Basic and Special steps
Leader
| 1 | Basic Steps |
| 2 | Casino Clásico (Walking Basic Steps) |
| 3 | Cruzado Lateral |
| 4 | Paseo Walk Turn |
| 5 | Dile Que No |
| 6 | Dile Que No Mentira |
| 7 | DQN in left turning motion |
| 8 | Diamond |
| 9 | Box Step |
| 10 | Son Clásico |
| 11 | Saloneo |
| 12 | Hook Behind on “5” (Entrada) |
Follower
| 1 | Basic Steps |
| 2 | Casino Clásico (Walking Basic Steps) |
| 3 | Enchufla Continuado |
| 4 | Diamond |
| 5 | Crossover |
| 6 | Sacala |
| 7 | Paseo Walk |
| 8 | Saloneo Walk |
| 9 | Son Clásico |
| 9 | Box Step |
My Cuban Salsa, Casino, is based on natural walking, where we move forward by default. The Lead steps back in several important figures like DQN and in the Paseo Walk Turn but the Follow should always walk forward, keep the momentum going, unless the Lead blocks her way, or the Lead is explicitly leading her backward and in a few figures like the Son “Forward and Back” (three steps forward, three steps back).
Salsa “foreward and back” doesen’t exist in my Cuban Salsa but could be used as an exception to the rule. Side steps, diagonal back-rocking, Rumba side steps, only exist as an exception to the rule.
The basic steps of the Follow is Casino Clasico. To walk forward on all steps of the Eight Count. The Follow can change direction in the corner on “4” and on “8”. Like in Enchufla she walks “1-2-3”, twist around 180 degree on “4” and continues forward on “5-6-7”. Like in Exhibela from the West position of the Partner Circle, she walks “1-2-3”, pivot around on “3-pause-5” and walks back to West position on the Partner Circle where she can continue around the Lead or pivot inside or outside on “7-pause-1”.
Only DQN into Open Position and Sacala with an extra step forward on “5”, are exceptions to the Follow’s Casino Clásico. In addition we have the Special Steps of the Follow mentioned above.
The Leaders steps only serve one purpose: “To make the Follow step her steps”. As long at that happens, the Lead can step however he wants, but consistency is always a good thing. In praxis the Lead is best served by stepping as well-formed and uptimized as possible. That works the best for most Follows, most of the time.
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