SALSA casino de rueda classes in medellin
Salsa dancing has long been one of the most important and influential social dances in Medellin, Colombia.
Before 2012, most salsa dancing in Medellin took place at local salsa bars, crossover bars, viejotecas, neighborhood gatherings, and social events where salsa was one of the primary genres played. The city’s best-known salsa radio stations were, and continue to be, Latina Stereo 100.9 FM, known for salsa brava and salsa classics, and El Sol 107.9 FM, which focuses more on mainstream and contemporary salsa.
At that time, many people who danced salsa had learned socially rather than through formal training at dance schools. The salsa most commonly danced socially throughout Colombia was part of a broader Colombian salsa tradition. However, as Medellin’s dance community expanded, internationally recognized salsa styles and partnerwork structures increasingly began to influence the local scene. One of the most socially interactive and community-oriented formats to gain international recognition was salsa rueda de casino, more commonly known internationally as rueda de casino, or simply rueda, a group dance format based on Cuban-style salsa, also known as casino or Cuban salsa.
Rueda de casino developed in Cuba during the second half of the 20th century as a group form of casino dancing. In rueda de casino, multiple couples form a circle and execute synchronized partnerwork patterns while responding to calls made by a leader, commonly known as the cantante or caller. The format evolved from Cuban social dance culture and became especially popular because of its strong emphasis on coordination, musicality, group interaction, spontaneity, and social connection.
The dance vocabulary of rueda de casino is built upon the movement structure and partner dynamics of casino. Unlike many internationally taught salsa styles that emphasize linear or slot-based movement, casino and rueda de casino are characterized by circular movement, rotational partner dynamics, rhythmic body movement, fluid transitions, intricate arm work, and continuous interaction between dancers. In rueda de casino, this circular movement concept expands from a single couple to the entire group.
Because rueda de casino developed primarily as a social dance format, it naturally emphasizes teamwork, communication, adaptability, improvisation, and enjoyment of the music rather than choreographed stage performance. Although some rueda groups perform choreographed routines, rueda itself is fundamentally rooted in social dancing traditions and community participation.
Before the growth of Medellin’s formal social dance scene, there were already salsa schools offering private and group classes, as well as performance companies focused on training professional dancers. However, outside of certain niches and performance groups, Medellin still had a relatively limited organized social dance scene for dancers interested in structured partnerwork training and internationally recognized salsa styles, including casino and rueda de casino.
In 2012, DANCEFREE began offering free group salsa and bachata classes followed by social dancing. During its first two years, DANCEFREE focused exclusively on free dance classes before later expanding into paid private classes, group classes, practices, and socials.
For private classes, DANCEFREE offered multiple dance styles, including salsa on1 (Los Angeles style), salsa on2 (New York & Puerto Rica style), Colombian style salsa, Cali style salsa, Cuban style salsa (casino), bachata, tango, porro, merengue, kizomba, bolero, hip hop, and more. For group classes, DANCEFREE focused primarily on salsa and bachata. While many group salsa classes focused heavily on international partnerwork structures such as salsa on1, DANCEFREE’s social events welcomed dancers from many salsa backgrounds and styles, including casino and rueda de casino. At DANCEFREE salsa socials, it is not uncommon to see a rueda de casino circle form on the dance floor, often with dancers executing synchronized casino patterns and partner exchanges in a circular formation as the caller announces movements in real time.
DANCEFREE’s first salsa and bachata social was held every Thursday and quickly became one of the most recognized weekly social dance events in Medellin. Over time, DANCEFREE expanded to offering salsa and bachata group classes six nights per week, dance practices multiple nights per week, and socials several nights per week, sometimes continuing until 4:00am. DANCEFREE became an important meeting point for students, instructors, performers, and social dancers, contributing to the continued growth of Medellin’s salsa community.
Here is some basic information about salsa rueda de casino to help you get started:
Each salsa dance basic uses 8 beats organized into two 4-beat measures. Dancers often count these as 1-2-3-4 and 5-6-7-8, while musicians typically organize the structure as repeating 4-beat measures counted 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. This shared 8-beat cycle forms the rhythmic foundation that organizes timing between dancers and music.
Many foundational salsa step patterns involve 6 weight changes distributed across 8-beat musical phrases, with pauses, taps, and stylistic variations depending on the dancer, instructor, musical interpretation, or regional tradition. Depending on the dancers, instructor, regional tradition, or musical interpretation, casino and rueda de casino may be danced a tiempo or contratiempo.
Salsa rueda de casino places strong emphasis on synchronized group movement, circular partner exchanges, timing, coordination, communication, musical interpretation, and social interaction. Throughout the dance, couples frequently switch partners while maintaining the rhythm and movement structure of casino.
The rueda is directed by a caller who announces patterns and partner exchanges using a vocabulary of commands and hand signals. Common rueda movements and calls may include Guapea, Dile que no, Enchufla, Dame, Exhíbela, Setenta, Sombrero, Vacílala, and many other variations that differ depending on the school, region, or rueda tradition.
As dancers gain more experience, they may begin learning more advanced rueda combinations involving multiple simultaneous turns, complex hand changes, traveling formations, synchronized group patterns, knots (nudos), rapid partner exchanges, musical interpretation, and Afro-Cuban movement influences sometimes associated with Cuban rumba traditions.
Rueda de casino developed through Cuban social dance traditions and remains closely connected to Cuban musical culture. It is commonly danced to salsa, son, timba, songo, and other Afro-Cuban musical styles.
Artists and orchestras especially associated with the musical culture surrounding casino, rueda de casino, and timba include Los Van Van, Havana D'Primera, Elito Revé y su Charangón, Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Charanga Habanera, and Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor.
Traditional instrumentation commonly associated with Afro-Cuban salsa and timba music includes piano, bass, trumpets, trombones, congas, bongos, timbales, cowbell, güiro, and clave, the foundational rhythmic framework underlying much of Afro-Cuban music and strongly influencing musical interpretation within casino and rueda dancing.
DANCEFREE offers private Cuban style salsa classes in person in Medellín, Colombia, and online via Zoom and Google Meet. Our in-person classes are available 7 days a week, while our online classes are offered on weekdays only, subject to availability. We have experienced salsa instructors who teach students of all levels, from complete beginners to advanced dancers. If you would like to take private Cuban style salsa classes, click here to view the steps for beginning private classes. If you would like to view our calendar for salsa socials and more, click here.