There are surprisingly many ways to turn in social dancing. I just saw a video presenting 14 common types of turns in social dancing in the USA: Pivot Turn, Chaîné Turn, Swing and Sway Turn, Heel Turn, Spin Turn, Fan Turn, Spiral Turn, Twist Turn, Paddle Turn, Pirouette Turn, Monterey Turn, Pique Turn, Platform or Pensel Turn, Tuck Turn. There
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Definitely not, speaking in general. And there are absolutely no objective benefits from dancing the first part of a dance on “two” instead of on “one”. The only argument for doing it: that it happens to be your personal preference, or that you like to do it for a change. The OBJECTIVE disadvandtages, on the other hand, are legio for
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The basic figure I call Enchufla Simple is called Ven y Vira (“come and return”) by some dance schools, and a few call it Lazo. I prefer easy to understand common sense names. And if a dancer can guess what a figure or move might look like just by knowing the name, the better. Enchufla Simple is the easiest of
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The Exhibela “turn” is one of the most misunderstood basic figures in Cuban Salsa. It is not a turn but a walk to exhibit the Follow, “show her to the world”. A walk with two half turns of 180 degrees, and both happens just by walking and pivoting around. There is no 360 degrees turn but two half turns far
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I call my Private Cuban Salsa Practica for my daily social workout. I train with one of several dance partners at all levels in parks and on public dance platform or in private homes. Your own Practica, where Lead and Follow decide date, time and place, the music, what and how to train, is to me social dancing at a
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Very often when doing Dile Que No, the Lead wants to lead the Follow around him behind his back doing Rodeo Inverso type of figures like the Bayamo family of moves and the Setenta y Cinco family of moves, or just leading her around using Paseala moves. This is impossible using DQN because if both the Lead and the Follow
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When doing Dile Que No, the Lead sometimes needs to add one more Dile Que No in order to lead the Follow into open position, also called Guapea position. We can easily have several DQNs, one after the other. The first DQN changes the motion on the Partner Circle from right to left, from clock-wise to counter clock-wise. All additional
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The Panqué (Pancake) figure, also called Siete (7) in the Miami Rueda tradition of “Salsa Racing” and “Salsa Lovers”, is a unique basic figure of one count of eight. It is unique in the sense that it has its own set of steps we don’t see in any other basic figure, and it is unique because it doesn’t fit in
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It’s a big misunderstanding to believe that so-called “Casino” moves used in Rueda de Casino actually comes from social 1-on-1 couple dancing. As a rule of thumb but with many exceptions, they don’t! On the contrary: “Casino” moves used in Rueda de Casino were made to be used in Rueda de Casino. The exceptions include basic figures like Enchufla and
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The “Coca-Cola” is the standard 360 degrees left turn in Cuba Salsa and turning on “6-7” is the most common but turning on “1-2” is also possible. The Coca-Cola turn is a basic figure of one count of eight: The Follow is lead forward on “1”, she continues forward on “2-3-5” and turns on “6-7”. The Coca-Cola turn is most
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I have been wondering for a long time, why so many classic Rueda moves have number names like Setenta, 71, 72, 75, Ochenta y Quatro (84), Noventa (90), Siete (7), El Uno (1), El Dos (2), etc. We have more than fifty moves with number names, if we include Complicado versions and variations. Most likely Setenta was the first such
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The Cuban Vuelta (Habanero) is the twin sister of Vacilala. The steps are like for Vacilala except that the two half counts of eight are flipped: the Follow steps forward on “1”, she continues forward on “2-3” and turns, still walking forward, most often on a curved line, on “5-6-7”. The Cuban Vuelta is not as prominent as Vacilala (hand-held
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We have three good versions of the basic Setenta (70) move, and it is confusing to use the same name for all of them. In order to make things easier, especially if we want to call the move in Rueda de Casino, where we would like synchronisation of all the couples, it is nice to use three names for the
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The big Setenta family of moves starts with the Hammerlock, the first count of eight. Since Setenta moves are popular, the Hammerlock is likely to take place several times in each and every dance, and for that reason, it is an important basic figure to get right. We have three options for the Hammerlock: Vacilala Steps: Turning on 1-2-3, walking
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The move Ochenta y Quatro is a classic Cuban Salsa move, but it is so often used also in Rueda de Casino, that “Rueda.Casino.com”, the former “Norwegian Rueda Standard Organisation”, has included it in its Rueda de Casino Syllabus. On YouTube I have found surprisingly many videos showing Ochenta y Quatro, and many variations. It is a very popular move.
