It’s clave month (2/3 to 3/2) and so Ryan will be back teaching a five-week series on clave and its foundational relationship with Cuban music and dance.

Clave (pronounced "CLAH-vay") is a simple instrument with a profound significance. Consisting of just two wooden sticks, clave is the rhythmic foundation of almost all Cuban music, including Salsa, Timba, Son, and Rumba. Understanding clave will enhance your appreciation of Cuban music and increase the rhythmic depth and precision of your dance.

Ryan (who devoted his Stanford Thesis to the clave) will be teaching a special in-depth series on Mondays for clave month (2/3 to 3/2): five Mondays from February 3rd to March 2nd, from 6:30 to 7:00pm before our Monday Cuban Salsa & Rueda Classes at 7:15pm. Here is a schedule of some of the topics we will cover:

Monday, 2/3: Son Clave - 3:2 vs. 2:3, A tiempo (on 1) vs. Contratiempo (on 2), Ponche
Monday, 2/10: Rumba Clave - 3:2 vs. 2:3, Ca-chá, Cáscara/Palitos
Monday, 2/17: Clave Accents - Ponche, Bombo, Tresillo, Tun-tun
Monday, 2/24: Finding the Clave - Campana, Tumbadora, Cuatro vs. Especulación
Monday, 3/2: Clave Orientation/Changes - “1” vs. “5,” “Breaking” vs. “Continuous,” Remata/Doble DQN

In each workshop we will explain and practice the material in many forms, by vocalizing and physicalizing the rhythms (through claps and steps), by counting and writing the rhythms (no musical notation experience required), and by listening and dancing to examples of the rhythms in recorded music.

Series will be progressive but it is also possible to drop-in to individual sessions. Open to all levels of dancers and Cuban music lovers. Drop-in via cash, check, or Venmo (no credit cards) — $10/session, $10/pair of cuban claves.

Claves are NOT necessary to take the class. Clapping or snapping will work just as well for all the exercises.

Want to do some prep for the workshop? Check out the clave entry in the Media section of our website (scrolling down to "Clave"), and download the Clave App for Android or Iphone.