Name, rank, serial number?
duane christopher Wrenn. Yes people the first letter of my name is lower cased. That is because,as I travel my paths in life, i have realized it is not about the name it is about the being. The lowercased d is meant to take the emphasis off of name and let me be known by/for my purpose.
The last name is always capitalized because it is the clan name.
Quick history of your dance background.
I used to be a Hip Hop and break dancer in late 80's other than that i started Capoeira in 99' in Tucson Arizona Capoeira Malendragem and i now continue off and on with Mestre Caboquinho Centro TABCAT of Michigan. I started my salsa training in Tucson Arizona January 2000. My first instructor was Ernesto Cardenas of Habana Cuba. He was living in San Francisco when he came to Tucson for a couple of months. That same year i had the fortune to work with Felix 'Pupy' Insua also of Habana. He currently lives in New York. After that i traveled around learning different styles of dancing with various instructors until i found inspiration in Henry Herrea of Habana living in miami this was in 2001. In 2004 i went to Cuba with my dance partner Maribel Vasquez and trained with Lourdes she was dancer for 20 years with Conjunto Folklorico of Cuba and now teaches at the University in Cuba. It was not until 2006 when i met Rene Thompson of Habana now living in Minneapolis and reconnected with Felix Insua that i could finally claim two Master Instructors. Currently i study under both Rene Thompson (Minneapolis www.renedance.com) and Felix ' Pupy' Insua. (www.orikiomioddara.com)
Where is the most interesting/craziest place you have danced Rueda?
Sh-t! I will dance anywhere and have, so i am not sure where the craziest place has been.
What is the Casino Salsa and Cuban dance community like in Detroit?
Despite all my efforts to spread the word about Cuban Rhythms and the like, there are very few Casino dancers in Detroit. In fact i find that most people here are scared of exploring timba music and body movement. And this stuff people are calling Rumba these days is, well put it like this there are not a lot of people who care about dancing.
How do you see your training in traditional Cuban dance influencing your movement on the club dance floor?
100% the more i studied the history of the dance the deeper the rabbit whole went. Everything is connected with Casino being one of the last dances in the cycle it is literally a mix of many dances.
What do you see in the future for Casino style Salsa in the U.S.
Well, I find that there is a big misunderstanding about Casino salsa in the U.S. First we the casino lovers need to band together and support each other. Once this happens slowly but surely Casino dancing and Cuban rhythms the like will claim there rightful place as dancers choice across the world.
How does the European Cuban Salsa scene compare to the U.S.
Of course since in Europe traveling back and forth to Cuba is a luxury we do not have there is a larger influence of Cuban dancing. Even though there is a huge influence in Europe there still seems to be a need for good instructors.
The loaded question: what do you see as the difference between Miami and Havana styles of Casino.
Well that is very easy Miami still really focuses on dancing for the Rueda. In fact rarely will you find a class that focuses on freestyle dancing or how to incorporate different rhythms while just dancing with a partner. Body movement is surely not a focus.
Casino dancing truly cuban style means to have no boundaries. Casino is a potpourri of different dances poured into a powerful sound. With the energy of timba driving the dance cubans use everything in there arsenal on the dance floor. That is amazing to see.
Advice for beginning Casineros.
My advice is like anything else you learn new this takes time. Practice and patience is the key. Always remember anybody can teach you a turn, so take your time learning the basics well. Turns will become a lot easier when you understand how they evolve.
Class/Workshop schedule for the upcoming months?
Caracas Venezuela May 8-12th
Toronto May 23-24th
Mexico City Mexico June 19-23rd
Chicago Salsa festival June 26th-29th
Miami Salsa Congress August 1-4th
Palm Springs California August 7-11th
Geneva Switzerland September 18-22nd
San Francisco September 26-29th
Corvallis Oregon October 17-20th
Miami Rueda Congress Novemeber 13-17th
>>>Contact Information: Websites, e-mail, studio,
www.energeticsoul.com
duane@soulsagear.com
Energetic Soul Dance Studios
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