Founders of a popular dance in Cuba inaugurated the International Rueda de Casino School in Havana, which will be based at an institution of the Ministry of Tourism.
The official opening of the school took place this Monday in the gardens of Restaurant 1830, owned by Palmares, which will serve as the main headquarters for daily dance classes, with three different schedules.
Juan Gómez Barranco, known as Juanito "El Abuelo", one of the founders of this style of dance and director of the Rueda de Casino Project, expressed the importance of integrating both Cubans and foreigners in this initiative.
"We want it to be danced as in Cuba, perhaps out of chauvinism, but it's good that there are other steps. This style has evolved to the rhythm of the music, the most important thing is that it is interpreted with the heart, that's what identifies the casino and the casineros," Gomez stated.
The school will offer discussions and conferences on the history of the classic casino, its beginnings, and the evolution of its steps. This project will also welcome students from foreign centers and Cubans interested in learning more about this popular dance.
During the inauguration, national dancers and those from the Chilean school Antofa Latina of Antofagasta joined together in a large casino circle to the rhythm of Cuban music, showcasing the passion and energy that characterize this dance.
The casino emerged in Havana in the 1950s, it is a dance similar to the son but with more speed and elegance. It became popular and gained international fame with the salsa boom in the late 1970s.
Currently, casino wheel dances, with their complex choreographies, are followed and practiced in many countries around the world, bringing dancers together on a common dance floor.
In May, amid the economic crisis and the increase in inflation in Cuba, the casino dancers were summoned by the authorities to the Malecón in Havana, and after several years of trying, they managed to establish the world record for the largest casino wheel.
The event took place on National Son Day and featured the participation of over 2,900 dancers from all over Cuba and 142 casino dancing groups.
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