WEEK 1- DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL DANCE

 

Black-and-white burin engraving style comparative poster showing three categories of social dance: empirical social dance, hybrid social-performative dance, and academically formalized social dance (MCC), with paired figures and structural diagrams in a doctrinal visual format by Yoel Marrero



ARTICULO EN ESPAÑOL

DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL DANCE

(Doctrinal Development – MCC 5.0)

By: Yoel Marrero
Author of the Método del Cuadro del Casino (MCC)

The study of Casino Dance, and Cuban social dances in general, requires a prior conceptual clarification: what do we understand by social dance?

In common usage, the term “social dance” is often applied broadly and imprecisely to refer to any form of dance performed in non-theatrical or recreational contexts. However, from the perspective of the Método del Cuadro del Casino (MCC), this generalization is insufficient, as it does not allow us to distinguish between forms of practice that differ substantially in their structure, their transmission, and their level of technical development.

For this reason, the MCC proposes a typological classification of social dance into three major categories:

  1. Empirical social dance,

  2. Hybrid social-performative dance,

  3. Academically formalized social dance.

This classification is not based on taste, but on epistemological, structural, and methodological criteria, which allow us to understand the real state of a dance practice within a system of knowledge.

1. Empirical Social Dance

Empirical social dance is the primary and original form of social dances. It is characterized by spontaneous, non-systematized transmission through observation, imitation, and collective practice.

In this type of dance:

  • There is no formal teaching system.

  • Technique is not explicit, but implicit within the practice.

  • Choreographic structure is not consciously defined.

  • Execution criteria are variable and depend on the social context.

Knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation in an oral and practical manner, without codification. This grants it great cultural richness and a high capacity for adaptation, but at the same time limits its precise reproducibility and its conscious technical development.

Casino Dance, in its initial stage and throughout much of its expansion in Cuba, belongs to this category.

2. Hybrid Social-Performative Dance

Hybrid social-performative dance emerges as a result of the interaction between empirical social dance and other forms of dance, especially stage dance, spectacle, and the entertainment industries.

It is characterized by:

  • The incorporation of elements from stage dance (acrobatics, lifts, exaggerated gestures, dramatization).

  • The partial or total loss of the original structural logic of social dance.

  • The mixture of technical codes from different traditions without coherent integration.

  • The adaptation of dance to contexts of exhibition, competition, or tourist consumption.

In this type of practice, dance ceases to respond exclusively to its original social function and begins to orient itself toward visibility, visual impact, and spectacle.

Within the Cuban and international context, many of the forms currently disseminated under the name “Cuban salsa” correspond to this hybrid category, where elements of Casino, Afro-Cuban stage dance, ballroom dance, and other styles converge.

The result is a form of dance that, although visually attractive, presents structural and conceptual inconsistencies, making rigorous analysis and teaching difficult.

3. Academically Formalized Social Dance

Academically formalized social dance represents the highest level of development within this classification. It is characterized by the existence of a conscious, structured, and reproducible system of knowledge.

In this type of dance:

  • There is a clear definition of structural elements (positions, trajectories, links, figures).

  • Technique is explicitly defined, analyzed, and optimized.

  • A systematic teaching method is established.

  • Results are reproducible among different practitioners.

  • Objective evaluation criteria are defined.

The Método del Cuadro del Casino (MCC) belongs precisely to this category, as it proposes a complete formalization of Casino Dance based on the scientific analysis of movement, choreographic structure, and spatial navigation.

The result of this process is the Well-Formed Casino Dance, understood as a refined, expanded, and technically optimized version of empirical Casino.

Final Considerations

These three categories should not be understood as isolated compartments, but as possible states of the same practice at different levels of development.

  • Empirical social dance represents the origin.

  • Hybrid dance reflects processes of mixture, expansion, and, in many cases, deformation.

  • Formalized dance constitutes the conscious attempt to understand, organize, and refine the phenomenon.

From the MCC perspective, the transition from empirical to formalized does not imply the rejection of tradition, but rather its deep understanding and technical elevation.

LINKS – MCC ECOSYSTEM

Blog:
https://bailesocialinteligente.blogspot.com

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@CATALOGOCOREOGRAFICOMCC

Facebook – Observatory:
https://www.facebook.com/observatoriodebailescubanos?locale=es_ES

MCC Choreographic Catalog:
https://www.facebook.com/FundacionCasinoParaTodosUSA


#MetodoDelCuadroDelCasino
#MCC
#WellFormedCasino
#SocialDance
#CasinoDance
#CubanSalsa
#CubanDance
#DanceTheory
#Choreography


Location: Av. Sierra de Las Nieves, 2, 29410 Yunquera, Málaga, España

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