Cuban Salsa: Siete Loco
Siete Loco (Crazy Seven) is a rather common move with a lot of videos out there. Let me say it as it is: This is a fake move right in your face! There is no way to lead it in social dancing. The move requires that the Follow’s left hand is available for the Lead over her right shoulder easy to grab. This is almost never the case when the Lead starts Siete also called Panqué wide a broad selection of random Follows.
Siete Loco and the move Siete Loco Complicado are typical Miami moves from the “Salsa Racing” and “Salsa Lovers” dance schools, created around year 2000. The moves will of cause work in Rueda de Casino because the Follow hears the Rueda Call and can use that as the lead. But we should never use moves that looks like social moves in Rueda de Casino unless they also work in social dancing. Because the Leads will start using them in social dancing right away.
Conclusion: Moves like Siete Loco and Siete Loco Complicado should never be used, they don’t work in social dancing. They are examples of how Rueda de Casino can be evil and very destructive for social dancing. Many dance schools mostly teach Rueda de Casino and basic figures and moves as used in Rueda de Casino. Students out of such dance schools must unlearn a lot of stuff, if they are ever going to be good social dancers.
Video #1 is from “Dolce Dance”, Hungary, 2010:
Siete Loco has a rather common ending we see in many other moves: Two times Exhibela and an Alarde (head loop) to the Lead.
Video #2 is from “Hanami Dance”, Hungary, 2018. I like that they have time to connect. But the move doesn’t work in social dancing except with a partner the Lead has told how to hold her left hand on “5” whenever a Siete move is coming.
Video #3 is from “Oportunidance Project”, Romania, 2016. It looks so nice but any Siete/Panqué move must have as point of departure, that the Follow hold their hands exactly as in the basic Siete/Panqué figure.
This danceblog, SalsaSelfie.com, has its focus on social dancing.
And I somehow take for granted that moves and basic figures presented anywhere in videos, classes and workshops are realistic for social dancing.
But that is too often not the case!
I don’t mind that we have a lot of Rueda moves specific for Rueda as long as they can not be mistaken for social moves.
And I don’t mind that shows and performance dance contain long choreographed sequences that have more in common with circus artists than with social dancing.
But when we teach moves and basic figures to be used in social dancing they must be realistic and leadable. Any detail of a social move must pass the test of “leading/following”.
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