The most important way to get better in social dancing is to improve the basic steps and turn techniques in more and more combinations of basic figures. In this tutorial we are focusing on the steps of the Follower. Because the Leader can step however he wants as long as he manages to make the Follow step spot on with
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The ExhÃbela Trio is simply three ExhÃbela variations that work well together. First the basic ExhÃbela, one or more times, next Vacilala inside ExhÃbela, one or more times, and at the end ExhÃbela but instead of going back into CaÃda position, the Follow is walked into the start position of Open Position or into a “7-8-1” pivot as shown in
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Enchufla is one of the most important basic figures in Cuban Salsa. In most named longer moves, Enchufla is likely to appear one or more times. No other basic figure have so many options for what to do at the half-way position. Many of the options are basic figures in their own right. Enchufla can be started from more positions
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For a long time I have wanted to create a rock solid Titanic figure for Casino, and I have collected video clips of such figures from other social dance styles for inspiration. Both walks on a straight line and in circular motion. A month ago, I decided to give the Titanic walk a serious go. It took me and my
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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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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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Genuine Cuban Salsa, based on the Circle and Walks, makes it possible for both the Lead and the Follow to step forward simultaneously, on all six steps of a count of Eight. This is unique for Cuban Salsa. It is simply not possible in “forward-and-back” type of dancing in the rectangular slut of X-Body Salsa. The purpose of the Lead’s
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Let us talk handholds in social partner dancing, let us take a closer look at the basic handholds for the start position of Open Position in Cuban Salsa and for Salsa in general and for several other social dances like Bachata: “Claim the Wall” (The Cup) , The Pistol (Gun), the Spiderman, and he Classic Cuban Macho handholds. What are
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Syncopation is to use the timing in between the beats for stepping, and in its simple form, the “and” in the middle between the beats. Some advanced dancers might sub-divide the space between the beats even further. E.g.: Normally a Vacilala is done as a Three Step Traveling Right Turn on “1-2-3”. Using syncopation, the Follow could instead do a
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Coca-Cola is one of a handfuld of dance terms used or known by most of us. Why are left turns called Coca-Cola? Before we answer this question, let us take a closer look at the use of left turns in Casino, Cuban Salsa. They are surprisingly rare! I have analysed thousands of videos of social dancing, and in half of
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