Tips for Rueda Moves

TIPS FOR SPECIFIC RUEDA MOVES

These notes are not intended to be a description of any of the moves.  They are pointers and pitfalls to watch for as you dance.
The pointers below assume that dancers are doing the moves in the Miami style. So dancers trained in other approaches can make the appropriate adjustments for the way they execute moves.

Also, these tips were initially written a number of years ago when leaders were nearly always men and followers nearly always women. That rigid view of gender in dance has loosened considerably in recent years, so that now anyone may be leading or following. The material below has been updated, but in case any gendered pronouns “slipped through,” bear in mind that male-oriented pronouns really just refer to leaders and female-oriented pronouns refer to followers.

For sure, it’s a great advantage for dancers to know how to both lead and follow. Folks who know both parts are a great benefit to a dance group!

 

FLY / HIGH 5 / HIGH 10 / BESITOS / LOW BALL

These steps are simple moves that are great to help teach the rhythm of the dance.  Leaders turn to their right and face the follower behind them; they clap, “air kiss" or do a high 5/10 on beat 1.  Followers turn to their left and face the leader behind them to do this move.  Then everyone comes back to the basic position by turning on beat two and resuming the basic step on beat 5.

 

DAME DOS

Dame dos is conceptually and rhythmically identical to Dame Una. A common mistake that dancers make in general is to take steps that are too large so teachers often encourage small steps. But Dame Dos is an exception. Leaders usually need to take big steps in this move to get to their next partner. They should be comfortably next to their new partner and facing the center by beat 4 of Dile Que No.

 

ENCHUFLA

An issue in doing/learning this step is that you need to do the turn in one beat. Beginners often turn slowly instead of sharply in a single beat. That can put them behind the beat for the remainder of the move. 

 

ADIOS

There are different ways that partners can hold each other in this move. I like to do it so that on beat 3, dancers get into what is essentially a ballroom embrace ("back-spot turn" position). Leads provide a firm but comfortable frame for their partner. This is not a common position in Rueda, but it's one that feels very nice. Some groups have the lead and follow “more offset” than what is described here, which is also ok.

 

PA TI PA MI

This step is conceptually simple---it's just three Enchuflas. But it's a surprisingly beautiful move, given its simplicity. 

You have to move through each Enchufla fairly quickly (turning in one beat) to be ready for the next one. I find that if dancers lower their arms after each Enchufla and then they raise their arms again to do the next one, it helps mark the rhythm. I highly recommend this step for demonstrations and performances, by the way--it looks beautiful from outside the circle.

 

EVELyN AND FLAMENCO

These steps can start like Adios.  But almost as soon as the Adios turn is initiated, the leader must start to break the follower's movement.  It is unusual to start a move and stop it so quickly; but if that isn't done, the follower may turn too far.  So be ready to lead a turn and put the brakes on almost as soon as it starts! In Flamenco, the leader also leads the lady in an Exhibe.

 

KENTUCKY

In Kentucky, leads need to make sure that they turn all the way around to face the center before the do the DileQue No. Leaders often don't quite get that far around when first learning the move.  They must be sure also that they are right on the circumference rather than behind it.  In addition, the leader’s right hand stays on his shoulder while only the left goes overhead.  This has a much sharper look than allowing both arms to go overhead.  Note that this requires isolating muscles which takes practice since people are accustomed to using their arms in tandem.

 

VARIOUS STEPS THAT can BEGIN WITH THE TAP ON THE 8TH BEAT

That one little tap on beat 8 really throws a lot of people. Sometimes, it especially throws experienced Salsa dancers because they've spent so much time stepping only on beats 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. If you've done something countless times a certain way, it can be hard to change even if it's a small change. Practice will cure that problem, of course.

However, note that it’s not essential to do a tap. Dancers begin the step on the next beat 1, and they are on the same foot whether they tapped or not.

But here are a few pointers on the tap itself if you do it. Your knee should be bent; that is, don't straighten the knee out and then tap. (That makes it hard to get to the next step in time.)  And don't put a lot of weight on the tapped foot. It has a little weight, but then on the next beat you step onto that same foot with your full weight.  What is important is stepping precisely on the correct beat.

 

SIETE / SIETE MODERNO / SIETE LOCO

On siete, how far the follower turns in is a matter of taste or preference. But if you are first learning, I suggest a shallow turn of 180 degrees, from facing into the circle to facing out of it. If you roll further than that, unrolling can be strained in the time you have. 

As you go on with other steps that "stem" from siete, it is important for followers to leave their hands up around mid-chest level.  In Siete Moderno for example, the leaders need to switch hands quickly and they need to be able to find the followers’ hand easily.  So when you do any of the sietes, followers should make a special effort to leave their hands where the leader can easily find them.  This is good general advice for other steps as well by the way.

 

CANDADO

When Rueda dancers do Candado, there is a tendency to stomp the steps once they complete the "Kentucky-like" turn and the ladies are facing the leaders' backs.  The noise of this stomping makes the music hard to hear. Because of this, I've seen dancers start to either speed up or slow down so they are no longer stepping to the beat of the music. So keep a close ear out for the music whenever you do this step!

 

DAME ARRIBA

This is a dame step, but you move "upstream" or clockwise to get to the next partner instead of going in the usual counter-clockwise direction.  The trick is to get all the way around to the follower’s left side by beat 3 so that the CBL can be done comfortably the usual way.  

 

VACILA

Sometimes I see followers spin the turns in this move. The Vacila turns are also called “walking turns;” they are not spins done in one spot.  Followers walk through the turns, advancing to the leader’s right side as they take each step.  This type of turn is typical of Casino moves while spins are more characteristic of L.A. or NY Salsa.

 

VACILENSE LOS DOS

This step is identical to Vacila for the followers.  But the leaders also turn in Vacilense Los Dos.  Leads can turn in the same direction as the follows (to the right), or they can turn in the opposite direction (to the left).  Turning left essentially uses the momentum of the lead to initiate the turn and looks quite nice.   Leaders can do either one or two turns.  

 

BLENDING MOVES

Blending steps means that the next step is called 8 beats before the end of the previous step, so you go right from one step into the next with no basic in between.  Some dancers consider a goal of a good, sophisticated rueda circle to have a minimum number of basic steps so that the movement really clips along.  This certainly makes it exciting for the dancers in the circle.