Cuban Salsa: Paséala con Coca-Cola
Paséala is a classic basic figure of one count of eight, often repeated one or more times. It is a closed position walk starting from Caída position and back to Caída positoin. Just like for Exhibela, the Follow walks three steps forward, and three steps back, still in forward walking position. For Paséale the Follow pivots left on “3-4-5” and continues three steps back to the start positon on “5-6-7”, and pivots right on “7-8-1” .
The Lead’s best way to step Paséala is to step forward to the left on “1”, continue to the right on “2-3-4-5”, and to the left again on “6-7-1”. These steps are called Lead’s Crusado Lateral or one could call them Lead’s figure eight steps. Lead’s Cruzado Lateral can be done with different styling: In a strict walking manner, as I mostly do, or a little bit more sideways with crossover steps.
Don’t back-rock
I find it quite amazing that we can do a Coca-Cola turn inside the Paséala walk pattern, just like we can do a Vacilala inside an Exhibela walk pattern except if the Follow back-rocks. I don’t want to say that back-rocking kills everything but at least it reduces the computational option to almost nothing.
As long as a Follow walks forward by default, for all six steps of a count of Eight, left and right turns can be added allmost anywhere. For turns to blend in, to integrate them seemlessly into the walk, the three steps of the turn must land ind the footprints the Follow would have been making if she had just walked the distance instead.
Coca-Cola turns
Coca-Cola is just a Cuban name for traveling left turns done with three steps. The first steps can be just for prepping, giving us a fast 360 turn between step “2” and “3”, but I recommend to use all three steps for the turn, giving us a 360 consisting of two 180 degree half turns.
As part of Paséala, I recommend to do Coca-Cola on “5-6-7”. Start with at least one normal Paséala. It is important that the Paséala pattern is established before added a Coca-Cola. Then change handgrip to signal that the Coca-Cola is comming. If the Follow is used to Coca-Cola turns inside Paséala, the need for prepping the turn is reduced.
Paséala has many options. When Coca-Cola is added to “5-6-7”, the most likely continuation is to lead the Follow outside into Caída or inside into Rodeo.