SALSA CUBAN STYLE classes in medellin
Salsa dancing has long been one of the most important and influential social dances in Medellín, Colombia.
Before 2012, most salsa dancing in Medellín 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 the local dance community expanded, international styles began to influence the scene. One of the most vibrant, rhythmic, and culturally rich formats of salsa dancing to take root was Cuban style salsa, widely known as Casino.
The term “Casino” traces its origins back to the Casinos Deportivos (social clubs) in Havana, Cuba, where the dance style developed in the late 1950s. Casino is characterized by its circular movement dynamics, intricate arm work, and rhythmic interplay between partners. Unlike styles that prioritize linear slot movements, Casino dancers continuously rotate around a shared center point, creating a highly dynamic, fluid, and engaging connection.
Because Cuban style salsa is deeply rooted in Afro-Caribbean traditions, it places an emphasis on musicality, partner interaction, and fun. It shares many of the rhythmic and movement characteristics associated with traditional Cuban social dances, and its playful dynamic prioritizes social connection and improvisation rather than formalized stage performance.
Before the growth of the formal social dance scene in Medellín, there were already salsa schools offering private and group classes, as well as performance companies focused on training professional dancers. However, outside of specific niches and performance groups, Medellín still had a relatively limited organized social dance scene for dancers interested in structured partnerwork training and internationally recognized salsa styles, including 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, salsa on2, Cuban style salsa (Casino), Colombian style salsa, Cali style salsa, bachata, tango, porro, merengue, kizomba, bolero, hip hop, and more. For group classes, DANCEFREE focused primarily on salsa and bachata. While group salsa classes focused primarily on salsa on1, DANCEFREE's social events welcomed all salsa styles, including Cuban style.
DANCEFREE’s first salsa and bachata social was held every Thursday and quickly became one of the most recognized weekly social dance events in Medellín. 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 Medellín’s salsa community.
Here is some basic information about Cuban style salsa (Casino) to help you get started:
Salsa music is generally organized into phrases of 8 beats.
Most salsa basics involve 6 weight changes danced across the counts 1-2-3 and 5-6-7, with stylistic pauses or taps depending on the dancer and style. In Casino, dancers often step on the 1 (a tiempo) or sometimes on the 2 or 3 (contratiempo), connecting with the underlying percussion.
Cuban style salsa places an emphasis on circular partner movement, continuous flow, arm threading (nudos), body isolation (despelote), and musical interpretation.
The vocabulary of Casino includes fundamental moves like Guapea, Dile que no, Enchufla, Exhíbela, Setenta, and Sombrero, alongside many other fun and complex variations.
The leader commonly begins with the left foot stepping back or in place, while the follower begins with the right foot stepping back, executing the characteristic Casino basic step known as Guapea.
Compared to many internationally taught salsa styles (like on1 or on2) that emphasize linear movement, Casino is circular, with the leader and follower continuously orbiting each other.
As dancers gain more experience, they may begin learning multi-hand turns, knots, and Afro-Cuban body movement integration (Rumba, Orishas) that require sharp mental focus and partner synchronization.
Casino developed primarily through social dancing traditions in Cuba and was heavily influenced by traditional Cuban Son, Cha-Cha-Cha, Mambo, and Danzón, evolving into a global phenomenon that celebrates Cuban musical culture.
Artists and orchestras especially associated with the musical culture surrounding Casino and Timba (the contemporary, highly rhythmic evolution of Cuban salsa music) 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 includes piano, bass, trumpets, trombones, congas, bongos, timbales, cowbell, güiro, and the clave, the fundamental rhythmic pattern that dictates the structure of Afro-Cuban music and Casino dancing.
DANCEFREE offers private salsa Cuban style 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.