Cuban Salsa: The Promenade Position in the Casino dance

Dance Position is a key idea in many dance styles, including social, standard, and ballroom dancing. Most dance styles use the same three main positions:

  1. Closed Position
  2. Open Position
  3. Promenade Position

The three main positions in Cuban Salsa are the Closed Position, Open Position, and Promenade Position. While all dance schools use the terms “Closed Position” and “Open Position”, the Promenade Position is less frequently referred to by that name, as it is often called something else.

The most common name in Cuban Salsa for the Promenade Position is “By the Lead’s Right Side”, “By the Lead’s right shoulder” and “Like the Dile Que No Start Position”. All these descriptive expressions imply that there is no good short name for one of the most important positions in the Casino dance!

DQN start Position

I myself often calls the Promenade Position for the “DQN Start Position”. At least other dancers understand what you mean. But it is a long and confusing name because many other Basic Figures also start in the same position like Paséala, Exhibela, Enchufla por la Derecho and Saloneo. Also we have many situations where the Promenade Position bears no resemblance to the DQN start position.

Caída Position

A few Cuban dance schools call the Promenade Position for “Caída Position”. Caída is a common Spanish word for “fall down”, and the idea behind the “Caída Position” is probably, that to get into it from Closed Position, the Lead and the Follow turn a little and face forward and lower the frame so they can se over their hands as they start walking.

“Caída” is a Spanish dance term but it most often means “fall” like a forward bending dip. This is have it is used in Bachata Sensual. Except for a few Cuban Dance Schools, Caída is not used for Promenade Position in social dances, in standard dances and in Latin Ball Room. In Spanish the the English term “Promenade Position” is either used without translating it, like in Argentina Tango or it is called Posición de Promenade in standard dances and in Latin Ball Room in general.

We should not call “Promenade” for “Caída”. It is an unfortunate name not even the Cubans understand, it has little chances of ever getting traction in Cuba and it will never catch on Internationally.

Casino Position

Recently I have seen some dancers call the Promenade Position for “Casino Position”? This is outright junk since the same position also exists in several other Cuban Social Dances that has nothing to do with the Casino dance.

Promenade Position (PP)

In my opinion the term “Promenade Position” should also be the term used in Casino, Cuban Salsa. Why not use the same “Position” term used an almost all other dance styles that have a similar position?

At least it is the term I now use. Considering that many social Salsa dancers have no knowledge of even the most fundamental universal dance terms, I often include some of the old “hacks” to make me easier understood.

I might say “Promenade Position (aka DQN start position), or Promenade Position (aka By the Lead’s right side).

Just for fun, let us see how AI in Google Search defines “Promenade Position”:

Promenade Position (PP) is a fundamental, semi-open stance in partner dancing where both dancers face and travel in the same direction, creating a “V” shape with their bodies. It is widely used in styles like Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and various Latin and country dances.

It really makes a lot of sense also to use Promenade Positon (PP) in Cuban Salsa.