Category Archive: Uncategorized

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Cuban Music: Beyond Buena Vista Social Club [A Lecture]

This lecture is more geared toward music rather than dance. It explores the musical production in Cuba after 1959. I enjoyed writing it tremendously, and I do hope that you find it helpful and that it encourages you to find and listen to Cuban dance music from the period of 1960 to 2000. There are a lot of musical gems out there that do not get played at socials / congresses because they do not “fi” the sounds we are accustomed to dancing today. Yet I think you’ll find them as flavorful and as complex to dance to as any contemporary “timba” song.

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When Should You Stop Paying for Casino Dancing Classes?

School is not indefinite, and neither are casino dance classes. So when do we “graduate” from these classes? In this article, we explore what it means to become an autonomous casino dancer, and what it means for the budget you have allocated for your casino dance classes.

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Sobre el machismo en el baile de casino

Es hora de cuestionar y crear conciencia con respecto a algunas prácticas/perspectivas que quizá estemos tomando por dadas como parte del baile de casino, pero que en realidad están contribuyendo a un ambiente de sexismo y masculinidad tóxica que terminan excluyendo y alejando a un buen número de personas.

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Machismo in the Dance of Casino

One of the most pervasive aspects of Cuban culture and society is its machismo, and the dance of casino has not escaped its effects. Let’s examine some of the practices that we may take for granted as “part” of casino that are actively contributing to an environment of sexism and toxic masculinity that are driving people away and excluding many others.

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Toward a Rueda de Casino Etiquette: Knowing When and When Not to Join a Rueda

What is the etiquette for joining a rueda de casino? Many people see a rueda and take that as their cue to join. But it shouldn’t be like that. Not all ruedas are the same. And most importantly: not all ruedas are for you. Here’s some concrete and helpful advice that will allow people to recognize the different ruedas that they may encounter when they go out to dance—those which are open to everybody and everybody is welcomed to join, and those which are not—and subsequently respect the wishes of the people dancing in them.

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