The  Corner

Links to my favorite Cuban salsa sites:

• AfroCubaWeb
• Timba.com -- The latest music from Cuba
• Timba, Salsa from Cuba

Interesting articles about Cuban Salsa:

• "Bring on the Cubans!"
• "Taming the Lions" -- a very interesting personal account of dancing with some Cuban woman in Cuba -- by Martin Blais

Cuban Bands:

• Oderquis Revé y su Changüí Mix

Salsa, Timba, Son:

• Los Van Van, "Te Pone La Cabeza Mala"
• Elio Revé y su Charangon, "Mi Salsa Tiene Sandunga"
• Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son, "Adalberto y Su Son (Dale Como E')"

• Manolin, El Medico de la Salsa, "Para Mi Gente"
• David Calzado & La Charanga Habanera, "Pa'Que Se Entere La Havana"
• David Calzado & La Charanga Habanera, "Tremendo Delirio"

Extensive List of Favorite Songs:

• For a more extensive list of my favorite salsa music (but listed by individual songs, not by complete album), please click here.

• RADIO TIMBA

• RUBEN DJ RADIO STATION

• SALSA 2 SALSA

In Cuba, "Salsa" is the music, and "Casino" is what you dance to it. In Cuba, you don't dance "Salsa", you dance "Casino."

"Casino" refers to partner dancing (one-on-one) Cuban style (which uses rotational movement.)

"Rueda de Casino" refers to several couples dancing in a big circle doing Casino-like moves and passing partners around.

Outside of Cuba, people sometimes say "Rueda" as short for "Rueda de Casino" -- this is fine.

However, occassionally people say "Casino" when refering to "Rueda de Casino" -- this is wrong.

In the "¡Salsa a la Cubana!" videos series, the Demostrational video and Instructional videos #1, #2, #3, #4 are all about dancing "Casino." Only the second half of the Instructional Video #5 is about "Rueda de Casino."

"Casino" specifically refers to the style of turn patterns, and leading & following techniques used in partner dancing, but does not refer to the body movement itself.

"Despolote" and "Tembleque" are terms used to refer to how Cubans will shake their body during certain portions of the music.

Actually in Cuba, the musical genre "Salsa" officially does not exist, but is used quite often these days as an umbrella term for many genres of music. (They also often use this term when refering to salsa music produced from outside the island (from New York, Puerto Rico, Colombia, etc.)) In Cuba, there is "Son" music, Changüi (and many others), and the very popular "Timba" music, all of which fall under the umbrella term, "Salsa." "Timba" is a relatively new style of music (15 years or so), and basically is Cuba's version of modern salsa.