Handholds in Salsa-Casino

Most Leaders use too many handholds because they have learned moves and figures from a wide range of dance classes and workshops where the instructors used their own private variation. If a Leader also dance Son, Bachata or a variety of other social dance styles, they quickly get overwhelmed and are often in doubt of how to hold hands in many situations.

I took my dance to the next level, the day I decided to get rid of redundant junk and only use one and the same handhold for anything where it works fine, and drop the rest. It is called the CUP or my favorite descriptive name: “Climb the Wall”. In addition I use a number of special handholds for very specific situations like Closed Position and for turns or in dynamic dancing where fingertips and hooked fingers take us a long way. I also use the mutual Wrestler Handhold in figures like Paseo de Ola and when free-styling.

I only use mutual handholds where the Follower must contribute half of the tension. I never grab the Follower’s hands, wrists or forearm as is so common in Cuban Salsa. I hate the look and feel of Followers being manhandled and treated like animals or dead bodies. I only use hand-holds where the Follower is equal, free to walk away without the need for Jiu-Jitsu.