WanderingSalsero

Travel restrictions to Cuba further eased....He finally did something right!

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Well, it looks like our illustrious Deceiver-in-Chief, Mr. "Real Change For the Worse" Obama, has finally does something right.  Him and his bunch of otherwise worthless impediments to freedom have eased travel restrictions to Cuba.

Free Casino Rueda Lessons at Waegook Cook Pub in Gumi..

Yeah.....as if hardly anybody who reads this blog could be there anyway, right?  :-)  But....it's good for SERPs.

Think video marketing doesn't work? Think again.......!

Here's a video I made, with Screenr, that shows something I found surprising but interesting:

What I thought was interesting about it was that this particular video is something I did 8, yeah........Eight! Eight months ago.......back when I was still living near enough to Seoul to go in every weekend and do this particular Casino Rueda class. I don't do it anymore. Mostly because I don't live near enough to Seoul to go in easily. However, I have just recently started a new Casino Rueda class in the town where I presenty work....Gumi. The new class is at Waegook Cook Pub. Waegook Pub is a nice place.....sorta a combination pub and restaurant. It's owned and actively managed by Derrick Smith and his lovely wife Sugi. Every Tuesday night we move some table and chairs back and clear some space where me and the rest of our aspiring casineros and casineras learn and practice all the things that make casino rueda style salsa the absolute best way to learn salsa. Casino Rueda is the best way to learn salsa because not only can you do it with just one partner, like normal salsa, but it also has some steps that enable groups as large as 500 couples to dance together. The leader spontaneously issues 'calls', just like a quarterback in football, which are then executed by the group. When done properly it's really a beautiful choreography to watch unfold before your very eyes. No two ruedas are alike because the combination of the music, the dancers, and the venue is always different. If you know anyone who lives near enough to Gumi, S.Korea to get to these lessons on Tuesday evenings they're very welcome. Beginners are welcome and now would be a perfect time to join our group while everybody is at the same level. You can get in touch with Waegook Cook through their Facebook page. Or call me at 010 5822 2277.

Announcing Casino Rueda in Gumi

Well, I'm excited.

I'm excited because I'm going to get to start a new casino rueda class at one of the nicest, most popular pubs and social hang-outs in S.Korea...Waygook Cook in Gumi.

Yes, it's a fact.  I'll be doing my first class there May 18, a Tuesday, at 9:30 p.m.  That'll give all the regular customers time to rest a bit, get cleaned up and get down to Waegook Cook feeling refreshed and ready for 90 minutes of the funnest dance since the 'hokey-pokey'.

Derrick Smith and his lovely Korean wife of 6 years "Sugi" both are active owners and managers of Waegook Cook and Derrick tells me that in addition to their famous menu they also have a broad spectrum of social activities there his establishment.  Derrick is from S.Africa.

These classes will be totally free but they won't be casual.  I want to keep the pace fast and focused.  We'll start off learning enough basics of course but I think I'll be able to have us doing a real rueda by the time the class is over.  I'll try to lay the sufficient amount of framework in that first lesson so that we can add other moves and patterns to it as the weeks go by.

What we'll be learning, 'casino rueda', is actually the way that they've been learning salsa in Cuba for years.  What makes casino rueda really unique is that it's actually two dances in one....i.e. you can dance 'casino style' with just one partner or in a group of over 100 couples.  That 'group' aspect of casino rueda puts a social aspect back into casino rueda that often is missing from salsa in the average salsa club.

I'll be bringing lots of good Cuban style salsa music for us to dance to and hopefully lots of people will want to stay after the class to dance for a while longer.

Waegook Cook is very conveniently located for anybody who lives in metro Gumi.  You can look on their website to figure out how to get there.  Email them at: thewaegookcook@yahoo.com or call them at 011-546-3775

Also I must mention the food.  The item I had was absolutely stellar... Schnitzel.  It's kind hard to describe..... kinda like a chicken-fried steak but I think it might have actually been some kind of pork cutlet. 

