Cuban Salsa Classes in Medellin (salsa casino)
As Medellín’s dance community expanded, internationally recognized Cuban social dance traditions increasingly influenced the local scene. One of the most important of these is Cuban salsa, internationally known as casino, often referred to as salsa casino or Cuban style salsa. Cuban salsa, casino, salsa casino, and Cuban style salsa all refer to the same underlying partner dance system.
What is Salsa Casino?
The term casino originates from the Casinos Deportivos social clubs in Havana, Cuba, where the dance developed in the mid to late 20th century. Casino evolved through Cuban social dance traditions and was influenced by Son Cubano, Danzón, Cha-Cha-Chá, Mambo, Guaracha, and broader Afro-Cuban musical culture.
Unlike many internationally taught salsa styles that emphasize linear or slot-based movement, salsa casino is characterized by circular partner movement, rotational dynamics, rhythmic body movement, intricate arm work, improvisation, and continuous interaction between partners. Both partners continuously rotate around a shared center point, creating fluid and constantly changing movement dynamics. The dance places strong emphasis on musical interpretation, social connection, adaptability, and maintaining fluid movement within the rhythm of the music. Because Cuban salsa developed as a social dance, it emphasizes interaction, partner connection, improvisation, and enjoyment of the music rather than prioritizing choreographed performance.
Here is some basic information about salsa casino to help you get started:
The 8-Beat Cycle: 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.
Weight Changes & Timing: Most foundational casino step patterns involve 6 weight changes distributed across these 8-beat cycles, with stylistic variations such as pauses, taps, and syncopation depending on the dancer, instructor, musical interpretation, or regional tradition. In casino, dancers may step a tiempo or contratiempo depending on regional tradition, musical interpretation, and personal style.
Foundational Vocabulary: The casino vocabulary includes foundational movements such as Guapea, Dile que no, Enchufla, Exhíbela, Setenta, Sombrero, and Vacílala, along with many regional and stylistic variations developed across Cuban social dance traditions.
Advanced Partnerwork: As dancers gain more experience, they may begin learning more advanced partnerwork combinations, multi-hand turns, knots (nudos), body movement integration, musical interpretation, and Afro-Cuban movement influences sometimes associated with Cuban rumba traditions.
Musical Connection: Casino and rueda de casino originate in Cuban social dance traditions and remain closely tied to Cuban music and culture. They are commonly danced to son cubano, salsa, timba, and songo. Artists strongly associated with this musical ecosystem 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.
Instrumentation: Traditional instrumentation includes piano, bass, trumpets, trombones, congas, bongos, timbales, cowbell, güiro, and clave, which forms the rhythmic foundation of Afro-Cuban music and directly shapes musical interpretation in casino dancing.
Salsa Rueda DE CASINO
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. Rueda de casino developed in Cuba during the second half of the 20th century as a group form of casino dancing. 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.
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.
Here is some basic information about salsa rueda de casino to help you get started:
Group Dynamics: The dance vocabulary of rueda de casino is built upon the movement structure and partner dynamics of casino. In rueda de casino, this circular movement concept expands from a single couple to the entire group. 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. Throughout the dance, couples frequently switch partners while maintaining the rhythm and movement structure of casino.
The Caller (Cantante): The rueda is directed by a caller who announces patterns and partner exchanges using a vocabulary of commands and hand signals. In rueda de casino, the same casino vocabulary is used, but it is organized through a system of calls that coordinate timing, partner changes, and synchronized group patterns led by a caller. Common caller commands include partner exchanges like Dame, and many other variations that differ depending on the school, region, or rueda tradition.
Advanced Combinations: 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, rapid partner exchanges, and Afro-Cuban movement influences.
Social Dancing at DANCEFREE: 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.
Class Schedule & Pricing in Medellin
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 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.