The Grapevine is a universal dance pattern used in many dance styles. It is not common in Cuban Salsa. I don’t know of any named classic move containing a Grapevine figure. I have wanted to use such a figure in my Casino for a long time. Fortunately, Grapevine figures are common in Cuban Son. I have looked at a lot
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This iconic video clip is from the 1939 film, “Another Thin Man”. The dancers, René Rivero Guillén and Ramona Ajón (Estella), where originally from Matanzas in Cuba. The video clip is fabulous, mesmerizing. The Mother of all Cuban Son. There is only one problem. The dance is completely dominated by the Leader. This is a common problem in Cuban social
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If a Follow steps forward by default on 6 out of 6 steps of a count of Eight, creating an ongoing forward motion, it is easy for the Lead to add turns, left or right, all over the place, at the start of the Eight Count, in the middle of the Eight count and at the end of an eight
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The figure name Dile Que Si is a good example of the anarchy and of the complete lack of a textbook authority in Casino, Cuban Salsa. Just because we have a figure called Dile Que No (Say no to her), many people think that there must be a corresponding figure called Dile Que Si (Say no to her). But there
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The Rainbow, Arcoíris, is often depicted as a brain dead Rueda Couple Move, always done the same way and often rushed, that is, the Rainbow goes up and down on “1-2-3” and into Hammerlock on “5-6-7”. I prefer to enjoy the Rainbow, using at least a full count, and first to exit back-to-back on the next count. Social dancing should
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Many Leads across many sub-styles of Cuban Salsa use Paseo Walks in a box-shaped pattern starting from Open Position and sometimes called Caminala. The Lead can change handholds for each half count or use the basic left-2-right handhold all the way, and one can walk the figure one or more times. After one or more Paseo Básico walks, many Leads
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I first saw this sequence of basic figures deep inside a demo dance of a Polish couple, 2016. I don’t know if it was pure inspiration, or one of the standard moves of the Leader. I don’t know if he has ever used it again or if has a name for it. I link to the video below. I liked
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Thank you to Diana Rodriguez Garcia and Ismaray Aspirini for this workshop dance video that gives us an opportunity to talk about some of the important issues in Cuban Salsa. The video, labeled Casino con Trucos (tricks), was first published on Ismaray Aspirina’s FB Page, April 7, 2022, and shared by Diana Rodriguez Garcia on her FB Page April 8.
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The name Vacilala Continuado seams so obvious and straight forward as a name of a figure that it must exist. But it doesn’t until now. At least not as a generalised figure, easy to replicate. Except that we do have a short “Continuado” called Vacilala Double. But even double turns are surprisingly rare iCuban Salsa. They are difficult on a
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For many years I have worked hard to reduce the use of named moves in my social dancing. Almost all named moves are fixed sequences of basic figures with a beginning and an ending, a mini-dance following the Rueda template for how to construct couple moves for use in Rueda de Casino. Just think of it! To base a social
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