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The move Siete con Coca-Cola is on the surface a lovely intermediate move, “easy” and seemingly very popular. At least we can find many videos demonstrating the move on YouTube. But it is a problematic social move because it is difficult for the Lead to lead it properly. It works in Rueda de Casino because the Follow is supposed to know the move and she hears the call just as well as the Lead. That is, instead of being lead, the Follow is told what to do in advance.

No clear leading

When we look at the videos below, Siete con Coca-Cola seems to be a no brainer. But it isn’t. The inherent problem with this and similar Siete moves is that a rectangular move is not easy to fit into the circular motion of the traditional Partner Circle. When Siete is done without the Coca-Cola, the Follow is lead into a halfway position with her back to the Lead, ready to step forward on “5” or to return back undoing the roll-in.

In order to do the Miami-style Siete con Coca-Cola, the Follow must angle her foot 90 degrees or more to the left and turn around the Lead to the left of him as she do the Coca-Cola turn. This is in theory possible, especially if the Follow uses the Latin Spiral Turn technique. But how is she to know to angle her left foot 90 degrees left, as she steps forward on “5”?

Good Lead and strong Follow

There is no way a Lead can tell a Follow to angle her left foot 90 degrees to the left as in Siete con Coca-Cola instead of just stepping forward and return back as in Siete or continuing forward!

A good Lead and a strong Follow will always be able to do Siete con Coca-Cola also in social dancing, but the move relies on good luck, and the Follow being pushed and twisted around in a manner that is not good for most Follows knees. With many Followers the move is likely to look clumsy with rotten foot work, and the Follow is easily brought out of balance.

A matter of dance style

I the Casino dance I believe in, the Follow mainly walks and turns on curved lines, the next step always placed logically in front of the previous as in natural walking. Directional changes follows the Two Times Three principle. That is the Follow walks forward three steps and uses the pause to pivot around: “1-2-3-pause-5-6-7-pause-1. That is the change of direction happens on “3-pause-5” and on “7-pause-1”. Enchufla, Paséala and Exhibela are good examples.

The Miami style Siete con Coca-Cola figures break and undermines those principles. They do an extreme directional change not by natural stepping but by stepping in an extreme angle with the feet on “5” and on “1”.

In my Casino, 90 degree changes of direction doesn’t exist. They cause to sharp angels. In the Miami Coca-Cola moves from Panqué position, the Follow steps first almost 90 degree to the left, and on “1” she is led into another 90 degree angel in order to come around the Lead.

Good Leads and Follows are able to do it in a way that looks good, but it is a sure recipe for trouble with many Follows. Coca-Cola turns on a curved or straight line are difficult enough. Coca-Cola turns changing direction two times 90 degree is even more difficult.

The problem is not that it is difficult but that it undermines core principles underpinning my way of dancing. How can I teach my Follows to step on curved lines, when I force her to do Coca-Cola turn on a “L” shaped line? The homegrown often clumsy stepping of Miami Siete con Coca-Cola figures are likely to have a negative effect on how the Follow steps Coca-Cola turns on a curved or straight line. Very difficult to enforce those proper trajectories, when I sometimes force her to step “L” shaped!

For those reasons I never use most of the Miami style Siete con Coca-Cola figures (Siete Moderno is an exception) in my normal social dancing.

Make “junk” look nice

Video #1 from the Hungarian Dance School “Dolce Dance”, 2010, looks nice, but don’t be fooled. It is easy to make a not leadable move look convincing if you rehearse a couple of times before the video camera button is pressed.

Video #2 is from the “Salsa Lovers” DVDs, year 2000, uploaded to YouTube much later. Rene Gueits is the first known Lead to present the move in a video.

Rescue Siete con Coca-Cola

It is possible to do Panqué con Coca-Cola in a way that works well in social dancing without breaking the fundamental principles and rules I believe are important for Casino based on natural walking. One simply has to accept that Siete/Panqué is a rectangular basic figure.

In the halfway position of Panqué, the Follow has her back to the Lead ready to step forward on “5” away from the Lead. To add a Coca-Cola turn the Lead simply let the Follow step forward for the turn, and the Lead walks forward as well and roll her out with a Coca-Cola turn. On “5” the Lead can use Entrada step (Hook behind) for a tight turn or he can walk forward and into Rodeo.

The next video features me and Mona experimenting with a Panqué con Coca-Cola. In the video the Lead uses Entrada on “5” for getting the Follow out of the Panqué but he could also have walked forward for a less tight Coca-Cola turn.

Pancake con Coca-Cola and Rodeo