SalsaSelfie.com 🇨🇺

In order to do a successful traveling double turn, two times 360, the first turn must be spot on. The second turn is more difficult, that is, the start position of the second turn must be at least as good as for the first turn. If the exit from the first turn isn’t perfect, it does not make sense to add another turn.

Three Step Turns are the standard way to do a traveling turn in Cuban Salsa, doing 180 degree between step “1” and step “2”, and another 180 degree between step “2” and step “3”. We also have Two Step Spiral Turns. For Double turns, one can either use the the same technique, two Three Step Turns or two Two Step Spiral Turns, or one can combine the techniques, e.g. using Three Step technique for the first and Two Step Spiral technique for the second.

For Left turns, so-called Coca-Cola turns, the most common Three Step Turn starts on “5” as last part of Dile Que No. The second Three Step Turn starts on “7”, that is, step “7” is both the last step of the first turn and the first step of the second turn. Two Step Spiral Turns will normally start on “6” for the first turn and on “1” for the second.

A good Lead and Follow can start Three Step Left Turns on any step, at least in theory, but starting on “5” is the most common. Two Step Spiral Left Turns can only start on “1”, “3” and “6”.

Coca-Cola turns as last half of Dile Que No is the most common, but one can also do left turns as part of Paseala and Exhibela as well as of Paseo Walks, Caminala Walks, Saloneo walks, Paseo de Ola, et cetera. A good Follow can turn left in the first or in the last half of a Count of Eight, in the middle of a Count of Eight, and in the corners, starting at the end of the previous Count of Eight, or ending in the next Count of Eight.

The video shows the following combinations of Three Step Turns and Two Step Spiral Left Turns:

A Lead should test a Follow’s turn qualification starting with a single turn. If the Follow is doing perfect, she deserves a double turn next time around. A good Lead can abort the second turn as if nothing has happened, if he senses that the first turn isn’t good enough.

Handfree Coca-Cola

Just like for a hand-free Vacilala, a Follow should always aim at doing a traveling double turn, if at all possible, when given a hand-free Coca-Cola left turn. If the double turn is successful, the Lead and the Follow can celebrate the succes by doing additional improvised turns and spins, moving around and change positions in a playful manner.

When given a free turn, many Follows just do one traveling turn and next they improvise some homegrown spin turn. This homegrown turn will never be as as interesting as the second of a perfect traveling double turn, and the double turn is the perfect setup for free-styling and going “rogue” for a while.