Rumbanana invited to compete in event with Olympic officials

A Corvallis Salsa group is the only American group to compete in an international contest where Olympic officials eyeing the high-energy dance as a possible Olympic event.

Rumbanana, a Salsa dancing group in Corvallis, has been invited to compete in the Cubamemucho World Rueda Championships and Congress in Munich, Germany. Not only are the well-respected U.S. dancers competing against the best Rueda de Casino Salsa groups in the world, but members of the Olympic committee also will be present to examine the competition and consider it as a possible new sport entry for the 2012 summer games.

Simona Boucek, co-director of Rumbanana, said her group was the most recognized team in the United States.

The dancers perform Rueda de Casino, a more formal type of Cuban Salsa that is danced in a circle (rueda is Spanish for 'wheel').

She believes that her group's solid reputation in the Rueda community - and a long list of awards - helped place them in the championship.

"Other areas have teams, but none that really go out and promote the dance like we do," she said.

In 2006, Rumbanana placed fourth in the World Amateur Rueda Competition in Miami, and they placed second in 2007. They also received first place last year at the International Cuba Baila Competition in Vancouver, B.C.

In addition to Boucek, four couples from Rumbanana will participate in the competition. She said it's as much about meeting other dancers as it is competing.

"We're really all about meeting people, promoting Cuban music and dance and learning more" Boucek said. "The competitions and events are our 'backdoor' into doing that."

The fact that Olympic committee members might be present doesn't add pressure to the competition, Boucek said.

"We love what we do, and we love to share it with anyone," Boucek said.

"We want the world to know about this amazing dance and love it as much as we do, so any opportunity is a joy for us."

For more information on Rumbanana, see www.rumbanana.org.