Ritmos Latinos offers classes on Tuesdays and Sundays
Josh Carney, a graduate student majoring in communication and instructor of the Ritmos Latinos Salsa club, called as over 20 pairs of CU students clapped their hands once before spinning around Wesley Chapel to a new partner on Tuesday night.
“Guapea!”
A few beginners had to glance around the room to see what that meant.
“Step forward, step back, step forward, step back,” Carney said along with the beat as a reminder.
Rueda de Casino is not typical Salsa. It is a group-style dance that originated in Cuba. Although it can be done in pairs, it is more true to character as group dance. Dancers perform this brand of Salsa in a circle with any number of couples. A caller signals with special hand motions the different moves so as to lead the group, even in a noisy dance area.
Carney created the Boulder branch of Ritmos Latinos at the start of the school year. Although there were a solid 10-15 students in the class each week, he looked to increase the turnout this semester.
Ads in the Buff Bulletin and increased flyer distribution helped to spread the word for the now firmly established Salsa club. Currently, the club offers the option of either a Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night beginner class.
Ritmos Latinos got another marketing gem when, at 12 p.m. on January 25, the UMC Student Programs Office sponsored a 20-minute Salsa performance outside the CU Bookstore. Cofounder Christina Jones, a freshman physics and math major, thought the show was a great success.
“It went really well. We danced to three different songs and handed out fliers in between,” Jones said. “A lot of people were going in and out because it was in between classes, but there was a fair amount, about 15-20 people.”
The performance definitely made a difference. At the following Tuesday class over 40 people showed up, at the Wesley Chapel, for the beginner lesson at 6:15 p.m.
Although the group is open to anyone around Boulder, students dominated the makeshift dance floor. After a few minutes of basics, instructor Carney already had first-time dancers moving to the beat. With the music blasting, students quickly forgot about the chairs and couches smashed against the walls and were transported to Cuba, where even the most basic of steps could make you a pro.
After the group had grasped the fundamentals, Carney instructed everyone to grab a partner and make one large circle. Along with a few of the advanced students, he demonstrated how to apply these steps into a simplified Rueda. The group began dancing to his calls and soon everyone understood what made this Salsa so special. Instead of staying with one partner, the Salsa involves constant switching. The entire circle moves sometimes, whereas other times the separate partners move individually. It truly is not just dancing in a circle, but using the shape as part of the dance. The constant variation in movement can keep even the most distracted of dancers interested.
Carissa Cline, a senior math education major, enjoyed the dance.
“It’s lots of fun,” Cline said. “You get to meet a lot of people.”
And everyone has his or her own dance style. One moment may be spent with the most professional of dancers, but soon enough it is time to change. That’s the beauty of the dance though: it is so social.
Another aspect so unique to Ritmos Latinos is the instructor Carney. He goes slow enough to let newcomers pick up the gist of the moves but understands how fast that can get boring. Despite the fast pace, once beyond the basics overview, students as a whole reflected on how easy it seemed to pick up the dance. It helped that the dance requires a caller. Carney took on the role and mixed the traditional Spanish calls with easy English reminders.
At 7:30 p.m. the intermediate group of 25 people quickly jumped into dancing and within 15 minutes were already racing for their water bottles. As the group learns more advanced moves there are less pauses to catch up. At 8:45 p.m. they were exhausted as the performance class took over.
Led mainly by the students of last semester’s lineup, the atmosphere of the 12 dancers is much more laid back. Unlike the beginner group, this section has mastered turns. The Salsa beat blares through the boom box speakers as the dancers move as one fluid circle. They twist, in and out of one another, like one never-ending spiral until finally, out of breath, they take a break. Carney, ready to go, grabs Jones as they demonstrate this week’s new move.
Most of the students are nowhere near that level though. For many, it is just a time to relax. They are not so worried with improving as with having fun.
“It’s a nice break from school,” said junior history major Alex Cook. “It’s a nice hour to get away.”
As for the future of the club Carney hopes to see it get more involved in the community, but as a whole he just enjoys the time to dance. Classes continue every Sunday 2-3:15 p.m. and Tuesday 6:15-8:45p.m. The group always welcomes new members, no experience necessary. For more information, visit their Web site at ritmosboulder.googlepages.com or e-mail them at ritmosboulder@gmail.com.
