Rueda is meant to be fun.....

Something that irks me is the etiquette of joining in with a Rueda or lack of understanding of it.

Rueda is a wonderful inclusive style of dance. I have often described it as 'Kaeligh meets Latin Dancing'. A lot of the fun is in the chaos. 

For those not familiar with this style, couples dance in pairs in a circle. The 'caller' or 'leader' calls out the name of the move to be danced. The dancers execute the move. It involves a lot of changing partners. Some of the moves are basic and could be executed by almost any dancer. Some are more complex and require a degree of competency in the dance and some experience of what is required. Some are flirtatious, even downright rude. Some moves it doesn't matter if you know what to do or not, others if you don't know it throws the whole group out. 

There is an undeniable thrill and excitement when a group gets flying and the moves are all danced well together. A certain amount of chaos and 'things going wrong' also adds to the flavour. 

I've even had Cubans watching Rueda's in our club comment 'some of the moves are going wrong'. 'Yes, but the dancer are all laughing and having fun, isn't that the point?'. 'Err, yes it is, we forget sometimes'.

However, there is a big difference between a few things going wrong and just plain messing it up for everyone. 

So, here are my etiquette points when it comes to Rueda.

Experienced dancers with no experience of Rueda should not join in. 

There is no way you should join a Rueda if you don't know what you are doing. It just ruins it for everyone else. It isn't enough to 'know how to dance salsa', you  need to know where your meant to be going and when. 

Only pair up with dancers who should be in the Rueda. 

Some nights I see dancers grabbing 'anyone' off the sidelines so they can join in. It is so awkward when a Rueda if forming up and I see someone - usually a man - on the side without a partner, grab a beginner or any bystander and charge over to the dance floor. It is just wrong - it ruins it for the beginner, it ruins it for the whole Rueda. 

Ladies DON'T lead

When someone doesn't know a Rueda move, the best bet is to dance casino until the time comes to move on. Why do some women insist on trying to lead men through the move? It invariably means that instead of being able to move on when the move ends they are all over the place uncertain of anything other than 'they can't do it'

If a Rueda is established, leave it be.

Sometimes it is nice to have a Rueda with top flight dancers who can really dance and the standard and complexity can be raised. Equally a Rueda can be made up of friends 'having a go' at calling their own Rueda. Half way through the track a couple join who really haven't the experience or the ability find a way in. Boom, the whole thing has to slow down to their level or the fun of dancing with friends has been sidelined. 

If you don't know a move, watch the caller like a hawk.

I've had strong Cuban dancers in my Ruedas that don't know all of my moves. Only a skilled observer would know this. They focus on the leader and they copy at great speed. If you aren't strong enough to copy on the fly, then just stick to Casino. 

Now don't get me wrong. You need to join in with Rueda's to get the experience. Just make sure that when you join, you aren't ignoring everyone else just so you can 'get in'.

Finally - one night when every guideline was broken, but it worked really well. 

There are nights when the whole room seems to join in and it just flies. Dancing with one other couple at a local club in Brighton, within 2 minutes it felt like the whole room had joined in. At the end of the tune, the DJ announced that the Rueda was to stay put and have another tune. If only I knew how to call over the club sound system cranked to the max. Still, it worked somehow and remains a special memory.

Jon 

20th August 2012

You've got to wear the right trousers (shoes) Grommit!

There have been many occasions when someone will phone me up and ask 'could you tell me a bit more about the salsa classes'. I quietly wish that they would read the FAQ page on the website where, I know, in reality every one of the questions they are going to now ask have been answered. I also know in reality, the potential new dancer is assessing whether I might be a front for a mad axe murderer or whether salsa classes are just out and out pick up joints. All fair enough, so I don't really mind answering. 


One of the questions though, more often than not is 'should I wear trainers'. I explain that trainers are made to hang onto the floor with maximum grip, dance shoes need to give a bit. You need to be able to turn. When starting I recommend an old pair of regular work type shoes for the guys and an old pair of court shoes with a bit of heel for the ladies. 


Where I get depressed is having explained this, seeing people turn up in trainers or worse, the ladies turn up in block heel shoes. High heels, sold form, with no give. Bless these ladies, they do their best to dance in these shoes, but it is never going to go well. 


I do my best to hint that large, solid, inflexible shoes really aren't great for dancing in. They usually smile and carry on. Next week, sure enough, same wrong shoes. 


I also talk to some dancers (and here it is much more the men) who tell me things like 'I don't want to get a pair of those dance trainers 'cos people might think I think I'm a better dancer than I am'. 


While I understand to a point, if you've been coming dancing long enough to notice that the best dancers wear some kind of bespoke footwear, the chances are the time has come to get a good pair of dance shoes. It makes it so much easier to dance. The grip is right. The support is right. Ladies in high blocks, the level of your heels is right in relation to your toes. It makes it easier to make the most of what you can do. 


There are plenty of golfers who buy the best clubs in the hope it will cure their hook/slice. There are plenty of club tennis players who get the best racket they can afford. Loads of kids buy branded football boots in teh hope it will give them an edge like the star player who endorses them. 


All the dancers on Strictly Come Dancing are kitted out in the right footwear - I assume in the hope that the pro's will get the best they can out of their 'celebrity'.


Ladies and Gentlemen learning salsa. Treat yourself to the right footwear. You know it makes sense.


Jon 
2nd July 2012

Connect With The Music

Some evenings, I'm watching dancers out on the floor having a good time. Then something will seem wrong about a pair. They're dancing well, showing movement and a range of moves. Then it hits me. They're not dancing to the music. They're just dancing while the music plays. 


There's a scene in Dance With Me, where the hero Rafael watches top Latin & Ballroom dancer Ruby 'practising' her steps. He looks puzzled and asks what she's dancing to, for there is no music playing. She belittles him for not knowing what he's on about. As the unlikely pair progress, he takes her to a Cuban nightclub playing salsa. She, thinking he knows nothing about dancing, proceeds to try and explain some basic steps to him - he just doesn't get it. She goes off to the restroom. Someone else asks him to dance and, well, yes he can dance. Ruby furious at being 'misled' says you just danced this step and that, 'how did you know to do that:?' Easy he replies, 'the music told me what to do'. Slowly but surely she realises, she's been dancing in vacuum devoid of connection to the music. 


It saddens me to watch dancers miss such a vital part of the whole pleasure of dancing. Salsa danced properly is a three way connection. The dancers should connect to each other and to the music. 


Let the music tell you what to do. In Cuban Timba, the tempo is changed constantly. Its a game. A game between the dancers and the band. The band are looking to show you up for not listening. The dancers follow the changes to show 'oh yes we are'. So the band 'up their game' to try and trap the dancers and so on.


When all three connections come together, it is elevating in a way you would never expect. I still feel connected to dancers I danced with when this happened. It really is special. 


Be good Salseros and keep time.


Abrazos
Jon