. Instructors shouldn't do that. It's really inconsiderate! Miami schools are particularly bad about playing music that is exceedingly fast. They pay scant attention to selecting music with a tempo that is appropriate for the learning process.
Beginner Level - At RuedaUSA, beginners learn all the moves up to those that depart from the tap on the 8th beat. These include tons of moves like: Dame, Dame Dos, Enchufa, Enchufa Doble, Adios, Adios con la Hermana, Adios con la Prima, Evelyn, Izquierda, Pa' Ti Pa' Mi, Candado (various versions), Festival de Enchufa, Kentucky, etc.
The Start-up Moves - We find that the Rueda start-up routine (Al Medio, Abajo, Exhibela, etc.), is often very confusing to beginners. Therefore, we teach these start-up moves at the intermediate level. By that time, students know what is going on in a Rueda, they know the beginner moves, and they can exchange partners with confidence. At that time, they are much better prepared to learn the Rueda start-up routine.
Intermediate Level - At RuedaUSA, the dividing line between the Beginner and Intermediate levels are the moves that depart from the tap on the 8th beat. Intermediates, therefore, first learn to execute the tap on the 8th beat, and then they learn moves that depart from the tap on the 8th beat (Vacilala, Dedo, Siete, Montana, Sombrero, Beso, Balsero, Setenta, Abanico, etc.). They also learn many other intermediate and advanced moves that do not depart from a tap on the 8th beat. For a more complete discussion about the Rueda moves, please go to the Moves page on this web site.
Advanced Level - At RuedaUSA, we don't spend a lot of time differentiating exactly what moves are Intermediate moves and which are Advanced moves. Once a group of students is solidly into the intermediate level, we teach and dance all the moves that we find appealing without rigidly classifying them as Intermediate or Advanced moves.
Group Moves - At RuedaUSA, we also teach group moves that are lots of fun. These include: Enchufa al Medio con Dos (La Flor, 33, etc.), Candado (Hombres Arriba, Tarro, Tarro de Mentira, etc.), Cadeneta (Corta y Larga), Enrosca, Dame con las manos (Tranca 70, etc.), Dame Dos con Cuba, Amistad, Serrucho, Puente, Puente Complicado, El Clasico, etc.
Hyper-Gymnastic Moves - At RuedaUSA, we don't teach the overly-gymnastic Miami moves that involve excessive arm manipulation. Certain Miami schools are going off the deep end with respect to overly-gymnastic arm manipulation.
We're talking aboaut moves like: Carnaval. Sombrero por Abajo Complicado, Spaghetti, Carnaval Unisex, Tusacutusa, El Nudo del DJ, Chocolate, Coquito con Melao, Isaura, etc., etc., etc. These moves may be fun to watch, but, quite honestly, outside of Miami, most salseros don't find these moves very appealing, especially women.
I'm going to stick my neck out here... These hyper-gymnastic moves probably represent a Miami over-specialization - an evolutionary dead-end. These hyper moves are likely to be done only by instructors or by performance groups, not by regular salseros/casineros.
RuedaUSA has never seen these hyper-gymnastic moves done in club ruedas or parties by regular casineros anywhere in the United States. We haven't even seen them done at clubs in Miami by regular casineros. We haven't even seen them done by regular casineros at Club Mystique, the Cathedral of Rueda in Miami, where advanced ruedas are done all the time.
We've seen them done by performance groups at Club Mystique, and at other clubs throughout the country. We've seen them done by performance groups at shows around the country. But, we have never seen them done by regular casineros doing social ruedas at clubs or parties anywhere. Never!!
Moves You Will Actually Use - So, what does that mean to you? It means you should concentrate intently on the beginner and intermediate Rueda moves set forth in the RuedaUSA syllabus (go to the Moves page). They are the moves that you can expect to actually use in dancing Rueda sometime in your social dance lives. These are the moves you need to know rock-solid. If you know them well, with minor adjustments, you can dance Rueda anywhere in the world!!! Ain't that a kick??!!