The difference was the incredible sauce they put on it.  Us U.S. types over here in Korea know how hard it is to find good sauces of any kind in Korea.  Lemme tell ya......this thing was absolutely delicious.  Derrick tells me I need to try the steaks too so....I guess that's next.

That's about it.......Derrick is going to put this on his Events page on his Facebook site and I'll have administrator privileges so I can keep it updated.  I'll be putting as much stuff there as I can but I plan to also resurrect my KoreaCarruseles blog and start adding current info to it from both this class and also the casino rueda class I attend in Daegu on Saturday nights at Babalu.

I'm thinking about starting a Meetup group for this too but I haven't decided for sure.  It might be a bit of 'overkill' ....... although I do like some of the Meetup functionality.

I hope to see lots of new friends there at Waegook Cook.  It's OK if you're a salsa beginner.  If you want to learn.....I can teach you.  And this is by far the most fun way to learn to salsa....it's the most fun you can have with your friends in a circle!

Mike and Simona....from Rumbanana....strong stuff!!

Just happened to click on this practice video of Mike and Simona from Rumbanan.  One thing it proves for sure:  you can choreograph casino style and you can do 'tricks'. 

It's always seemed to me that many regular salsa dancers think that casino style is.....I dunno......something somehow less worthy of being called 'salsa'.  Maybe....less challenging. 

But I'll guarantee you that what Mike and Simona are doing here is just as difficult as any of that stuff the 'on1' and 'on2' gurus do.

And don't forget that they have their own 'channel' on YouTube.  I think it's just 'Rumbanana'.

 

Mark your calendars....Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, 4-6pm.

Yes boys and girls and fun lovers of all ages..............!!  It's Casino Rueda Bootcamp 2, another exciting 2 full hours of fun and frolic as we learn all the basics of the funnest social dance on the planet......Casino Rueda.

Here's a video I created:

Starting the following Saturday, September 19 we will start another series of weekly lessons, Casino Rueda 101. Any individuals who either came to our previous bootcamp or who attended our recently completed first Casino Rueda 101 may attend this bootcamp at no charge.

This 2 Hour Casino Rueda Bootcamp will commence at 6pm on Saturday, September 12, 2009, at the beautiful Candela Dance Studio in Yangjae, Seoul.  Candela Dance Studio is just a 3 minute walk from exit #6 of the Yangjae subway station.  See the video elsewhere on this site.

This class will cover enough salsa basics to allow beginners to get started with salsa not only in a basic rueda format but also to dance salsa with one partner.  We believe that learning salsa in a rueda format is the best way to learn salsa because:

• You get two dances for the price of learning one...i.e. you'll learn to dance in the rueda circle with everybody and you'll learn to dance just with one partner.
• Everybody gets to dance with everybody else.  No more 'superstars'.
• All the patterns have names thus they're easier to learn and remember. 
• Later, you can create your own exciting patterns using variations of what you lean here.
• Dancing in the rueda is almost like a 'team sport'.  Everybody has to do their part in order to make thier connections and keep things going.

Starting the following Saturday, September 19, we will start another series of weekly lessons, Casino Rueda 101.   All the dancers who attended our first Casino Rueda 101 are wellcome to take the bootcamp at no charge.  They'll probably find it to be a good review and also a chance to meet new dancers. 

There is a small charge to attend this class but in order to try to have as many 'pro's as possible for the new dancers, we're allowing any dancers who attended our previous bootcamp are welcome to attend this new one at no charge.  Any individuals who either came to our previous bootcamp or who attended our recently completed first Casino Rueda 101 may attend this bootcamp at no charge too.

We would like to encourge as many experienced 'veterans' to attend this class as possible. 

Admission to the bootcamp is only 5,000 KW.  That get's you 2 hours of instruction, a basic foundation in casino rueda, some 'salsa suelta' footwork, free refreshments and a whole new circle (no pun intended :-) of friends to share your new dance skills with.  