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This basic figure pops up in dance videos here and there, and I have traced its first known occurrence back to the “SALC” DVD #1, where the move is called “Arm Checks”. That is, slow movements of one of the Follow’s arms over not just the head but the body of the Lead, almost like pulling a blanket over your
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The Enchufla con tres Alardes is an excellent right-to-right handed Enchufla used by many Leads. It is a basic figure, because the Lead does not end up in Caida position (Dile Que No start position) as in Enchufla, but needs to turn right as he does the Alardes using a hook turn or the equivalent, in order to be positioned
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The handfree Vacilala is not only the most iconic signature move of Cuban Salsa, it is also one of a very few moves, where the Follow can do what she pleases from the moment she has stepped forward on count one, and the Lead let go of her hand. Vacilala por Detrás (detrás means behind) adds an extra count of
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A new creative move from Stanislav Shvertsov og Natalia Nebogatikova, “Social Dance Studio’, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 2021. Unfortunately they don’t name their moves but just call their videos for “Salsa Cubana (Casino)”. And they don’t walk an extra mile in order to make their videos more useful to the rest of the world. I have named the move Abanico con
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This is a brand new Coca-Cola turn, at least I haven’t seen it before, published by the “Social Dance Studio” in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 2021, featuring Stanislav Shvetsov and Natalia Nebogatikova. The move is probably a “Stanislav”. I instantly liked this “no name” move, and in order to make it easier to remember, I have given it the descriptive name
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I like good variations of even the most perfect move, and I love to practice variations I normally don’t use: 1) They could turn out being just as good or even better or at least useful in some situations, 2) and the more variations you practice, the easier it becomes to improvise to music, to be music driven. We should
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This new Bayamo move is a Bayamo por Arriba (Arriba = “up”) variation. I stumbled upon it in a class video from “DC Cacineros”. For Bayamo por Arriba, the Lead brings both hands over his head as the Follow is lead behind the Lead’s back. There are many options for how to continue. The most popular are to add a
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When I saw this unspecified move in the middle of a poor quality video from a Yoandy Villaurrutia and Oliwia Rylska workshop, 2019, I said to myself: “Yes, this is the move I have been looking for”. Probably there was no move, most likely just a successful Yoandy improvisation based on years of experience and hard training. But I saw
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A screw is a screw, Tornillo is a screw, and in Cuban Salsa (Casino) Tornillo is a right turn based on a very unique, almost acrobatic, handhold making a double turn possible by folding out the handhold in one go! In the social dance “Son”, one of the parents of “Casino”, we have a whole family of very different moves
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This is a surprisingly simple and excellent variation of the Siete con Coca-Cola classic, Miami style. The move is a typical Yoandy Villaurrutia move, it might be attributed to him, at least he has promoted it in recent years. I don’t know what Yoandy calls the move but he often uses “Coca-Cola” and “Moderno” as part of the moves he
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This is an important move because Para el Medio is not only the standard way to start a Rueda de Casino but it is also one of the best ways to start a social 1-on-1 dance. Para el Medio means “toward the middle”. It is sometimes shortened to Pal Medio or Al Medio, or El Medio or just Medio. The
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The Panqué (pancake) move is also called Siete (“7”), but in Rueda the move is most often called Panqué. Since the Follow is rolled in like a pancake or a burrito, the Panqué name makes a lot of sense. Even the most basic Panqué, “rolling in and out”, one count of eight, is a surprisingly difficult move unless the Follow
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I dare to call this intermediate move a classic, because I have it on an Danish produced Cuban Salsa DVD from 2011 (video 2), and the Mexican dance school “Salsafición” has publised exactly the same move with the same name, 2018 (video 1). Probably not a coincidence. I have also experienced the move several times in Rueda de Casino with
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This is an interesting intermediate-advanced move. Muchacho means “boy”. I have just learned it and I like it for a couple of reasons: 1) It starts with the rare Setenta Inverso, giving us more variation, 2) It ends with the rare triple right turn, giving us an opportunity to reconsider this difficult option. It is my guess that the move
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This name covers several different popular intermediate moves. I have found around 10 variations, having nothing in common except that they start with a right-to-right handed Vacilala (El Dedo). Nobody remembers why it is called El Dedo, (the finger), but I suspect that one finger was the hand signal for the move, and it soon also became the name for
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The Apertura (opening) figure is a good example of a basic Son figure that works just as well in Casino, Cuban Salsa. Apertura is a short basic figure of one count of eight with the purpose of “opening up = getting apart”, from closed to open position. Some dance schools call Apertura for “Dile Que No #1”. There are many
