Casineros: D.C. dance + Cuban flair
DC Casinos photos by Laine Shakerdge
Every Thursday at 8 p.m. sharp, Amanda Gill presses play on an old stereo in the center of a classroom in Brookland, filling the air with the rhythmic sounds of trumpets, bongos and Spanish lyrics.
Moving her feet to the beat, they soon reach a rapid pace. Her body seems to have memorized every turn, hand and hip motion shared with her dance partner. Then, moving in a circle, she twirls to face the next student in the classroom at the Dance Place, the nonprofit dance education and performance space in Northeast Washington.
For the past seven years, Gill, the president and founder of DC Casineros Dance Company, has taught, choreographed and performed Cuban-style dances such as Rueda de Casino, Afro-Cuban rumba, Cha Cha Cha, and Mambo.
Photo © Laine Shakerdge
Last summer the group met weekly at Dupont Circle, transforming the pavement around the fountain into a dance floor. The first time I saw them perform there, I loved the energy, creativity and freedom expressed in each spin and turn.
I decided to take one of the group’s beginner classes this fall. As a first timer to Rueda de Casino, I was half-enchanted by the beauty of Cuban dance and half-intimidated by its complexity. While I was still contemplating whether to stay or go, Gill and Adrian Valdivia, DC Casineros’ co-director, got things started with an exercise to familiarize newcomers with the basic steps.
“This dance is very complex and exhibits a lot of self-control and fast movements,” says Danielle Green, another first-timer.
After about 15 minutes, I realized that learning the Cuban dance will be a lengthy process. But I was determined to give it a try, captivated by Gill as she began the close footwork, quick turns and body movements that are fundamental to Casino-style dance.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Casino gained popularity throughout Cuba and then went abroad to the United States. Cuban musicians had a great deal of influence on the New York music scene at the time. Today, the Casino is one of the most influential and widespread forms of Latin American music because of its derivatives and fusions of various genres of salsa combined into one, according to group members. It is a fast-paced and synchronized group dance performed in a circle with Casino dancers adding spins or their own footwork.
After eight years dancing Casino, Gill makes the dance seem as easy as breathing. When she returned from a five-month visit to Cuba in 2004 she realized no one was offering classes locally in the dance styles she’d learned there. So she started to teach Casino classes at the Havana Village nightclub in Adams Morgan. By teaching classes and finding people that shared her love for Cuban dance and culture, Gill began something that evolved into today’s DC Casineros.
“Every year, it feels like we become more and more popular,” Gill says. “We’ve been invited to perform at different parts of the world like Nicaragua, so the progress is great.”
Since establishing the group in March of 2005, the DC Casineros have performed more than 150 times in the greater Washington-area including at 15 international salsa congresses.
After a few fumbles and misplaced feet, I began to pick up the dance steps that others in the class had already seemingly perfected. I suddenly notice how smooth each small body movement can be and how incorporating them in the Rueda de Casino makes this dance so unique.
Nueva Casinera: Our correspondent takes a turn at the Rueda.
I begin to enjoy the way the music intertwines with the pace of the dance and stopped worrying about which foot moves first. That led to a great sense of freedom. And when the instructor noticed my improvement in the last ten minutes, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment. Though the beginners’ class was far from easy, it was completely worth it.
-By Camila DeChalus
Top photos courtesy of Laine Shakerdge ©
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