We're also asking that all ladies bring a partner.   But, if you're a lady and you would like to learn 'lead', then it's OK to come 'solo'.  Guys can come solo.

We had a great time at our first full series of classes.  We now have a small but dedicated and proficient group of rueda dancers......a nucleus to grow around.  If you get in now you'll benifit from have some experienced dancers available to help you progress rapidly.

We learned over 35-50 patterns.  That's a great start in such a short period of time.  And we're doing something nobody else in Korea es doing.  If we continue in this direction I think we have a very good chance of performing somewhere in Korea eventually.  Who knows?  We might even take an international trip somewhere.

Casino Rueda 101 starts Saturday at Candela in Yangjae, Seoul

Boxing Salsa??!!

Those folks at Boogalu Productions (actually www.boogalu.com) have some pretty good stuff in their inventory for your listening, watching and learning pleasure.  Their stuff sometimes is a bit higher of esoteric than practical value but it's always at least entertaining and oftentimes there is a lot you can use in your own real-time dancing.

One of their newest products, Danza-Boxeo, by Geodanis Medina, looks like it might be worth some money.  Especially if you've ever envied that energetic Cuban style of dancing (which I have).

Geodanis is a gifted Cuban boxer who after years of thought, experimentation, and hard work, has integrated his two great passions, boxing and salsa.  Interesting premise, eh?

Here's one of the good videos from the sales page.  There's some other interesting information on it to.  Check it out!

A skydiving instructor was giving a class to a group of beginners and he took a few moments to their first-timer questions.

One fellow raised his hand and said, "Sir.....if our chute doesn't open, and the reserve doesn't open, how long do we have until we hit the ground?"

The instructor looked at him, and in perfect deadpan, answered, "The rest of your life."

I was thinking that's sorta like the answer to the question, 'When are you going to look into the opportunity to come to Korea to teach English?' 

Fact is, there's still a huge demand for native English speakers over here.  With the bad economy back in the US and Canada, lots more teachers are staying an extra year, but all the good jobs are not gone.  Perhaps it's time for you to give it some consideration.

Is it a perfect job?

Well, that depends on what you're looking for.  But I'll bet that, for a lot of people, it's better than what you're doing right now. 

You won't make a gazillion bucks but, really, what's life all about anyway?  Life is about more than making money isnt' it?.  Everybody, especially in America, gives that phrase lip service but you'd never guess it from looking at the drudgery that most of their jobs wind up being. 

What about your situation right now? 

• Are you really getting anywhere? 
• Are you really doing anything that 'can't wait' a year or two while you see an exciting part of the world and take some time to enjoy yourself in a job with good benefits, guaranteed pay, and great 'off-the-clock' opportunities for fun?
•   Are you really having much fun doing what you're doing now? 
• Does your job own you or do you own your job?

Teaching English in Korea isn't hard work.  The biggest challenge is one of some slight but important adjustments in your own attitude.  It's a big world we live in and the US is, although still an important part, it's certainly not the only part, of it.  If you'll come over here and just make up your mind to do the best you can and let the chips fall where they may... then everything will be fine.

If you salsa dance, you'll absolutely love it.  There's lots of opportunity in and around Seoul.  Seoul is one of the top salsa towns in the world.  In Seoul you'll find over 11 great salsa clubs.  Do you know of any other cities like that? 

For dancing styles you'll find 'on1' and 'on2' and even (lately) some casino rueda.  In general, most Koreans are friendly to foreign salsa dancers.  Especially if you're good.  There's clubs all over the city (i.e. South, Central, Western Midtown and Southeast) and at least 11 of them are within easy walking distance from a subway station. (there's a few clubs that arent' but taxis are cheap).

