Cuban Salsa: Dile Que No Inverso
In my Casino based on natural walking, Dile Que No Inverso is a basic figure of one count of eight. It starts with the Follow at the Lead’s left side. And the rest of it is like an opposite Dile Que No for short.
The Follow walks forward six steps on a curved line from left to right. The Lead steps forward on “1” and back on “2” and “3” and then forward to the left and continues on a right curved line. For step “5” the Lead can use the so-called Entrada step (Hook Behind) or he can cross behind or over.
Invented by chance?
Dile Que No is one of the most important figures in the Casino dance. Dile Que No Inverso on the other hand is so rare that I sometimes fools me into thinking that I have “invented” it. I use it a lot, at least once in every second dance. But at this moment I can’t remember if I have seen it in any other Lead’s repertoire.
In my own dance DQN INVERSO came to me by chance. I take videos of my dance training sessions at least once a week. One day when I analyzed the latest batch of videos I suddenly noticed a pattern that was new to me and said to myself: “What is this? It looks like an opposite Dile Que No”. Why not recognize it as such? Why not refine it and generalize it into a useful basic figure, easy to reproduce? And why not give it a name?
Video #1 shows some of my first video recordings of Dile Que No Inverso
Many other Leads are probably using Dile Que No Inverso without having a name for it and without being aware of it. If the Lead’s dance resembles a “one couple” Rueda with the Lead calling the moves inside his head, Dile Que No Inverso is most likely not used. But in dancing based on ever changing combinations of basic figures with a lot of forward walking momentum for the Follow, Dile Que No Inverso is very likely to pop up here and there at least in theory.
Now when I have recognized Dile Que No Inverso in my own dancing, I use it more often and step it more consistently. And I find it to be a very useful basic figure.
