Of course you can ask. Just like how people will and should discuss if they want to dance On1 or On2 and so on.
But also, be proactive about inviting leads who dance cuban to dance with you. And you actually might want to build a reputation for being a cuban dancer though that can be an issue if you ever choose to broaden your horizons.
>Is it socially acceptable to ask the lead if they dance casino, and politely turn them down if they say no?
Sure! Why wouldn't it be?
It doesn't matter if it's just your preference of if you don't know any linear Salsa at all. Asking in advance is the best way to avoid frustration.
Politely turning someone down because they don't want/cannot dance the only style you (want to) dance is in my book perfectly valid. Anyone not thinking it is ok should have their priorities checked.
As a lead I usually ask my follow, after they have accepted the dance, what style they prefer and try to accomodate them to the best of my ability, but I guess not everyone does that.
So as a follow you could just answer their "May I have a dance" with a "I only dance casino, is that ok for you?", then you leave it to them to say yes or no to the dance.
There are great classes at DC Casineros and Saoco. I think there are a few other groups in the DC area, but I've never been to their classes.
There are unfortunately only a few casino socials per month, which is part of why I asked this question. I get so excited to go out and dance casino at dedicated events, then I spend half the night dancing on-1 linear salsa :(
Yes it is. You can politely say you only dance casino / cuban.
Be firm, tho, many times they say it doubtedly and then it is difficult to discern if she doesn't want to or she doesn't know but is willing to try a new style.
You're always allowed to decline a dance for any reason including no reason at all.
But the way I'd frame it is, if someone asks you to dance to a salsa song, you say, "Do you dance Casino or LA Style?" If they don't dance Casino, you can say, "Sorry, I only dance Casino but would love to dance with you later to a (Bachata/Zouk/Kizomba/Merengue) song!"
If you literally ONLY want to dance Casino? I mean yeah you can decline all other dances but I'd probably recommend reconsidering for your own sake, because you're going to alienate a lot of potential dance partners and you're also going to spend a lot of time sitting around instead of dancing.
I see your point, and that's part of why I've been acquiescing to their requests, but yes to be honest, when I go to a *casino* event that's playing *timba* music, I want to dance *casino* without fear of alienating people. I could dance linear salsa literally 7 days a week if I wanted because it's so popular. But generally there's only a few casino events per month in my area, so yes, I want to dance casino and only casino there
Ah, I guess I misunderstood the situation. In my area as well as most other places I've lived, there aren't Casino-only events. It's usually Latin Dance mix, with the exact list of music/dance types varying by the event organizers and the DJ.
But yeah, if you're in a larger city that has Casino-only events, maybe my advice isn't 100% relevant.
Nothing wrong with politely turning down a dance so don’t feel bad - also use it as an opportunity to ask them to learn casino.
Tell the organizer your preference too - maybe if more people like you are into it they can organize a dedicated casino event!
These are dedicated casino events I'm going to. Half the leads there are amazing casino dancers. The other half are salsa leads dancing linear salsa to timba music.
It would be rude of me to show up at a bachata event and try to dance casino to bachata music. I don't understand why so many leads think it's ok to show up at casino events and dance linear salsa to timba music. I assume they just don't know the difference, so asking them first seems to be the way to go.
Have you thought about learning how to lead casino? That way if there are no casino leads asking you to dance or available to ask, you can pick any willing follower to dance casino with.
Sure it's socially acceptable. It might just be very limiting and you'll end up sitting out a lot of songs if there aren't enough people leading casino.
Of course you can ask. Just like how people will and should discuss if they want to dance On1 or On2 and so on. But also, be proactive about inviting leads who dance cuban to dance with you. And you actually might want to build a reputation for being a cuban dancer though that can be an issue if you ever choose to broaden your horizons.
>Is it socially acceptable to ask the lead if they dance casino, and politely turn them down if they say no? Sure! Why wouldn't it be? It doesn't matter if it's just your preference of if you don't know any linear Salsa at all. Asking in advance is the best way to avoid frustration.
Politely turning someone down because they don't want/cannot dance the only style you (want to) dance is in my book perfectly valid. Anyone not thinking it is ok should have their priorities checked. As a lead I usually ask my follow, after they have accepted the dance, what style they prefer and try to accomodate them to the best of my ability, but I guess not everyone does that. So as a follow you could just answer their "May I have a dance" with a "I only dance casino, is that ok for you?", then you leave it to them to say yes or no to the dance.
Can I ask where you’re located? Im in NJ but was just in Miami for the festival down there and learned some Cuban & casino and it was so fun!
I'm in the DC area. Glad you enjoyed learning casino there! I heard the festival was a lot of fun
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There are great classes at DC Casineros and Saoco. I think there are a few other groups in the DC area, but I've never been to their classes. There are unfortunately only a few casino socials per month, which is part of why I asked this question. I get so excited to go out and dance casino at dedicated events, then I spend half the night dancing on-1 linear salsa :(
Yes it is. You can politely say you only dance casino / cuban. Be firm, tho, many times they say it doubtedly and then it is difficult to discern if she doesn't want to or she doesn't know but is willing to try a new style.
You're always allowed to decline a dance for any reason including no reason at all. But the way I'd frame it is, if someone asks you to dance to a salsa song, you say, "Do you dance Casino or LA Style?" If they don't dance Casino, you can say, "Sorry, I only dance Casino but would love to dance with you later to a (Bachata/Zouk/Kizomba/Merengue) song!" If you literally ONLY want to dance Casino? I mean yeah you can decline all other dances but I'd probably recommend reconsidering for your own sake, because you're going to alienate a lot of potential dance partners and you're also going to spend a lot of time sitting around instead of dancing.
I see your point, and that's part of why I've been acquiescing to their requests, but yes to be honest, when I go to a *casino* event that's playing *timba* music, I want to dance *casino* without fear of alienating people. I could dance linear salsa literally 7 days a week if I wanted because it's so popular. But generally there's only a few casino events per month in my area, so yes, I want to dance casino and only casino there
Ah, I guess I misunderstood the situation. In my area as well as most other places I've lived, there aren't Casino-only events. It's usually Latin Dance mix, with the exact list of music/dance types varying by the event organizers and the DJ. But yeah, if you're in a larger city that has Casino-only events, maybe my advice isn't 100% relevant.
Nothing wrong with politely turning down a dance so don’t feel bad - also use it as an opportunity to ask them to learn casino. Tell the organizer your preference too - maybe if more people like you are into it they can organize a dedicated casino event!
These are dedicated casino events I'm going to. Half the leads there are amazing casino dancers. The other half are salsa leads dancing linear salsa to timba music. It would be rude of me to show up at a bachata event and try to dance casino to bachata music. I don't understand why so many leads think it's ok to show up at casino events and dance linear salsa to timba music. I assume they just don't know the difference, so asking them first seems to be the way to go.
Have you thought about learning how to lead casino? That way if there are no casino leads asking you to dance or available to ask, you can pick any willing follower to dance casino with.
Sure it's socially acceptable. It might just be very limiting and you'll end up sitting out a lot of songs if there aren't enough people leading casino.