The Borrell
Cuban Dance Method

Over the past 20 years Roberto Borrell has been teaching Cuban dance to non-Cuban students. During that time he has developed a comprehensive system of teaching the traditional popular dances of Cuba inspired by the way he learned to dance - the old school "open your eyes, open your ears" method.

Key concepts from the "Un Trio Inseparable" DVD
1) The inseparable trio: music - man - woman
The dance couple along with the music form a music/dance unit that is designed to function as an ensemble. The dance couple, with the sound of their feet, is an essential musical element. Remember that this is a trio: man, woman, and music, and the three have to be united in order to function well if we are to enjoy ourselves. Listen to the music. You must devote time every day to listening, every chance you get.

2) Knowledge of the music structure and instrumentation
is crucial for dancers as this information provides you with:
• knowing what form is appropriate to dance to a given style of music
• cues on how to dance to different sections of the music
• information about what moment to begin, transition, and end the dance

3) Observe, do what you see, listen to your feet. While learning to do the movements do only what you see. But before doing it look and observe carefully. Don’t do anything while you are observing so that it remains in your head, and after you have it there you can transfer it down (to your body and feet). Repeat as many times as necessary so that your body memorizes it. It doesn’t matter how much you have to repeat.
Concentrate on what our feet are doing. Dancing is done with the feet, not with the body because the body doesn’t make a sound. What makes a sound are the feet. And in the beginning, in order to learn properly you should not use your arms, but concentrate on the feet.

4) Go slowly, step by step. Don’t skip anything in the sequence. That’s very important. You learn quickly when you go slowly. Don’t use a partner until you know well what you are doing. Your partner must also know what s/he is doing. In that way both partners will practice correctly. Practice alone and you will find yourself getting better and better. Be patient. You need to have lots and lots of patience. Remember that this will pay off for a lifetime.

5) The danzón, son, and chachachá are an interrelated group of Cuban dances that have similar steps, and it is important to learn them in the proper order. The danzón, the first to learn, teaches you about listening to the musical structure, as well as learning the basic steps and turns that apply to all the other dances. The second dance to learn is son. Less formal then the danzón, but with identical foot work, the music and dance of son give dancers more freedom in their bodies to move. Lastly we learn the chachachá, as it is really a variation of the son with some added footwork.

reviews of the dvd

Zeno Okeanos - musician / Latin music historian
"What is unique here is the precise way Borrell explains the dance steps in intimate relation to the music and its structure. Being a master musician, master dancer, and a generation of Cuban who was there when it was really happening, I doubt there are many who can offer what he does . All the musical examples used for demonstrations are historical pieces and you get to see the real traditions for this dancing.

In addition to the invaluable and micro-meticulous dance instruction there is an extensive "interview" section containing many insights and revelations that would be of interest to musicians and/or historians of Cuban music regardless of their commitment to dancing these exact traditions. (for example) Did you know that a certain abanico roll by the pailas within the danzon structure was a signal to the dancers to execute their turns. I did not know that.

Everything you ever wanted to know. Prepare for a quantum leap of your understanding of the music in relation to the dance steps and vice versa. the evolutionary matrix: danzon/son/chachacha. Listen to the maestro's feet while he simultaneously plays clave. This stuff is exact. Are we having a danzon revival yet ? Maybe this will kick start it."

Kid Casino -Timba.com
"What I like best about this DVD is the detailed, step by step instruction, beginning with the basic danzon steps and progressing logically through son, And chachacha. The DVD has a separate section for narration, so the instructional section is 100% instructional. In the narrative section, instructor Roberto Borrell explains why you need to be proficient in danzon before you can dance son, and why you need proficiency in son to dance chachacha.

As a musician, Roberto does an excellent job of explaining how the dance steps are integrated into the music much like an additional instrument. He also points out how to recognize a Danzon, a Son, and when to begin dancing to each. Another useful chapter in the narration clearly demonstrates several common mistakes and how to fix them. Roberto focuses his instruction on the footwork of each dance with detailed instruction on how wide your feet should be apart, and the proper angles. These important details are usually missing from workshops I have attended where there is more of a focus on upper body movement and a tendency to leap into more advanced moves without laying the proper foundation. I hope this is the first in a series as this DVD lays down the basics better than I have seen anywhere and it would be great to build upon them from here into more advanced moves. "

Lance Lu - dancer, instructor, percussionist, Seattle, WA.
"This dvd is the best and most useful of the dvds I’ve seen on traditional Cuban dance. Having studied with Roberto for many years, I know his teaching method in classes and private lessons. For me, the dvd was terrific because it was clear, detailed, and easy to learn. The demonstrations were inspiring, and gave the flavor of the Cuban dances. The learning sections were very well done, showing the lead and follow parts separately and together. His commentary on the era in Cuba that spawned the social clubs are invaluable, a rare glimpse of a magical period by a Cuban who was there to witness and participate in it.

I’ve recommended it to several dancers who went and ordered it immediately. It is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced dancers. It is rare to find good information about dancing traditional Cuban danzon, son, and cha cha cha. With this dvd, Boogalu has got something unique in the marketplace. Highly recommended!"

Fran Chesleigh - dance teacher and historian, NYC
"I was personally acquainted with Roberto Borrell, when he lived in New York City during the 1980’s. At that time, he was a regular advisor to a group of us who were playing bata at Cuban religious ceremonies in the New York area. I remember that at the time, I was very impressed by Roberto’s intimate knowledge of bata drumming and dances of the orisha. After he left New York, I suddenly realized that I had never thought to ask him about Cuban social dance traditions such as danzon, son, and cha cha cha. Here I was -- a dance teacher; I had access to the mother lode – and I forgot to turn the key. Shoot me now!