How Often Will You Use Them? - For the normal casinero, the likelihood of using Miami's Hyper-Gymnastic Moves in social Ruedas at clubs or parties in your lifetime is... hmmmm... let's see... hmmmm... squeeze my brain... hmmmm... about zero?? Yep... that's it... about zero!! Really??? Yep, really!! You are never going to use them. You are never going to need them. Bottom Line: Learn the Beginner and Intermediate moves rock-solid. As social dancers, those are the moves you are likely to use in your lifetimes.
Useful Guidance - Here is a useful yardstick for you to use in measuring what Rueda moves you need to have in your repertoire. I don't claim to be the most knowledgeable Rueda instructor in the US (maybe an 8 on a 10-point scale). But, I am a well-qualified instructor. I've been dancing Rueda for five years. I've been teaching Rueda for three years. I've honestly taught Rueda for over 1,000 hours. I've studied every available Rueda video on the market over and over again. I know a TON of Rueda moves. I've taken Rueda lessons from more than ten Rueda schools in Washington DC, Miami and Orlando. My dance group - RuedaUSA.com - has done Rueda performances all over Washington DC.
Despite all of that, the most complicated moves I have EVER called in a social Rueda at a club or party are moves like: Kentucky Complicado, Siete Loco Complicado, 3-Way Stop, Sombrero de Regnier, La Cuadra, Ponle Sabor and Puente Complicado. I've only called these more advanced moves on those rare occasions wherein the best casineros are in the particular Rueda we are dancing at that time (very often, these are members of my performance group). I guarantee you, even these advanced moves are very seldom calledin social Ruedas at a club or party. Even at that, these moves are all within your grasp if you learn the beginner and intermediate moves rock-solid as we teach them at RuedaUSA.
Full Disclosure - Okay, okay, okay, in the interest of full disclosure, let me discuss the exceptions to these rather dogmatic statements I just made about Miami's hyper-gymnastic moves. The exceptions are these. There are a number of really strong Rueda groups in major cities in the US. You will always find high-caliber instructors at the core of these groups. These instructor will have anywhere from 5 to 20 year experience in Rueda. They will have taught Rueda to hundreds of students. These instructors will usually have a performance group which does Rueda shows from time to time in those cities.
What you will occasionally see at certain nightclubs in certain cities is a small nucleus of three or four couples dancing some pretty advanced Rueda. These advanced ruedas are being performed by a very small, clickish group that is probably the core of that city's Rueda performance group. They may be dancing some very advanced moves and intricate patterns, but these groups are not what I mean when I'm talking about dancing Rueda socially at clubs or parties.
Even if you happen to be a fairly decent casinero, these tight little advanced groups will not normally invite you in to dance Rueda with them. So, they don't count in my thinking as far as the types of moves that the normal casinero needs to know to dance normal social ruedas at clubs or parties.
Why Learn Miami's Hyper-Gymnastic Moves?? - Good question. Learn Miami's Hyper-Gymnastic Moves only if you are a total Rueda nut. Learn them to play mind-games on your friends. Learn them for fun if you have nothing better to do with your dance time. Learn them if you are going to be an instructor of advanced Rueda. Learn them if you are going to participate in high-level Rueda performances. Other than that, learn the Beginner and Intermediate moves rock-solid. Then... spend your time having fun dancing Salsa and Rueda with your friends!! Epa!!
Learn Quick - And, you know what?? You can learn the beginner and intermediate moves in three to six months of weekly lessons at RuedaUSA. It doesn't have to take two or three years. If you are a follower, there's even better news... You can learn all the beginner and intermediate Rueda moves in no more than three private sessions at RuedaUSA. It doesn't have to take forever, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Yep... you don't need to spend two or three years learning this stuff. You can learn it pretty darned quick at RuedaUSA! Epa!!!
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Salsa & Rueda
