Feel the collective vibe of a rueda even when you’re dancing alone. Ábaco transforms the usual partner-swap calls into stylish solo footwork you can practise anywhere—studio, living-room, or the middle of a rueda circle. The format debuted at the SalsaNor Rueda Congress in 2015 and now boasts ≈ 45 on-demand tutorial videos plus full-song practice sessions.

What Is Ábaco?

Ábaco (Spanish for abacus) draws its name from the birds-eye geometry you create while rotating on the spot—just as rueda means wheel. Each solo figure mirrors the women’s footwork of a classic rueda call; a “partner change” becomes a quarter- or half-turn by the individual.

  • Invented to let everyone join a rueda even when leads and follows aren’t balanced.

  • Blends elements from son, rumba, and Afro-Cuban dances for authentic styling.

Why Dance Ábaco?

Benefits for Rueda & Casino Dancers

  • Join a rueda even when leads and follows aren’t balanced

  • Rehearse timing and weight-changes without needing a partner.
  • Drill common calls (e.g., dame una, enchufla) until muscle-memory is bulletproof.
  • Sharpen personal styling—hips, torso, arms—before bringing it back to partner work.

Perfect for Social-Distancing

Created during a festival long before COVID-19, Ábaco truly came into its own when physical-distancing rules hit dance studios; you can keep skills sharp while respecting safety guidelines

Video Liberary

All content streams in full HD from our Vimeo On Demand channel—simply log in here with the same e-mail you used for your rueda.casino vimeo subscription.

We currently host ≈ 45 individual Ábaco figure tutorials, organised by level; each tutorial contains split-screen of the matching rueda figure.

Modular Learning

Learning 45 + calls at once is overwhelming, so our video modules we bundle related figures you can conquer as a set.

We currently offer 5 modules on Beginner and 4 on Improver —ideal for structured courses or self-study blocks. The concept echoes the “module a week” approach used by university rueda clubs worldwide.

Choose Your Level

Beginner

Start with the open- and closed-position basics plus first partner-change turns

Visit Beginner

Intermediate

Handle multi-count patterns like setenta variations converted to solo rotations.

Visit Intermediate

Advanced

Master rapid-fire mixes, directional switches and Afro-Cuban styling accents

Visit Advanced

extra materials

Practice Sessions

Dance an entire song with a live caller on screen. Each practice video lists the figures used, so you can review beforehand and track progress.

Sample practice:

Visit Practice Sessions

Teaching Resources

Printable Figure Lists

Grab a one-page PDF of every current Ábaco figure—perfect for class planning or self-study check-offs.

Module Cheat-Sheets

Each module bundles four figures that flow together; use them as weekly lesson plans or quick-fire training blocks.

 

Unlock the entire library, future releases and event discounts for the price of a single monthly coffee.
Click Get Access in the top menu.

Pay securely via Vimeo, and start learning within minutes. Your subscription directly supports new videos and non-profit cultural projects run by SalsaNor.

Need Help?

If you hit any roadblocks—tech issues, missing figures, or pedagogical questions—drop us a line via the Contact page or tag @rueda.casino on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.