Reviews
J.J.
"The video has been useful to me. It gives very clear shots of what is going on: the angle is very good, capturing the body movement and foot work. The slow motion bits at the end are also very useful to analyse what's happening. I also liked the range of dancing: rueda, couples, dancing with 2 & 3 partners (which I have never seen before), slow music, fast music. The dancers are excellent. All in all, it's a very enjoyable video to simply watch."
S.B.
"I really liked the Rueda de Buen Ache video. It was truly helpful and a great resource. I liked the list of moves that came with it - it was a great help. The format for the video worked really well for me. I definitely got my money's worth."
P.A.
"The video is great. I really liked the part with the 'son'. The slow motion display of moves at end is super. Acoustical band was unbelievable. The video really makes me eager to go to Cuba for a dancing holiday."
M.H.
"I really enjoyed the party scenes. One of my favorite things is seeing how people 'really' dance rather than how they perform."
M.Z.
"The videos are great. It's great to finally see some REAL Cubans dancing! The dancers are fantastic to watch.... I love the dancing in these tapes, coming from a Latino background & dancing for nearly 30yrs I have no problem following the moves shown. However, I do not think beginner Latin dancers would be able to follow easily."
S.R.
"This is one of the best demonstrational videos of Cuban style dancing that I've seen. The music and the dancing were wonderful. I ordered the video for myself and my husband, I'm learning how to dance salsa and it is difficult to find instructors who teach Cuban style. My husband is Cuban and he already knows how to dance casino. We were both able to enjoy the video. There is nothing like watching authentic Cuban style salsa."
R.B.
"I purchased the video because I wanted to see other rueda groups performing.... For us it was very entertaining and instructive. I would not consider this an "advanced tape" per se, as there were only 4 or 5 rueda calls we were not familiar with; but the style & energy of the group were wonderful and in itself made the tape worthwhile.... excelled sound quality of the music compared to other videos where you hear echoes and distortion.... Overall I really liked the video."
P.F.
"I appreciate the video. We can see the difference between Miami style and Cuba style, because it is the big question now in the city. I appreciate the demonstration of party (free style) specially the "son" (contra tiempo)"
Neil Watson, Salsareviews.org
"This Rueda performance style video has set a new standard for a performance Salsa video in that it includes some public performances which include the moves taught in this video plus other moves. Any advanced group of Rueda dancers should be able to include the turn combinations in this video in both their social dances & performances.
The moves cover some traditional Cuban turns plus some new unique turns not found in any other Cuban video. The video holds your interest even viewing it several times. The music is great. Another excellent video by Boogalu.com that is worth buying."
M.H.
"I received the videos... they are natural and good... something real from the source... the rueda is very good"
Piero Gonzalez
"I am a Miami Style Salsa and Rueda de Casino instructor and have been fortunate enough to teach at a few international salsa congresses as well as some U.S. based Congresos. I love dancing Cuban Style Salsa and am always interested to see how others dance this style in Cuba and the rest of the world.
I really enjoyed the rueda fresca videotape because it provides a lot of fresh and innovative turns and concepts that I will look forward to implementing into my Rueda de Casino syllabus.
Several of the group moves taught are quite complex. However throughout the Rueda Fresca tape, you can see that the most important aspect of executing these moves is to have fun and connect with the people in the group.
I like that the tape demonstrates the moves danced at full speed to a great song (by a great Cuban-Santiago band) so the viewer can understand some of the flavor and styling behind the move. It helps to have good music in the background that inspires the dancers to really enjoy the moves and convey their enjoyment to the viewer. There is also a section afterwards where these moves are done slowly to counts for those who have trouble breaking down these turns at full speed. I highly recommend the tapes."
S.B.
"I ordered your Rueda Fresca video and I got to watch it last night. It is great. Keep making these type of videos. I loved all the fun moves coming out of Cuba. Here on the west coast, we don't get to see this stuff very often. If rueda is taught or danced, most people dance it with L.A. styling attached. I prefer the Cuban/Miami styling, which is so much more fun and social. The ones I find the most useful is where it's just demonstrations of dancing - I learn a lot from that. Again, thank you for this great tape. It's a wonderful resource and keep them coming"
R.L.
"Cuba Takes on Miami and Wins !!!
I've always thought that the difference between Cuban and Miami rueda is that in the former the emphasis is on simple but playful moves, done with rhythm and style, whereas the latter sees a slightly more formal and schooled approach with more complex moves. However, this video filmed in Santiago de Cuba seems to have the Cubans taking up the gauntlet of the Miami folk, and introducing some long and complex routines. They seem to do this with great flair, and maintain their sense of fun despite the complexity of the moves.
There are occasional mistakes visible in the demonstrations, but then again rueda done to perfection looses it's enjoyment, IMHO. It's the balance between spontaneity and choreography that makes it work for me, but if it's perfect, it becomes a bit ballroom.
The video has two sections of display, followed by walking the moves through to demonstrate them, finished by a final display section. Mostly it's nice and clear, though if you're learning the moves you'll want some regular partners to figure them out with. They're mostly a bit too complex to just pick up and explain to your friends on the fly on a night out. Who was it complaining that they'd lost their salsa enthusiasm? Here's a video to rekindle it!"