In Cuban Salsa, the most common walk in Sweetheart Position is a variation of El Uno (Shadow Position). If the hands are lifted up to shoulder height when walking left-right-left, etc, the Lead walk the Follow in the Sweetheart Position. Similar, the Half Sombrero is often the start of getting into the Sweetheart Position with the Follow to the left
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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
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The Policia por Abajo turn is quite common. From the Hammerlock position, left or right, the Lead bends the Follow’s other arm and turns her “down under” using the shoulder as pivot point and the now stretched Hammerlock arm as a lever. I have seen it in hundreds of videos with a lot of variation. Sometimes the turn starts immediately
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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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