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We are free to do our own fine tuning of well-known A Bayamo figures. If our variation is substantial, we should change the name accordingly. Often just adding the word “variation” to the figure name can be enough.

Very often video variations of A Bayamo figures are really not variations, but flat wrong attempts to do one of the well-known moves. I strongly recommend that badly executed, misleading, badly named, confusing videos, are deleted, as soon as the responsible dancers realize that their video is not a service to the salsa community.

A Bayamo by “Salsa4Water”

“Salsa4Water” has made many good videos. In the following video they do A Bayamo twice. The two attempts are then repeated in slow motion. The first time the figure is done ok. The second time, it is a disaster.

The return trip merges two steps into one. The Dile Que Si type of right turn on 1-2-3 and leading the Follow behind the Lead on 5-6-7 is done simultaneously on 1-2-3. For 5-6-7 they just thread water. I don’t buy that it is on purpose, that they want to show us two versions of the same move.

In all the other videos, I have seen, with this couple, they always repeat the same move twice.

Same video at YouTube: A Bayamo . Ok the first time, wrong the second time.

A Bayamo by Dansstudio Cubadanza

A Bayamo is a unique move, characterized by its long walk around the Lead taking two eight-counts. In the following video the walk of two eight-counts is reduced to one, completely destroying the unique long walk feature of the move:

Same video at YouTube: A Bayamo reduced to a single eight-count mockery.

A Bayamo by SalsaCandelahu

Those people have made a lot of nice, soft-spoken videos. In this one almost any thing is wrong. Arms hanging down like dead limps, one handed, the characteristic walk of A Bayamo figures down the drain, replaced by nothing:

Same video at YouTube: A Bayamo . Complete disaster.

A Bayamo Complicado by HooLooVooPL

Nothing wrong with this video except that is is badly named. Why call A Bayamo por Abajo, the easiest of all figures in the A Bayamo family, for A Bayamo Complicado?

When a figure is called A Bayamo Complicado, we expect A Bayamo with some type of extension, with a Complicado added to it. We don’t expect another figure and on top of it, the most easy one:

Same video at YouTube: A Bayamo por Abajo mislabeled A Bayamo Complicado.

This HooLooVooPL guy even have a similar video out there called Matanzas Complicado!

Matanzas y complicate by Ron Con Limon

This video is extremely bad for two reasons: 1) Why call the easiest of all A Bayamo moves, A Bayamo por Abajo for Matanzas y complicate? 2) In the moves the Lead ducks under the arm of the Follow on 1-2-3 instead of on 5-6-7. One can do that but it really looks awkward and the couple must thread water on 5-6-7.

Same video at YouTube: A Bayamo por Abajo mislabeled Matanzas complicate and badly excecuted going under the arm on 1-2-3 instead of on 5-6-7.