Casino, Son & Cuban Dance History
A DC CASINEROS LEARNING GUIDE
Searching for “Cuban Salsa” in D.C.? Discover Casino and Its Cuban Roots.
You may have found us by searching for Cuban salsa, salsa cubana or salsa dance classes. Welcome. At DC Casineros, we teach Casino, Rueda de Casino, Cuban Son and Afro-Cuban dance by their names. Learning those names opens a door to the artists, communities and history behind the movement.
Explore Cuban Music and Social Dance History
Before Salsa: The Cuban Music Behind the Name
From Nengón, Kiribá and Changüí to Son, Songo and Timba: meet the creators and communities behind the music, with videos from our Los Van Van theater archive.
Casino Is Not “Cuban Salsa”
Explore the history of Son, Casino and Rueda de Casino through social clubs, community life and the dancers who carried their knowledge across generations.
Bring the History to Your Classroom or Organization
Our Cuban popular and social dance history lectures connect listening, stories and movement for youth, schools, colleges, corporations and government agencies.
Start with the Names
Casino
A Cuban social partner dance that developed in the 1950s. Its history is connected to recreational clubs and dance halls, and to earlier Cuban dances including Son, Danzón and Cha Cha Chá.
Rueda de Casino
Casino danced by several couples in a circle, with shared figures and partner changes. Casino also exists as a partner dance outside the circle; “Rueda” describes the group formation.
Son Cubano
A Cuban musical tradition and partner dance with deep roots in eastern Cuba. Smithsonian Folkways documents its growth from small ensembles into the sextetos of the 1920s and its wider influence.
Why Do We Say Casino?
Casino is not a style of salsa. It is a style of Son, rooted in a Cuban dance lineage that includes Danzón and Cha-cha-chá. At DC Casineros, we call the dances by their own names: Son Cubano, Casino and Rueda de Casino. The commercial label “Cuban salsa” obscures that history and denies recognition to Cuban dancers, musicians and communities. We use the phrase on this page to challenge the label and explain the history it leaves out.
Cuban educator Daybert Linares explores this naming question in Son y Casino’s essay on Casino and the salsa label. His argument connects terminology with cultural identity and teaching. Our approach follows that commitment: learn the dance, learn the music, and understand the people behind them.
From Cuban Social Clubs to Today’s Dance Floor
In his introduction to Casino’s history, Linares draws on Cuban dance scholar Bárbara Balbuena’s El casino y la salsa en Cuba. Her account places the emergence of Rueda in the 1950s and connects the name with Havana’s Club Casino Deportivo. This is a starting point for learning, alongside the memories of dancers who lived that history.
For our company, the history is also a relationship. Training, travel and collaboration with teachers in Santiago de Cuba, Havana and other Cuban communities shape what we bring into rehearsals and classes in Washington, D.C. Meet the people and places behind that exchange.
Listen to the Roots
The DC Casineros Playlist
Listen to the playlist selected for our website, and bring that listening into your dance practice.
Make listening part of learning. These collections and artist conversations offer ways to explore Cuban music directly, with performers and sources identified.
- Son recordings from the 1930s — Smithsonian Folkways: hear the ensembles and read the collection’s background.
- Cuarteto Patria and Compay Segundo — “Yo Canto en el Llano”: listen through Smithsonian Folkways.
- Changüí Majadero — Library of Congress concert and artist conversation: explore a musical tradition rooted in Guantánamo through Gabriel García’s account and his group’s performance.
Experience the Dance
Our company’s Cuban Son performance at Baltimore’s World Dance Festival brings music, partner connection and choreography onto the stage.
Watch on YouTube · Explore full company performances
Find Your First Class
See our weekly classes at Dance Place and register directly. Families looking for kids’ Latin dance or salsa classes can explore our Cuban dance programs for children, teens and families. Our programs introduce young people to movement and music while keeping the Cuban traditions at the center.
Want to bring this learning to a school, university or community event? Request a program with DC Casineros.