This past weekend, both of us traveled to the Big Apple to attend Ruedathon NYC which was celebrating 10 years, and honoring Edward Cruz’s life. It was beyond memorable, and both of us are so grateful to have attended. This week we will dive into Ruedathon, so you can decide if you want to attend in the future.
What was Included?
The event is completely free of charge to attend. You will have to purchase your own fares on public transportation. If you would like to donate or contribute monetarily you can venmo @ruedathon
The event consisted of:
- A free pre-party. This year it was at Industry City’s Friday night party. Check out our review of Industry City here. The event took place outdoors, dedicated 2 hours to solely Cuban music by DJ Gagou and Walt Digz. The band Pepito Gomez also played. The social continued till 2am as the regular Industry City event.
- A day of traveling around the boroughs and dancing 1-2 Ruedas per location. Social dancing would happen after and inbetween the Ruedas. The travel is by public transportation such as ferries or subway, and walking. The day started at 10am and ended at 8pm. However, people are welcome to jump and in and out of the schedule to their liking.
- Free after parties at One on One Bar Saturday and Sunday.
- A free close-out party. This year it took place at Mi Salsa Kitchen. A Latin band performed at the venue, with music from DJ Walt Digz.
What did we participate in?
Both of us attended the pre-party, the Saturday after party, Sunday party. Alexa completed the route, and Andrea did all the route except for the Staten Island ferry portion. Finally, Alexa attended the Sunday after party.
My favorite part?
Andrea: The best part of ruedathon was the people. Again, I just have the best time talking to people, getting to know them and their stories, meeting new friends, dancing with them. The ruedas are always fun and nice, but the people are what make this event different and unique.
Alexa: The Soundview ferry to the Bronx. I had so many fun dances on this ferry which was swaying like crazy. I had a dance with 3 follows one lead, a blindfolded lead, a Rueda, and so many other amazing ones.
Thank you to everyone who shared their videos wit
Overall Takeaways
First and foremost, a huge thank you to the organizers. In 10 years of Ruedathon, it had never rained, but this year it did. This changed some things, but we are so grateful for how transparent the communication was. Also, the effort to ensure the event was still fun did not go unnoticed.
This event brings people from all over the US and even the world. It is truly a union of people who love dance. The welcoming environment cultivated by the organizers over the years was so obvious. They did their best to make sure first-timers were celebrated and looked after. Also, hearing how many Ruedathons other people have been to was great to hear.
A huge thank you to all the workers who let us dance where music was not allowed, and they feared for our safety. We loved dancing Ruedas as much as with partners, or even alone. The music all weekend was great whether it was on a speaker or spun by a DJ.
Finally, we want to acknowledge the time and money poured into this event which has allowed it to keep being financially accessible to attendees. Even with accomodations with so many locals giving people free places to stay. It can be hard to find events outside of the model of workshops, party, repeat. But this one, even after 10 years, felt like a breath of fresh air. Keep an eye out for any events from the Ruedathon group or for Ruedathon in cities like Paris and Madrid.
Were you at NYC RuEDathon 2023? Have you been to other Ruedathon’s in NY or somewhere else? Let us know in the comments below.
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