In describing the Cuban dance, Casino, many people say it is the Cuban form of salsa. But Casino’s strongest influences are a melange of many dances: rhumba, guanguanco, cha-cha-cha, pachanga, etc. If you did not learn Casino as a young child, getting the steps right will seem to take an eternity. And, after learning the steps, you still must figure out what to do with the rest of your body. The last hurdle for the beginning student is mastering the turns which are some of the most intricate I’ve ever seen in any form of dance.
This is all to say that for someone who didn’t learn Casino until he was an adult, the Chinese man who you will see dancing on this video puts on one heck of a performance. His partner is Cuban and moves like one -graceful and athletic. Keep an eye on the audience as they go from polite applause in the beginning to standing on their feet and cheering along the end.
Thanks to Walter Lippmann who sent this out today on his CubaNews list. Enjoy!
haiti-cuba-venezuela 
Posted on August 26, 2007