Cuban Salsa: Overview of turns in Casino

More about turns in general

1. Three Step Pivot-Compass

The Three Step Pivot-Compass is the natural way to do traveling turns as two half turns of 180 degrees. It is the standard turn technique for traveling right turns and left turns (Vacilala, Coca-Cola). The Follow pivots around on the first step and lands on the second with her back to the front. The third step swings the leg around and completes the circle like pivoting the leg of a a pair of Compasses.

->	Three Step Pivot Turns in Casino

2. Three Step Pivot-Spiral

Pivot-Spiral is the only serious all-round alternative to Pivot-Compass but far less common. The Follow pivots around on the first step and lands on the second with her back to the front. The third step is brought around by using spiral turn technique. When the technique is learned, Spiral turns are easy, sturdy and more reliable than Pivot-Compass.

3. Cuban Lazy Turn

This turn technique is by far the most common turn technique in Casino. It can best be described as a badly executed Three Step Pivot turn. The Follow is not able to turn 360 degrees with three steps. Often as much as 90 degrees of the full turn is missing. It works in many situations like for the Setenta Hammerlock. Lazy turns make double turns unlikely and undermines the circular motion.

4. Three Step Half Pirouette

This is a Three Step Pivot Turn starting with a half pirouette, collecting the feet. A very common technique in many social dance styles. It works for Setenta Hammerlock but takes a step out of the forward walking motion. Double turns are not likely and it doesn’t work well in many situations.

5. Three Step Châiné

Three Step Châiné turns, collecting the feet on “2-3” looks great in some situations when done by good dancers but in general it integrates poorly into walks because it takes a forward step out to the forward motion. The collecting of the feet makes it hard to do double turns.

6. The Janus Turn

7. Walk Around Turn

The Walk Around Turn is similar to a Salsa Vualta except that the Follow walks forward on all steps. It only works in a small sub-set of situations like for the Setenta Hammerlock. Since it is not really a turn it makes multiple turns impossible and doesn’t work in most turn situations. It is more like a walk or “move” in its own right and can be done stationary or semi traveling.

8. Two Step Pivot-Compass Turn

I regard Two Step Pivot Turns as the last half of a Three Step Turn where all the turning has been transferred from the first half of the Three Step Turn to the last half of the turn. It works very well in many situations for better dancers and can be used as an advanced option. I don’t recommend using them because they are more demanding to lead and follow, they give a faster turn, and the technique is more difficult for multiple turns.

9. Two Step Pivot-Spiral Turn

I regard Two Step Spiral turns as an option for the last half of a Three Step Pivot Turn where all the turning has been transferred from the first half of the the Three Step Turn to the last half of the turn. That is, the first step is for prepping. It works very well in many situations and can be used as an advanced option if a fast turn is wanted or needed.

10. Two Step 3/4 Pirouette Turn

The “3/4 Pirouette Turn” is a two step turn completing a full 360 with two steps. It is common at beginner-intermediate level but it almost never happens on purpose and nobody regards it as a proper turn techniques. It is more like a “too long” Three Step Half Pirouette turn or a “too short” full Pirouette turn.

11. Pirueta al Medio

This is a difficult turn and mostly happens when the Lead fails to lead the Follow into a proper Three Step Pivot turn on “3-5-6”. If the Lead leads with too much force, the Follow is likely to overturn the pivot into a full circle like a pirouette. Some Follow’s do it on purpose. But it is not a universal or versatile turn. It makes multiple turns unlikely and works. best between “3-5”: Al Medio.

12. Back-Rocking Three Step Turn

Back-Rocking turns doesn’t exit in my “Casino based on natural walking” but it is possible to do a perfect Vacilala on “1-2-3” starting with a back-step! It is extremely rare because it is not a universal or versatile turn technique. In the video I show it with Spiral technique but Compass technique can also be used.

13. Salsa Right Vuelta

In American Salsa on One “LA Style” and Salsa on Two “New York Style”, the right Vuelta is the standard way to turn. The Follow starts with a back step and is prepped on “1-2-3” and turns on “5-6-7”. The Salsa Vuelta doesn’t exist is my Casino based on natural walking. Not only does it start with a back-step for no good reason, it is also not a traveling turn but stationary.