And I'll tell ya too......if you're really good, you could possibly wind up making some good money giving lessons.  You're not actually supposed to have any kind of employment other than your job but.....it is done both in teaching and in other areas.

Remember.......you've got the rest of your life to have all the adventure you want.  How much do you want and.......how long is the rest of your life?  If you'd like some free and comprehensive information about the opportunity to teach English in S.Korea, you can get it here.

The Casino Rueda class was a success

Yesterday was the day of the 2 Hour Casino Rueda class that I did and I gotta believe there was some Godly direction in it because was a remarkable chain of events that even made it possible.

First of all, it couldn't have happened unless I somehow met Pill Hyun Hwan , the owner of Candela Dance Studio who most graciously (and wisely, I might add) contributed his contacts, staff and most excellent studio to the event.

I forget how I met Pillhwan.  I think it was from my blog.  We got to talking about interesting new things to do for dancers in Seoul and, of all those that we discussed, doing a free casino rueda class like this seemed to most logical right now.  So that's how it got started.

We had an excellent and very interesting mix of attendees at the class too.  Probably about 60/40% Korean to 'foreigner'.  I, for one, think it's a good thing to have events like this where the local nationals can meet and mix with foreigners because it's so hard to do otherwise.  In most cases, they're curious about us and we're curious about them.  Life is just so busy otherwise, ya know? 

We had about 7 couples.  We had an extra couple of ladies but luckily a couple of them, Suki and Michelle, were capable and willing to practice their leading so that made it perfect for pairing up.

To be honest, I thought I might cover a lot more than we actually did, but.......well, that's OK I guess, since everybody seemed to have had a good time.  We did:

son montunu, pa' el media, llevela abajo, exhibela, caminando, taro, taro y no le sugues, dile que no, enchufla, enchufla dos, enchufla que no, enchufla mentira,  vacila, and adios. 

Then we did that thing I used to do back in Houston called 'el corral' except here I'm calling it 'Hwaseong' (there's a big fortress here called "Hwaseong Fortress" that has a very long wall).  I've got some other ideas too for patterns that'll be fun.

Suki actually said something that I thought was very profound.  She was talking about the ethnic background of casino rueda and she said that in Cuba it started out like a 'game'.  I though to my, "Yeah......that makes sense!"

Actually, I would have used the word 'sport' but I think the implications are similar.  'Game' might actually be a better word in some respects because it has more of an implication of fun than sport does.

The class was two hours but I really think everybody would have gone another hour if we'd scheduled it.  I am reminded now, after all this, that it takes more time to teach those fundamentals than it does to just teach patterns.

As of the present we don't have have any specific plans for our next event but I'm sure there will be something.  I think we've got three general objectives now:

(1)  Wash, rinse and repeat this introductory crash course for rueda newbies.

(2)  Come up with a 'Pre-K' introductory class for complete salsa newbies

(3)  Move ahead to higher levels of proficiency with this first freshman group.

What's really significant about this event though, in my opinion and as far as I know, was that this was the first every such event to ever happen in Korea.  From what I've heard this was the

• First ever A-Z Introductory class on casino rueda in Korea
• First ever such class for foreigners and Koreans
• First ever class sponsored by a real dance studio

I think that's pretty cool.  And it's all because Salsa Eddy told me about the class that Sandro Moro Sleeper was having in Austin one Saturday, way back around 2000 or 2001 where Rene Guiets, (www.salsalovers.com) was coming to Austin, Tx. to do a big workshop.

One thing led to another and now I find myself in Korea, or more specifically...Seoul, S.Korea.  Seoul in an incredible salsa town with over a ten excellent salsa clubs.  But like lots of places that have the 'potential', casino rueda hasn't taken off here.

Maybe I can do my part to get it started.  Yesterday seemed like a stepn in the right direction.  If you're reading this and you're in the Seoul area and you have any interest in casio rueda, let me know and I'll make sure you're kept up to date of what's going on regarding the reuda community in Seoul.