Cuban salsa, itself renamed by the Americans, was originally called « casino ». It’s a couple’s dance that evolved in Cuba and has conquered the whole world.
It is distinguished by its music, steps, passes (or figures), spontaneity and rueda de casino (round) games.
Each pass has a name, and many of them have a meaning that is rarely taught in dance schools. Let’s remedy this shortcoming here, which actually gives even more meaning to this super dance and its leader/follower interplay, usually between men and women.
There are several explanations for the meaning of a pass or figure. We’ll give you one or two.
Dile que no: tell him no
This is an essential basic movement, most often used to move from a closed to an open position.
The « non » or « no » is said to be on the4th beat, di (1) le (2) que (3) no (4), and it’s at this point that the follower puts his or her weight on the right leg, or even turns the head away from the leader to mark this « non », as if to taunt him or her. The direction away from the leader can also contribute to marking a « non ».
Another explanation: Pedrito, a colorful Cuban dancer, when passing the dancer, would nod his head to simulate a « non ».
Setenta: seventy 70
This classic salsa figure is said to have originated in the 1970s, when it was widely practiced.
Vacilala: mater
In Cuban, « vacilar » means “to look at”(in this case, to look at a woman ), so when the woman performs her turn, she glances at him on beat 3-4, then finishes her move to find the man’s right shoulder, while the man literally looks at the woman, gazes at her, and sometimes, in Cuba, even slips her a little note, like « hey pichina » (my darling, my sweetie).
The vacilala is the perfect example of what’s lacking in dance schools in terms of learning the meaning of terms AND, above all, the artistic meaning included in the movement. There’s a real interplay between the partners.
Guapea: to flambé
We explained the history of guapea (called dile que si in many dance schools) in this article: everything you need to know about guapea and its meaning.
In short, it’s not just a transitional step waiting to trigger a pass. On the contrary, the guapea is a moment during which the man, most often the leader, will show off, show off, show off, to impress his dancer. This also has a link with « guapo » (handsome), since the man is going to show off by showing off, with the aim of being handsome and seductive.
Sombrero = hat
The sombrero pass is the emblematic Spanish and Mexican hat, which is evoked at the end of the figure by the man and woman, leader and follower, wearing a hat before performing the dile que no.
Baslero: raft driver
In Spanish, this means « boatman » and this figure evokes the rowing motion of a boatman.
Candado: padlock
Like a padlock, these figures (there are different types of padlock) are great fun to make and illustrate the principle of padlocks, with the arms locking and unlocking.
Adios: goodbye
This is a move often used in casino rueda, to say « goodbye » to the current partner before moving on to the next.
It can also be used in salsa evenings, simply by staying with your partner.
It’s a closing or parting movement.
There are 3 major adios:
- Adios
- Adios con hermana
- Adios con la familia
Coca-Cola
This movement evokes the swirl of a soft drink. In this figure, the follower makes several circular movements.
El dedo: the finger
El dedo, meaning “the finger”, is a move that can be performed entirely with one finger.
It is composed as follows: vacilala (right hand / right hand), enchufa (right hand / right hand), boy turn on his right under the arms, enchufala, boy turn with change of connection in the back (right, left, then right. Optional), then dilequeno.
Exhibela: show her
Comes from the Spanish « exhibir », meaning « montrer » or « exhiber ».
Here, it’s the dancer who’s showing off, the follower is being shown off to others, for example.
Lady: give me
But give me what? In this case « who », the next partner.
The dame is a classic used in casino rueda to simply change partners. The leader fetches the next follower.
Dame dos: give me the second
The follower goes for the follower after the next partner (the one he would have picked up on a dame). He therefore goes further into the rueda.
La rosa: the rose
In this figure, the dancer turns in graceful circular movements, evoking the shape of a rose.
Besito: little kiss
To perform this figure, you need to be close, as it evokes intimacy and closeness. During this figure, a small movement can be included to simulate the laying of a quick kiss, before continuing to dance the rest of the figure.
Tornillo: screw
This Cuban salsa figure evokes the movement of a screw.
The dancer turns on himself while holding the dancer in place, as if screwing himself into the floor.
Conclusion
These Cuban salsa figures and movements are just an introduction to the many variations and styles present in this dynamic, social dance.
Each pass name often reflects a particular characteristic or gesture, enriching the dance vocabulary and enabling dancers to communicate and express themselves through their movements.