Cuban Salsa- Rueda de Casino with Arif Smith

Event Type
Class
Event Description

Developed in the 1950s, rueda de casino (wheel of salsa) is a dance genre shaped by several African rooted traditions found in Cuba, including son and rumba. Couples dance in a circle, guided by a leader who indicates when to execute synchronized movements. This style of salsa emerged in the casinos, or dance halls, in Havana and Santiago among black Cubans, and often incorporates movement vocabulary that reflects Cuba's rich ethnic diversity and popular culture. Register yourself and a partner or come alone and meet someone new!

Arif Smith is a Chicago-based educator and multidisciplinary artist. Since 2002, Smith has collaborated with leaders, artists, and producers across communities to develop justice centered initiatives and cultural programming. Currently, his work centers on diasporic citizenship and African-rooted performance practices, exploring notions of blackness and radical sociality. Smith is also a teaching artist with Changing Worlds and a musician and dancer in Bomba con Buya and Ire Elese Abure. 

 

Open to all.

Wear comfortable clothing and footwear.

Dance Styles
Traditional/Indigenous Dance

Location

Old Town School

4544 & 4545 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 728-6000