The words "La Rueda" are Spanish for "the wheel", but the rueda that
we're talking about doesn't fit on some wagon. La Rueda is the name
given to what can be briefly described as a "Salsa Square Dance."
The evolution of salsa brought about the development of La Rueda. The
Cuban dance enthusiasts of the 50's developed a way where more than
one couple can dance salsa while switching partners and executing the
same combinations at the same time. To do this, the participating
dancers must have at least a basic understanding of salsa dancing as
well as a basic understanding of the rules of La Rueda. Once these
requirements are met, a rueda can be performed by two or more couples.
Dancing La Rueda
When getting ready to dance La Rueda, couples line up around an imaginary circle
with the man's
¹
left hand towards the center while ladies who are facing
their partners have their right hand towards the center. Men face
counterclockwise while the ladies face clockwise. One of the dancers
participating in La Rueda serves as the "caller." The caller's job is
to call out a salsa dance move or combination which the particpants of
the rueda then execute at the same time. The caller also makes a hand
signal when calling a move as a provision for times when music in the
club is too loud for participants to hear the call.
The caller sets the momentum and directs the actions of the participants.
The caller can call anything from basic or intermediate dance moves
to highly advanced combinations. Most dance moves and combinations are
performed by the couples separately from each other, but still in the
circle, as though they were not in a rueda. But when the caller says
"dame" (which means "give me"), look out! The men in the rueda pass
their partner off to the next guy then picks up a lady that is passed to
him from another guy. This is where things get very dynamic and
exciting. Switching partners can be done in either direction and
partners can be skipped to pick up the next partner in line, depending
on what the caller wants the participants to do.
The group performs a variation of "Dame con las manos", a rueda only move
Types of Rueda Dance Moves
Many of the dance moves and combinations performed in La Rueda are the
same combinations performed by couples when they are dancing on their
own. However, some combinations are "rueda only" which means that it
can only be done in a rueda because it requires two or more couples
to do it together. For example, "El Puente" is a combination where
all the men join hands in the center forming a true "wheel" as the
ladies all duck under the men's arms and come back ducking under the
men's arms again. After that, the men spin off to the next lady in the
circle, effectively changing partners all at the same time. These
types of combinations require other couples, therefore, they are
rueda only combinations. However, once again, most of the combinations
are the same ones a couple would dance by themselves. This is why
someone who already has a knowledge of salsa is an eligible candidate
for participating in a rueda.
The Standard Calls
It wasn't until the 1990's that La Rueda became very popular in the
United States and thus began to flourish. Since then a standard
library of dance moves and combinations has been compiled into what is
known now as the Universal Standard Rueda Calls. At Dance Connection,
we utilize the Universal Standard Rueda Calls ensuring that you can
participate in a rueda as long as the group also adheres to the
standard. An added bonus to dancing La Rueda is that any group of
people can implement their own dance moves and combinations that expands
on the standard library.
Click here to see pictures of rueda dance moves
Benefits Other Than Fun
Dancing La Rueda is truly an exhilarating experience. Not only is it
so much darn fun, but there are positive side-effects that result from
frequently dancing La Rueda as well.
One of the positive side-effects of dancing La Rueda is the fact that
it makes the dancers learn their moves faster and better. This
phenomenon occurs because of the following. When the caller calls a
move, the dancer must execute it within the next two measures. This means
that the dancer has no time to think and must execute the move in order
to keep the rueda intact. This keeps dancers on their toes and
reinforces the moves they've learned making it an intense form of
salsa dance training.
Another positive side-effect of dancing La Rueda is that it makes the
leaders better leaders. Because the leader must execute the move
accurately, on time and at the same time as everyone else, it forces
the leader to truly lead their partner so that they can both get
through the combo successfully, thereby keeping the rueda intact. Since the
leader can never tell which lady he will be dancing with next, the
leader does not get "used to" any particular dancer and learns to
dance with a variety of partners. After a while, the dancers become
sharp executing their dance moves smoothly and effortlessly.
Salseros Anonymous
To say that dancing La Rueda is fun would be an understatement. Dancing
La Rueda is nothing short of addictive. The flow, the excitement, the
rhythm and the adrenaline is intoxicating. It is so much fun and the
fact that it is not a bunch of choreographed routines makes dancing
La Rueda different every time. However, we encourage you not to take
our word for it. Take a
rueda class
and find out for yourself! You won't be surprised if you become a
regular!
¹
For the sake of simplicity in writing this article, the leader is
assumed to be the man and the follower is assumed to be the woman.
However, this may not always be the case. There are plenty of cases
where a man may follow or a woman may lead. This is perfectly fine
and as such, the explanation above should not be interpreted as
being "politically incorrect".
