We will be updating our website soon with more details, photos, and videos of Cuba Baila 2007.
Here are the results of the last Rueda de Casino Competition organized by Dance Rueda Productions in Vancouver.

First Place: Rumbanana (USA)
Second Place: Grupo America (Canada)
Third Place: CMV con ritmo (Mexico)

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who helped make this event possible. Thanks Mike, Simona, and the Rumbanana team, Grupo America, Leslie, Rey and the CMV team. Julian, Duane, Maribel, Jorge, Jose, Naomi, Marco, Nelsy, Peter, Cathy and the NWSS Salsa Caliente team, Suki and the Puro Encendido team, Usukuma, DJ Cachete, and La Salsomana. Jennifer and Steve from salsavancouver.net, Robin, Inarvis, Hector, Ed and Betty. A very special thanks to our sponsors, the Holiday Inn Hotel Downtown Vancouver, Dominion Tours, Waxy photography, and Bacardi.
Thanks again to all the people who supported this event!

The 2006 Cuba Baila turned as a great party for all the Cuban Culture lover.Participants and spectators came all the way from Atlanta, California, Colorado, Detroit, Hawaii, Oregon, Miami, and other places in Canada and the USA. All of the teams were fantastic, and the judges found the results extremely close. The results of the event were:Grupo America (First Place), Timbea! (Second Place) SALSAtlanta (Third Place) Our special thanks that year went to Albio, Holiday Inn Downtown Vancouver, Dominion Tours, Hector, Julian and salsatlanta team, Erika, Diego, Timbea, Sam, Salseritas, Mike, Simona, Rumbanana team, Bernard with salsa moderna, Duane, Maribel, Chen, Paul Bray, Toto, Sal, DJ Cachete, Salsomana, Larry, Betty, Ed, Inarvis, Robin, Diego, Winnie, Deborah, and Alex.

In our second year, the event grew into a two-night international event and a "MegaRueda" class in the afternoon. The celebration took place on April 9, 2005 at the Empire Landmark Hotel (Cuban Gala Night), and the 2nd annual competition was held on April 10, 2005 at The Plaza Club. Those two nights were dedicated to one of the greatest Casino Style dancers of all time, "Rosendo," who lost his battle with cancer. For that reason, partial proceeds from the event were donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Cuban Gala Night featured the great Cuban singer Maggie Carles, with an exclusive presentation of authentic Cuban music. She was accompanied by Son de Cuba, an extremely talented Cuban band. We also had performances by the teams competing on the second night of the event. The night was an unforgettable and unique celebration of Cuban culture, music and dance.

On the afternoon of April 10th, the first-ever "MegaRueda" class took place. Filled to capacity, students enjoyed both local and international instructors teaching various styles of Rueda moves. The instructors that led the class were Russ Hamer, Tony Boutros, Barbara Bernstein, Julio Montero, and Diego Sanchez.

At night, the Rueda de Casino Competition hosted teams from Canada and the USA. A high caliber of dancing was demonstrated by every team. Los Cumbancheros took home the trophy and the biggest cash prize as the Champions of 2005. After the competition, DJ Cachete kept the party going for the remainder of the night.

Los Cumbancheros
Winners of 2005 Rueda de Casino

Out of town visitors were greatly surprised by the innovative way Rueda is danced in Vancouver. We can proudly say that Vancouver had become one of the warmest homes of Rueda de Casino dancing. If you would like to see for yourself, we invite you to come and enjoy the common love of Rueda de Casino.

The first Vancouver Rueda de Casino Competition took place May 16, 2004 at The Plaza Club in downtown Vancouver, Canada, and was a great celebration of this style of dance. That was a result of hard work, dedication, faith and perseverance. Although Rueda de Casino was not one of the most popular dance styles at that time around here, and to the surprise of some skeptics, the event turned out to be a tremendous success. It was also an inspiration for other events similar to this. In 2004, all the teams competing were from British Columbia, Canada. The DJ of the event was Jorge Francis and the Champions of 2004 were Grupo America.

Grupo America
Winners of Rueda de Casino 2004

Rueda de Casino is a style of salsa dancing that was created in Cuba many years ago. It is a dance for two or more couples, with one leader who calls out different movements or steps. When there are more than two couples the dance is done in Rueda (circle shape). This kind of dance is excellent for creating a social environment among the dancer or the people watching. At the same time, it is lots of fun!

To find the origin of Rueda de Casino we should go back in time in Cuba. In the XVIII century, one style of dance with European origin took a mind place in all the dancing halls in Cuba in that decade. Contradanza, which is the name of this dance, is another type of group dance, with several couples dancing directed by one caller called a Bastonero.

With all the fusions and mixes that our culture has been exposed to, Contradanza was also influenced by all the other immigrant cultures in Cuba of that time. At the same time, the creation of other Cuban rhythms, like Son, Danzon, Danzonete, Mambo, Cha cha cha, and Rumba created the foundation of the Casino style. Later, the Rueda de Casino appeared, showing the character of the Cuban people.

The name, Rueda de Casino has its own history. After 1959, Gambling Casinos were closed and some of them reopened as dancing halls. At the beginning, people kept calling the dancing halls casinos and, as a result the type of dance done there was called Casino. Some people say that the name of Rueda came from the Patricio Lumunba, a famous dancing place at that time. Others, say that it came from the Sociedad de Recreo de Casino de la Playa. Regardless of where the name originated, the style of dance came to be part of the Cuban identity.

In the 1980's, a couple named Rosendo y Caruca, choreographers and dancers of the National TV Ballet in Cuba, brought the Casino style and Rueda to the big stage of dance, on the TV program Para Bailar. Since then, Rueda is danced all around the world.

There are many different calls involved in Rueda dancing. Some of them change from country to country, or group to group, depending on where you are. A few examples of the basic calls are: enchufla, 70, basilala, la prima. You can also create your own calls and join the growing family of Casineros (Casino style dancers). Whether you are Cuban or not you will have fun dancing Rueda de Casino!

By Ramses Padilla