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Salsa & Mambo Video Reviews

Salsa con Elengua

Rueda de Casino, Vol 1

Level: Beg/Int

Style: Casino Rueda

Content: Turn Patterns.

General Comment: With Cuban Salsa enjoying renewed popularity, Elengua bring to us three DVDs packed with material. In the first one they show 24 rueda figures. They are demonstrated by 3 couples and taught by the leader and occasionally by the follower. The instructions are in French, but with two viewing angles synchronised on the screen you are ensured a good view of both figures and change of partners within the rueda. A nice performance is included at the end of the DVD.

Reviewed by Fabio from SalsaIsGood - Ok

Salsa Cubana Vol 2

Level: Int/Adv

Style: Cuban Salsa

Content: Turn Patterns.

General Comment: In this DVD Elengua teach us 25 figures of Cuban salsa, plus a few solo footwork patterns to mix with your basic steps, which is plenty of material by any standard. The DVD organisation is simple: each figure is demonstrated and then broken down by the leader; details and zooming are provided only when necessary and the instructions are in French with Spanish subtitles. Nevertheless, provided you do not need too many details to work out a figure, what you see should be enough to allow you to learn all this material, even without understanding the spoken part. The figures span a wide range of difficulty, from fairly simple to advanced; we do not see any excessively complicated Cuban 'knots', but the few which are included are executed very well and made look easy by the instructors. A clip of a performance at the end completes the DVD.

Reviewed by Fabio from SalsaIsGood - Ok

Salsa Cubana Vol 3

Level: Adv

Style: Cuban Salsa

Content: Turn Patterns.

General Comment: This DVD is very much the twin version of Volume 2, with exactly the same organisation. It contains 21 more Casino figures, on average more complicated than the ones in Volume 2. If you add these to the ones in the previous volumes, you would build a considerable repertoire of Cuban salsa.

Reviewed by Fabio from SalsaIsGood - Ok

Rueda de Casino 2+2

Level: Int-Adv

Style: Rueda

Content: Turn Patterns.

General Comment: 24 new routines to add to your rueda repertoire, that's a lot for a single DVD. Elengua achieves this by getting straight to the point, keeping the teaching to the minimum necessary and packing the DVD space with content. The clever editing will show the turn patterns from 2 different angles on the same screen, and you will be able to follow and learn all the moves even if, like me, you do not understand French (yes, the DVD is in French). > > All routines, with the exception of 2, are demonstrated by 2 couples and many of them (from what I can see) are actually designed to be performed by 2 couples. I find this a useful and practical idea given that, from what I have seen in my recent travels, big ruedas do not seem to be fashionable anymore, while small ones are easier to improvise on busy dance floors without being too intrusive towards non-rueda dancers. Some routines are modifications of classic rueda moves, others are novel and some are very clever indeed. If you like rueda I am pretty sure you will find something you like in this DVD.

Reviewed by Fabio from SalsaIsGood - Good