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The Saloneo basic figure is a walk in Caída position (aka Dile Que No start position). We have always had Leads walking around like that but mostly small time without really thinking about what they were doing. Yoel Marreo (MCC) generalised the Caída walk into a handful of solid basic figures. “Open Saloneo” is my contribution to the family, but many other Leads must have done something similar.

Basic Saloneo variations:

1. Saloneo
2. Saloneo por Detrás
3. Saloneo por Dentro
4. Saloneo Cruzado (Alexander Pavlov)
5. Open Saloneo

Open Saloneo

For the classic Saloneo, the Follow starts in Caída start position on “1”, she walks a “S”-shaped pattern into the next Caída start position on “7-8”, etc. The “Open Saloneo” is to do exactly the same but the Follow is only led by the shoulder with the Lead’s right arm.

“Open Saloneo” can be used on its own but most often a Lead will like to combine several Saloneo variations into a longer Saloneo walk.

Video #1 is from a Practica Training Session with me and Mona, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2022. Watch the small girl in the background, she is going to be a great dancer one day. The video has also examples of Saloneo por Dentro con Rodeo, Paséala, Exhibela Largo con Rodeo, Exhibela con Rodeo and of Sácala into Half Sombrero.

For Saloneo walks as well as for many other great social moves, they work the best if the Follow always steps forward on “1” in the main mode of Cuban Salsa. Many of the best basic figures and walks fall apart and must be aborted as soon as the Follow makes a back-step instead of continuing forward.