Rueda Etiquette
After many moments of contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that there needs to be a set of Rueda etiquette guidelines for dancers to follow when out social dancing at parties & Salsa clubs... The following scenario has played out many times in my brief history as a Rueda dancer & instructor...
A totally AWESOME song that's soooooo perfect for Rueda starts to play.
A small group of intermediate/advanced Rueda dancers excitedly enter the dance floor - ready to practice & show off the way cool turn pattern that they learned in their intermediate/advanced class last week.
The circle gets moving & everyone is really starting to get fired up! The caller is giving it their all - great turn combos back-to-back with hardly any basic steps! Everyone is doing great! ...The leaders all remembering their moves & leading on time with the music! Bystanders stop what they're doing & all eyes are on the fantastic Rueda group on the dance floor! Woo hoo! This is what makes it worth all the hours spent learning all these turn patterns!... A "baby" Rueda dancer merges into the circle with his partner. The dancers in the circle take notice & politely call the easy turn patterns that the new dancer possibly might know & remember. Everyone knows & likes the "baby" Rueda dancer... Everyone has sympathy for the ones just learning... After all they were once in his shoes... Everyone knows that the moment is over & the most fun has passed... As the song ends the dancers wrap up the Rueda with high-fives and walk off the floor together... hoping for another great song that they might get to dance to before the evening is over... without any beginners in it.
If you are a new Rueda dancer, this will be your scenario some day too...
unless we start a new way to do things. Since we are starting new classes about every 3 months we will always have beginners in our midst.
When you dance Rueda in Miami or Cuba, their solution is to call a move that the newcommer does not know... then he is obligated to leave the circle when he fails... The female dancer who unfortunately ends up with him on the failed combo. has to leave with him... That's their rules!
Pretty cruel, but effective. I'd like to think that we could solve this delema more tactfully...
Everyone needs a chance to dance in a circle that's more evperienced than they are.
That's how we learn to get better and it's just FUN to mix with the "pros"!... So be sure to occasionally invite some of the new Rueda dancers into your circle.
Lets make everyone feel more comfortable and create opportunities for everyone to be able to dance at their level even outside the classroom by making a few simple rules to go by...
1. If you want to dance in a multi-level Rueda, ask people to participate BEFORE you get on the dance floor. If you walk onto the dance floor with a multi-level group, expect to dance at the lowest level for whoever is dancing in the group.
2. If you see a Rueda in progress - already on the dance floor please don't join in unless it's a group at your level. The group may want to practice what they've been learning in their class - things that you may not know yet.
3. If you are caller in a Rueda in progress - already on the floor it's your perogative to invite lower level dancers into the circle. If you're not calling, please don't do the inviting.
4. Never ever bring a person into the Rueda circle who has no Rueda experience... (unless you make arrangements for this prior to bringing a Rueda circle onto the dance floor). You might think that it would be fun to watch your inexperienced friend get tossed around the circle, but I can pretty much guarantee that it's only fun for you!
5. Cutting in on a couple dancing Salsa to invite them to join in a Rueda is sometimes viewed as rude. You might want to just start a Rueda and see if they join in if they dance at your level. For some of us ladies who end up playing the part of the leader most of the time, getting to dance one-on-one with a male partner is a treat that we'd rather not give up sometimes to dance Rueda (especially in a social dancing situation outside the studio).
I hope these points are well taken. My goal is not to offend anyone for Rueda "faux pas" - past or future, but to help make our Rueda dancing experiences more fun for everyone!
If you are today's beginner, then you will be tomorrow's intermediate/advanced Rueda dancer.
Thanks for giving me, Angel, and Laura the chance to teach you what we know!
Viva La Rueda!,
Debbie Freeman