Rueda 101 - for dummies and uncos (uncoordinated people)..

This week was the first week for my Salsa Rueda class. I had waited until completing a fair bit of other dance before enrolling in this class. A word to those thinking along the same lines - enrol ASAP - the extra dance practice was of little help.

Rueda is a salsa danced by couples in a circle. The dance steps are choreographed and shouted by a caller. We learnt four calls in our first class - I remember one - elcentro. Learning four steps in an hour class is difficult enough for my simple unco brain. To make things harder the steps are called in Spanish! However there is a hand signal that goes along with the step to make things easier - yeah right. It was like learning dance, a foreign language and sign language, and math all in the same class. Yes that right math too - Ian made us count ... 1,2,3 ... 5,6,7. What happened to 4? It was there last time I watched sesame street (BTW - they were dancing salsa on the one episode last week - Latin dance is so cool).

At the end of the class Ian handed out a cheat sheet - phew. I scurried towards the front to collect mine before they ran out. I was horrified to find it only contained a list of Spanish words in one column and blank column headed notes. Presumably the Spanish words bear some resemblance to the steps and hand signals we learnt in class.

I think I need a tutor.

Steve