Read moreCuban Salsa, “Casino”, developed as a sub style of the Cuban Social Dance Son in the late 1950ties, and the two dances have a lot in common. Two of the major differences are that Son is danced on two, and that Son has a very distinct sideways set of steps called Son Clásico or Son Basic Steps. In Cuban Salsa,
Read moreWe have two, on the surface, equally good ways to do the Setenta, the Hammerlock part of Setenta moves. We can start with Vacilala steps, turning the Follow into the Hammerlock already on 1-2-3, and just walk on 5-6-7, or we can walk on 1-2-3, and use the Cuban Vuelta right turn on 5-6-7, also called the Habanero. Most dance
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We can do Enchufla forward and back one or several times, using the left-to-right handed Enchufla basic figure. But for some of the times, we can change hands or use both hands, and we can even use the El Uno figure instead of Enchufla. So when we call a figure Enchufla Triple Mix, it implies that we do an Enchufla
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Just like the Brazo Largo (long arm) exit from Setenta (Hammerlock), the Al Cuello (to the neck) exit is both rare and difficult, the hallmark of better dancers. Not that it is a must, but many good Leads love to use it with strong Follows. Al Cuello con Vacilala (1) Some Follows dislike the figure because it is a little
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We have at least 20 different moves called Setenta y Cuatro (74). So this move name it pretty much up for grabs. In this tutorial I have selected the move that in my opinion deserves the name. I like this version because it is one of the very few Setenta moves that has a Giro de Setenta exit (Hammerlock Exit
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I am exited about this tutorial because it presents a new family of Setenta moves most dancers have not even heard about. The origin of the Brazo Largo (long arm) exit from Setenta, the Hammerlock, is uncertain but its modern popularity can be attributed to Yoandy Villaurrutia, 2011. Yoandy has promoted the exit in many show dances with Diana Rodriguez
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The Gancho Doble de Yoandy is a special version of the standard Gancho Doble, we know from moves like Setenta y Dos. I attribute the move to the creativity of Yoandy Villaurrutia, at least his version is the only instance of this basic figure I have seen so far. The normal Gancho Doble (hook with both arms) is a little
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The La Jenny figure is another popular classic from the Salsa Lover Collection. It is a Paseala type of Rueda move also used in 1-on-1 social dancing. The Follow is lead around the Lead starting with the Paseala thumb-over-thumb, right-to-right “wrestler” handhold. The move contains an advanced use of the “police grip” most Leads only use in El Uno (Cubanita).
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This move ends with five times Dile Que No! Quite a challenge for both Lead and Follow. The first part of the move is a nice sequence of simple one handed turns, the basic stock of any social dance. But the most interesting part is of course the five times Dile Que No at the end. They can be done
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The move Siete Unisex Complicado is attributed to Henry Herrera, at least it is on his CD, “Henry Turns 4”, published around year 2005. I have not yet seen Henry’s version, but many others have made videos with the move and uploaded to YouTube. It is a good move to practice in class at intermediate level, because both Lead and
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A Tornado Doble, a forward and back similar to Enchufla Doble, works best or the easiest when Tornado is done with Dile Que No. If you need an introduction to the family of Tornado moves: See my overview tutorial, Tornado Variations. There are several ways to get into the start position for Tornado Doble. The double part, back tracking, going
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The short move Cinco Cientos (500) is a new excellent intermediate move in the Paseala family. It was made by the Italian dance school “Salsagaia”, 2018, in order to celebrate subscription number 500 to their “Salsagaia Online School” (SOS). I really like the move. In a comment to the video, I even call it “the move of the year”! But
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The two handed Pirueta Cubana is a Setenta variation (Hammerlock). In Cuban Salsa we have two basic ways to do Setenta. The Follow can turn on 1-2-3 using Vacilala, or the Follow can turn on 5-6-7 using Habanero. For Setenta done with Habanero, the Follow is lead forward on 1, she walks on 1-2-3, and turns as she continues to
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The “Salsa Lovers” dance school in Miami, USA, created by Rene Gueits in 1994, has been the most influential for how Cuban Salsa has developed outside of Cuba and for how Cuban Salsa is taught and danced to this very day. “Salsa Lovers” developed a Cuban Salsa Syllabus and a teaching method structured through Rueda de Casino, and published a
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Para Abajo, “toward down”, often just called Abajo (Abajo has several meanings in Cuban Salsa). The move is also sometimes called Llévela para Abajo or Llévala pa’bajo for short. It translates to something like “take her down”. Abajo is a basic figure that overlaps with the figure Paséala en Frente (“take her for a walk in front of you”), often
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Bayamo por Arriba (up) is a good name because it reminds us that the Lead must keep both hands high, and over his head, as the Follow is lead behind his back. Unfortunately we have three different variations called Bayamo por Arriba. The first part of the move is the same, only the ending differs. It is also confusing that
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