|
The first Salsa Rueda Congress was held in Miami, Florida
(USA) from November 12 - 14, 2004. Many from our 'Salsa Rueda Santa
Cruz' community joined this event (see photos). Barbara Bernstein
who teaches Salsa Rueda in Washington D.C./Northern
Virginia/Maryland area wrote this article about this event.
Her Website is
www.DanceInTimeProductions.com
The First Salsa Rueda Congress in
Miami:
A Fantastic Experience For
Everyone!
by Barbara Bernstein, Director
www.DanceInTimeProductions.com
The first time I visited Miami and went to a Salsa Club, it felt
like everyone was speaking some special "dance language" that I
knew. In Miami, Salsa dancers largely do Rueda moves, so anyone with
Rueda training will feel right at home. I teach Rueda in the
Washington D.C. area, and it was thrilling to see the Rueda moves
used that extensively in one on one Salsa.
On my first night at a Miami club, I spotted Henry Herrera dancing.
Watching him with his partner about blew my mind and rocked my
world. I'd never seen anything like it! He did the "drop on his
knee" thing; the "leg swung over his arm" thing, plus other wild
maneuvers----right there on the floor of a club! It was beyond
awesome.
I couldn't sleep that night, I was so wired. Back home, I described
what I'd seen and immediately there was talk about a group of us
going to Miami together. Since then I've visited the Miami studios
with other Rueda dancers to get advanced training whenever I get the
chance.
Most recently, I went to Miami for the Salsa Rueda Congress run by
Henry and Billy Fajardo (an exhibition Salsa and Hustle dancer). It
was a marvelous experience, and had a distinctly different feel than
the (strictly) Salsa Congresses I've gone to. I suppose that is to
be expected. Rueda dancers are all members of some group. So the
groups connected with each other which is different from the more
individualistic atmosphere at a Salsa Congress.
One thing about Rueda dancers: They need each other. They make
friends in groups and travel in packs. If you want to dance Salsa at
a nightclub, all you need is one partner. If you want to make a
Rueda circle, you need to pull together a bunch of Casineros.
It was a joy at the Congress to dance with scores of Rueda dancers
in huge circles, while listening to the calls being blended in all
sorts of ways. Many new ideas filled the weekend. The Rueda
Competitions showed fascinating and original ways to present Rueda
dancing. For example, one group simply had a number of couples
spread evenly around the floor, all doing a pre-set series of steps.
They moved in synchrony and didn't coalesce into a circle till well
into the performance. Other groups did all sorts of formations and
choreographies----facing outside the circle, creating lines and
diagonals---you name it.
 And
of course, there were many workshops including all levels of Rueda,
from beginner to advanced. The Rueda teachers resemble super
energetic cheerleaders. They speak loudly and at a frenetic pace, as
though they are always yelling out the calls, even when they are
just explaining a move! And they keep it up for the whole hour. To
say these are lively classes would be an understatement. Being in a
class with other Rueda dancers from all over the world, learning
together, and following these energetic directions was quite a high.
The two giants of Casino Rueda, Rene Gueits of Salsa Lovers Dance
Studio and Henry Herrera of Salsa Racing Dance Studio, both taught
some very cool Rueda moves, as did other teachers such as Julian
Mejia from Atlanta, Duann Wrenn from Michigan, Frank Ayala from NY,
and many others. Also notable were some other interesting workshops
that were a little off the beaten path, such as Sidney Weaverling's
"triples"---a series of moves for one leader with two followers;
Neri Torres' Cuban Rumba and Guaguanco; Billy Fajardo's class on
Salsa dips, drops and lifts; plus classes on Cha Cha, Hip Hop,
Bachata Rueda, and Shines "on One," etc. There was a rich array to
choose from.
And there was dancing, dance talk, and Rueda circles swirling around
the entire weekend. I left one workshop briefly, heading for the
bathroom, and en route my eye was drawn to something unusual. It was
a Rueda circle that was facing out, so that the dancers would face
an audience if there were one. They did a number of moves that way
and then resumed the usual position. The transition from facing in
to out of the circle and vice versa was a pretty series of turns
that were smoothly done.
 Likewise,
the general dances at the Congress were laden with Rueda circles.
People hopped in and were always welcome to enlarge the circles. I
joined a group that was primarily from Salsa Lovers Studio as a
follower. They danced fast and sharp, doing some extremely
complicated moves that were wonderful! I also danced with the
ladies' group out of San Francisco. I'd heard many great things
about this group prior to meeting them. Their teachers and callers,
Sidney Weaverling and Cora Barnes were excellent and lots of women
joined the core of all female Rueda circles that these ladies began.
The women-only Ruedas made quite a splash at the Congress, dancing
with energy, poise, and style. It was a joy to participate!
The World Amateur Rueda Championship Competition was another
highlight of the Congress. I had been asked months ago to be one of
the judges. It turned out to be an even more exciting experience
than I'd expected, as there were a couple of irregularities that the
judges were asked to rule on.
What happened was that in an effort to make the contest strong, the
organizers were encouraging groups to enter, and one large team said
they would break into two groups to help out. Everyone seemed happy
to do whatever would strengthen the event, which was commendable.
But after the initial round, when both of those subgroups made it to
the finals, they felt that they should be able to present a
choreography they'd been working on that required their entire
group. Other groups were doing really nice choreographies and they
didn't want to be penalized for being helpful. The judges concurred
unanimously that this should be allowed.
There was another small glitch regarding who was allowed to
participate that was handled with openness and grace, and was
promptly resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Billy Fajardo did a
fine job of running all the details of the contest and dealing with
everything that came up. He really deserves a pat on the back for
his contribution.
 As
a judge, it wasn't easy distinguishing between so many strong
contestants. There was both a Salsa competition and a Rueda
competition. All participants deserve to be commended for putting
together their routines and making an effort to contribute to the
Congress. The producers of the event made a video, so anyone who
wants to see these shows or the workshops can buy a copy from Henry
at SalsaRacing.com.
The performances on Friday and Saturday nights were great, too. The
Miami Studios, Salsa Racing and Salsa Lovers did particularly
fabulous, high energy shows and there were many other exciting
performances as well. One performance featured two eleven year olds
who moved like experienced Salseros. It was no surprise that they
got a standing ovation. A friend sitting next to me kept saying,
"Just think what they'll be able to do when they're 20!!"
Everyone I exchanged contact information with has said they had a
great time, and many commented that they are looking forward to next
year's Congress. So the preparations have already begun! If anyone
is interested in information on next year's Congress (or in
competing or helping out), details should be available on the
SalsaRacing.com website by late spring. See ya then!!
|
|