Cut to the present, 25 years later. At long last, I have Roberto back -- on the best instructional DVD I have ever seen on the art of Cuban social dance. Roberto understands Cuban dance intimately. And because he is also a talented and well-schooled percussionist, he is uniquely qualified to describe the crucial connections between music and dance. The moment you begin watching this DVD, you’ll be aware that this isn’t going to be a flashy, mile-a-minute, here’s-a-million-steps, gloss-over-the-technique fluff job. This is the real deal. Roberto has the authentic information, and he is absolutely adamant about passing it along accurately and comprehensively. He starts by introducing you to the music. He counts it out carefully, so you’ll know where everything is going to fit. Then, he demonstrates in precise detail when and how to enter the dance, completing the picture by teaching several of the fundamental movements which give danzon, son and cha cha cha their special character.

Roberto clearly shows how the big three Cuban dance forms evolved from one another over the course of time. His detailed analysis of the individual elements of danzon (while the music is playing) makes you feel as if you finally understand this music for the first time. And when he talks about the dos and don’ts of good technique, I found myself marveling at his meticulous attention to detail – while at the same time wondering whether I’ll ever dance in public again.

If you ever wanted to find out how Cubans danced danzon, son, and cha cha cha during the golden age of social dance (1940’s through 1960’s), this is the best opportunity you’ll ever have. If you ever wanted to learn how to dance contratiempo (off the beat), now is your chance. If you want to learn the fundamentals of Cuban dancing from a true maestro, you’ve come to the right place. Nobody explains it better than Roberto Borrell."

Fabio - SalsaIsGood.com
This is my favourite DVD from Boogalu Productions: it contains unique material, very detailed instruction (which is not always easy to find in Cuban dancing) and an implicit tour into the history of salsa which is extremely instructive; the result is a must have, in my opinion, for serious salsa dancers at least from an educational perspective.

The DVD teaches 3 dances, Danzon, Son and Cha Cha Cha, covering what has been the ‘fashion of the day’ in Cuba from early 1900 to roughly the 50s. The instructor is a senior Cuban dancer, speaking a very good English, helped by a younger female demonstrator. Each dance is taught in its genuine, original form, at least as close to it as you are likely to ever find on any video recording. For each dance you will be shown the expected posture, attitude, basic steps and basic elements, all of which is in really clear detail, with all parts broken down for both the male and female dancer.

There is no turn pattern or challenging move to learn; as a result a superficial look at the DVD may lead you to think that there is much repetition in the explanation of the 3 dances, the only difference being the basic steps.. but this would miss the core value of the product. First, a crucial difference between the dances lies in the posture, the attitude and the relationship between the dances. Second, if you believe that here there is nothing much to learn except the basic steps you would miss the importance that the right posture and attitude and the attention to the relationship between dancers and music makes in the difference between an average and a good dancer (this is the concept which gives the name to the DVD itself). Third, you would miss the ‘historic’ treasure hidden in the DVD, which shows how salsa evolved from the rigid and constrained movement of Danzon (similar to old fashioned tango), when looking at moving like a white person was basically expected, to the introduction of hip movement in Son, which implicitly meant more acceptance of being ‘black’ and which was further developed in Cha Cha Cha, (notice also how the opening and closing of the dance position in Son is a precursor of the Dile Que No we use today). Finally it would be a pity to lose sight of the fact that 2 dancers may look good and have fun even by dancing 3 different dances by doing only basic steps. The demonstration of the three dances are a pleasure to watch from this perspective.

Lee Knights - Londonsalsascene
Son – the Father of Salsa
If you don’t know son, you don’t know salsa, the Cubans say. Lee Knights explains why we need to take salsa back to its Cuban roots to uncover the heart of the dance. In 1970’s New York, salsa broke through like a fire. From the nightclubs of the Bronx, Spanish Harlem and Brooklyn, salsa took hold across the US to become an international dance and music phenomenon.

Jerry Masucci’s Fania record company used the term “salsa” to market a new generation of Latin music. At the same time, the roots of salsa are very old, far flung and complex. Salsa is, in fact, a cocktail of Latin folkloric rhythms and dance influences and the most important of these is Cuban son (the sound).

Probably the most important genre of Cuban music, son is also one of the least acknowledged. As a dance, son is unknown in the Latin American ballroom world although it has close links with ballroom rumba. On the UK salsa social dancing scene, son is rarely taught, apart from odd workshops at salsa weekends. Currently, the best way to learn to dance son is to go to Cuba. Alternatively, there are specialist DVDs available like Roberto Borrell’s Un Trio Inseparable, offering instruction on traditional, popular Cuban dances.

Without son, there would be no salsa. Son is the father of salsa as a dance genre and the foundation for most salsa songs. Born in the east of Cuba in the late 1800’s, son is a close contact partner dance, danced in a circular style. Son shares the same basic footwork as its predecessor danzón, emphasising the 4th and 2nd beats of the bar, with dancers pausing on the 1st beat.

With the birth of son, there was an important breakthrough as popular Cuban music and dance began to embrace African influences, fusing these with European traditions. Son as a dance has a distinctive, African-influenced hip movement and sensuality, breaking away from the formality of danzón. Meanwhile, the introduction of bongó and - for the first time in popular Cuban music - clave brought African percussion and rhythms to the mix alongside trés guitar. Now, the stage was set for the arrival of salsa, with the introduction of the son clave as its driving force.

Roberto Borrell brings the grandeur of the journey of Cuban dance from danzón, to son, moving naturally onto chachachá and salsa, back to life. From this perspective, it is easy to see what the Cubans see – to know salsa, a dancer must know son.