Cuban Salsa Dance Lessons
Learn how to Salsa with Jaime Ruiz and Friends
Join Jaime Ruiz and Friends at the SCC for our Fall course in the basics of Cuban Salsa starting Monday September 16. By the end of this course, you will have mastered the basic steps and the rhythm of Cuban Salsa. You will be able to lead (or follow). You will be able to impress your friends with some stunning turns. This course will be a step-by-step process; with each week building on the previous week.
Cost is $20 for drop ins; $60 for 4 weeks; $175 for the whole course
You will learn:
How to dance in 4-time
The 5 basic steps in Cuban Salsa
How to dance in couples (with someone leading)
A series of turns that become more complex each week
How to dance the famous ‘Rueda de Casino’ – this is how Cuban Salsa is done in Cuba
Classes will last for 1 ½ hours: 1 hour of general instruction and ½ hour of one-on-one instruction for those who want extra instruction.
About
Cuban Salsa is the original Salsa – predating the Salsa that emerged in the 1950s in New York among Latin communities, by more than 50 years. It has been danced in Havana since the turn of the 20th century and evolved from two Cuban dance traditions: Cuban Son and Afro-Cuban Rumba. It evolved further by combining with American Jazz when it was taken to New York by Cuban musicians.
Discovered by a talent scout at the age of 15 – while breakdancing on the streets of Santiago – Jaime had a professional dance career for over 20 years. He was initially recruited as a dancer on the popular Chilean variety show Sábado Gigante (1986-20150. During this time, he studied Jazz, HipHop and Ballet at the Mangosta academy in Santiago. He subsequently auditioned with and joined two dance companies: Abaraxas Jr and Tramax where he was one of the lead dancers who performed in all the choreographies. Tramax was led by Manny Castro who came to the US in the 1990s and found fame on America’s Got Talent. After a break from dancing Jaime returned to the Mangosta academy where he trained and obtained certification as a Cuban Salsa Teacher.
Spring 2023