Cuban Salsa: The Promenade Position in the Casino dance

Many social dance styles as well as Standard dances and Latin Ball Room use the same three main positions:

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

This is also the three main positions in Cuban Salsa. While all Cuban Salsa 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 “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 often call the Promenade Position for the “DQN Start Position”. At least other Cuban Salsa 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 some situations where the Promenade Position bears little resemblance to the DQN start position. DQN is the primary way start left turning circular motion. The Promenade Position is also relevant in walks outside the circle.

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 so they both face forward and they lower the frame so they can see 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. Caída is not used for Promenade Position in social dances in general. In Spanish the English term “Promenade Position” is either used without translating it, like in Argentinean Tango, or it is translated to Posición de Promenade in standard dances and in Latin Ball Room.

We should not call “Promenade” for “Caída”. It is a confusing term 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 heard 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

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 to understand.

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. And of cause the “The Promenade Positions” is not exactly the same across all these different dance styles. It has always been modified to suit the needs of any particular dance.

We even have “Promenade Position” is ice skate dancing.