Cuban Popular & Social Dance History Lectures
LEARN THE HISTORY. HEAR THE MUSIC. EXPERIENCE THE DANCE.
Cuban Popular & Social Dance History Lectures
Bring Cuban dance culture into your classroom, campus or workplace. DC Casineros connects historical storytelling, music, video and live movement to introduce the people and traditions behind Son Cubano, Casino, Rueda de Casino and Afro-Cuban dance.
Our interactive lectures and demonstrations invite participants to listen closely, ask questions and discover how dance carries a community’s history.
For Classrooms, Campuses and Workplaces
Youth and Community Groups
An age-appropriate introduction to Cuban culture through rhythm, stories and shared movement. Connect cultural learning with curiosity and participation.
High Schools
Connect music and dance with history, geography, identity and the African diaspora. Teachers can discuss curricular connections and participation needs when planning a visit.
Colleges and Universities
Explore cultural transmission, musical naming, social dance and community practice through an artist-led lecture, demonstration or workshop.
Corporations and Government Agencies
Invite a cultural learning experience for an employee program, heritage celebration or team gathering. Choose a lecture, a demonstration or an opportunity to dance together.
Names, Roots and Living Traditions
- Son Cubano and its dance traditions: listening to the musical genre and tracing the dance lineage through Son Tradicional, Son Urbano and Casino.
- Casino and Rueda de Casino: Cuban social life, partner connection, the circle and the dancers who pass their knowledge to new generations.
- Cuban popular music: the creators, genres and communities that broad commercial labels can obscure.
- Eastern Cuba and cultural memory: encounters with Changüí, Nengón and Kiribá, presented with their own names and contexts.
- Dance in the African diaspora: connections between Cuban music, Afro-Cuban dance and the histories carried through performance and community practice.
Our position is clear: Casino is a style of Son, not a style of “salsa.” Naming the dance and the music accurately is part of recognizing Cuban people and their work.
Explore our Cuban dance and music articles before or after your program.
A Lecture You Can Participate In
- Hear the context. Artists introduce the musical and social histories through clear stories and examples.
- Watch and listen. Music, selected archive videos and live demonstration connect the discussion to movement.
- Join the conversation. Questions and optional movement activities give participants a way to explore what they have learned.
We plan the program with your host team. Tell us your audience’s ages, group size, location, goals and access needs, as well as whether you prefer a seated lecture, live demonstration or participatory session. Length, artist availability, audiovisual needs and fees are agreed for each engagement.
Education Is Part of Our Company Story
Founded by Amanda Gill in 2005, DC Casineros has connected performance with teaching and community participation from its beginnings. Amanda’s work as a dancer, choreographer and educator remains part of that story, alongside our current teaching artists and collaborators.
Dance Place’s DanceAfrica DC 2026 program lists two DC Casineros lecture-demonstrations at the Arts Park on June 6, 2026. This public program is one documented example of how historical and cultural learning meets live performance.
Meet Amanda Gill · Meet the company · Explore our DC and DMV community work · Our national work
Bring the Story to Your Community
Tell us about your school, organization or event and the experience you want your participants to have.