14. LEFT TURNS: Coca-Cola and Vuelta

Almost all the turn techniques for right turns can also be used for left turns. But we see much fewer. For two reasons. Left turns are less common and the most common Coca-Cola turn is mostly done as in “inside turn” around the Lead on “5-6-7”. Traveling right turns start on “1” or “3” and even on “5”, it is common to do them traveling on curves line around the Lead as well as on a straight line or stationary. This gives us many more options for how exactly to turn when it comes to right turns.

15. Salsa Left Vuelta

The Salsa Left Vuelta has no place in “Casino based on Natural Walking”. It is interesting that even at Cuban Salsa Events, the back-rocking right and left Vuelta is often used when warming up. A little silly since many Cuban dancers like me never use these turns in social dancing. Even dancers that do use them once in a while, would be much better off using traveling Three Step Turns for warming up because they are harder to master.

16. Coca-Cola Three Step Turns

Traveling left turns, so-called Coca-Cola turns, are almost always done with Three Step Pivot Technique using “Compass” pivot at the end to bring the leg around. Spiral techniques could also be used. Most of the turn techniques mentioned above could be used but we rarely see them. Cuban Lazy turns, that is Failed Three Step Turns”, are the most common. Even the good techniques often exit with a trailing first step after the turn making multiple turns impossible or unlikely as quality turns.

17. Adiós Carousel

I call mutual turning around one and the same axis for Adiós (“Farewell – Go to God”) or Adiós Carousel to make what we are talking about more clear. Adiós Carousel is one of the most popular figurers across many dance styles.

18. Hook Turns (Giro de Son)

Almost entirely done by the Lead but the Follow could use them when dancing apart. Hook turns are called Ronde or Evelin in the Miami Cuban Salsa Tradition. I use the terms “Hook Turn” and “Ronde” because they are easily understood at any level anywhere in the world. For the opposite reason I seldom use the term “Giro de Son”.

19. Son Tornillos for Lead and Follow

Several variations where either the Lead or the Follow walks the other partner around like a carousel.

20. Spin and Spot Turns

In non-Cuban Salsa styles “Stir the pot” Spin turns are so common that they could be considered the signature turns of those dance styles like Salsa LA and New York Style. Doing spin turns on your own, so-called Spot turns, are also very common outside Cuban Salsa. Both types of Spin turns can be used in Cuban Salsa but they are rare and should only be used as an exception to the rule (I almost never use them).

Introduction

This quick overview of how the Follows turn in Casino is based on my study of thousands of dance videos. Very little is known about this most important subject. Hardly any online tutorials exist except for the visual presentation of Vacilala and Coca-Cola turns. Many dance schools mostly ignore turn techniques as a serious subject.

One reason could be that most instructors are male and mostly teach from a Lead’s perspective. Many Lead’s have no clue of how the Follows turn. No wonder that many Leads find it hard to initiate turns, hard to time them and to support the Follow during her execution. of the turn.

Most Followers struggle doing double turns for a simple reason: They can’t even do a single turn good enough to make a double turn possible or likely to succeed!

In order to generalize the different techniques in a coherent, easy to understand manner, I demo each one of them in almost slow-motion with focus on simplified stepping. My goal is to present the techniques as raw templates anyone can replicate and learn. Next level is to use them when dancing.

All sorts of turn techniques from other social dance styles and from Standard and Latin Ball Room can be used in Cuban Salsa as an exception to the rule. Especially when dancing apart. In partner work there are strict requirements when turns become part of moves and walks. even the most universal and versatile techniques must be modified and adapted to work well in the Casino dance.

Only a couple of the techniques are good enough to work in any situation. That’s where the focus should be. The rest is Plan B or errors that just happens as shit happens even in my own dancing. Turns are difficult. Misunderstandings occur all the time. The Follow is often taken by surprise. The Lead often initiate the turn too early or too late, and lead them too forcefully or too soft or from a less than perfect position.

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