Attention Casineros, Casineras, Wannabees, and Rueda Lovers

Our first Cuban-style, casino and rueda Mini Workshop Is Scheduled!

Here's the email I got from Sandra just now:

Art, My teaching staff (minus one) and myself are coming to Houston Friday the 15th. We’re planning on checking in between 3-4pm so we can have some down time by the pool. Can you arrange a dance class for us to teach? Since the teaching staff is coming along we could probably teach 2 classes simultaneously: Intro Class (never danced casino/salsa) & Fundamentals of Rueda (must know cross body lead/dile que no). Per our phone conversation, we’re only charging $5/person as a Street Salsa intro to Houston rate J. The class money will offset our travel & lodging expenses so please try to recruit as many students as possible. After class, we’re ready to party with y’all. I don’t know what time parties usually get started in Houston. I would say don’t schedule the class time any earlier than 8pm. I’m sending a post to my e-group to see if we can get some Austin students to join our excursion. At minimum, you will have in attendance: Sandra Moro Sleeper, Director, Street Salsa Jamahn Lee, Level 3 & 4 Instructor Celeste Henery, Level 3 & 4 Instructor Alejandra Zombrano, Level 1 & 2 Instructor Kathy Rollins, Level 4 Student

**********************************email ends here**************************************************************

That's it.  Just to recap:

There will be a Cuban casino-style salsa mini-workshop, costing $5, lasting at least one hour, at El Chibcha on Friday, July 15th.  It'll start at 8pm and go for at least one hour after which we'll dance there for awhile and then later in the evening we'll go down to Tropicana to dance and do some some ruedas there.  It promises to be a very unique and fun evening.  We'll be learning a new skill and then actually using it in real life on the dance floor.

And by the way, I'm going up to Austin this coming Sunday for the regular workshop, Cuban casino style, that Sandra does at the Ruta Maya Coffee House.  If you'd like to come along, it's just $7 for two classes.  Gas'll be about 15$ if split between two people.  We should leave about 9:30 a.m. and would get back (assuming we have a bite to eat after class with Sandra) around 9 - 10:30 p.m.  I can take one person in my truck.  If we have more who want to go, maybe we could share somebodys' regular vehicle (i.e. a car).

This workshop will be lots of fun.  Sandra has been doing this for years and her instructors are also very good.  Sandra trains them to teach both lead and follower parts and, matter of fact, most of them are bi-lingual too.

Let me share with you what I think is the value of learning Cuban casino style salsa:

• Adds variety to your regular style because, in some ways, it requires some new 'skills'.
• Improves your regular salsa.
• Discover a whole new source of social connections with other casineros/casineras.
• Guys get more girls to dance with.
• Girls get more guys to dance with but without having to be 'attached' to any particular one.
• Can be done in competitive teams for those who are so inclined.
• It's new around here in Houston.

Also, if you're a teacher, this will be a great chance for you to get in on the ground floor of what could easily be the next big social dance craze here in Houston.  Seriously, look an most of the popular casino/rueda websites and you'll see pictures of studios and dance halls absolutely packed with casino style and rueda dancers. 

You teachers would be very wise (in my humble estimation) to take advantage of the impetus that will be generated from this string of events....i.e by Sandra's mini-workshops, and later on by Nick Van Eyck from San Francisco (we hope to have him out here before the congress in September), and then later Rumbanana at the September Salsa Congress itself.  All these people who are going to get 'infected' by the casino/rueda bug are going to need somewhere to go for further instruction.  Why not you?

We plan on having another mini-workshop, with Sandra, in August.  After that, in September we might be able to get Nick out here before the congress but it hasn't been confirmed yet.  If not before the congress, then definately right after it.

If you'd like to attend the 7-15 Mini-Workshop, I'd appreciate it if you'd confirm by email.  There's no obligation of course and you won't pay until you actually get there but it will help me to know how many people would at least like to come.

AS A SPECIAL ADDED INCENTIVE TO THOSE WHO SCHEDULE AND PAY EARLY:

I will be sponsoring a drawing for a 2day/3 night vacation to be given to one lucky early-registrant.  The drawing will be at the workshop itself.  You'll get a special certificate that will tell you your choices of over 35 very nice vacation properties in both the U.S. (and there's a couple in Mexico too).  You just select the one you like, send in your registration form with the dates you want (along with a small refundable deposit), they'll confirm you date and BAM....you're good to go.  It's really a good deal.  I have a friend who sells these by the thousands to big companies who give'em away as employee incentives and awards.

But you gotta register early!  Paying at the door won't get you into the drawing!

All you need to do to get into the drawing is go to PayPal and send my your $5.  You simply send it to my email address of dingdoctor@ev1.net .  But don't do it here <---.  Do it through PayPal.  It'll get into my PayPal account that way and I'll be sure that Sandra gets it.  You'll have a receipt right there from Pay Pal....so you're perfectly safe paying that way.  In case you don't know, PayPal is the most popular way that people buy stuff on eBay nowadays.