Kick off the new year by learning a new style of latin dance: Cuban casino.What is casino? It’s a style of partner dance (with a lead and follow) that originated in Cuba in the 1950s. It can be danced with a partner, or in a big circle called a “rueda”. Casino is similar to salsa, and is often called “Cuban salsa”, though there are important differences that we can discuss during the course. Here’s an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoulZ35X6RIWhat to expectThis course is intended to take you from being an absolute beginner to having the skills and confidence to go out there and have an enjoyable dance with a stranger in a social setting. We’ll heavily focus on technique, so you’re likely to learn something even if you already have experience with rueda de casino or even casino itself. The course is also focused on partner dancing, not rueda.No prior experience necessary. No partner necessary. Open to everyone.Because each class builds on the previous one, we strongly encourage attendance to all sessions.Who’s teaching?The class will be led by MIT alum Rodrigo (myself) and Diana Ruiz. We’ve both been dancing and teaching in San Francisco and/or Boston for 10+ years.Location and TimeClasses will be on Saturdays during IAP from 5pm-6:30pm at the Student Center (W20-491).How to join?Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/oWYh6HdtqkRRPMXQAQuestions? Email me at ipince@alum.mit.edu

Are you tired of Facebook Messenger and Slack? During the first half we will learn about Matrix, a messaging service provided by SIPB available to the entire MIT community. You will learn about all its features and how to message anyone on campus or even outside of campus, since it is a federated service like email. You will see that there are many integrations and alternative apps, and how you don’t have to ditch the other messaging apps but make them work together instead.Are you curious to learn more, including technical details? During the second half, you will learn about the Matrix spec, how there are democratic procedures to propose features, and all the various servers, clients and APIs. If you are interested in building on Matrix, you will get a sense of the various SDKs and all the ways you can integrate with this messaging ecosystem. We may dive into how end-to-end encryption works, which keeps your messages safe, and some work-in-progress innovations like TARDIS and Sliding Sync.You may only join the first half if you desire, but if you are course 6 or adjacent you should stay for both halves! As the other cluedumps, food will be provided.

Time: 9:00 AMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 9:00 AMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 9:00 AMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 9:00 AMLocation: Cambridge, MA