Cross Body Lead
First learn the first bar of a Cross Body Lead - Cross Body Lead (1st Bar) in Detail, sn0141
Now try this short routine
- Mambo Step, sn0014, H1 (Twice)
- Cross Body Lead, sn0122, H1 (Once)
Spotting
Spotting can be used to help keep your balance while turning.
- Focus on a fixed point (the spot) at the beginning of the turn (such as the partner's face).
- When your eyes have to leave 'the spot' return them to it, and focus them on it, as soon as possible.
Halo
To signal a Turn or Spin, Lead may do a Halo. This means that Lead moves Follower's hand above Follower's head in a circular path around the axis Follower is turning on.
A CW Halo signals a turn in the CW direction; a CCW Halo signals a turn in the CCW direction. A slow Halo indicates a slow turn (eg. Outside Turn), and a fast Halo indicates a Spin. A slow Halo will often have a large radius of movement, while a fast Halo could be so tight that the hand is virtually still with mainly the fingers doing the Halo.
Lead can stop the turn at any time by bringing their arm down.
Do not do a Halo while Follower is doing a Travelling Turn as it may unbalance Follower.
Turn Hold ²
This hold is usually used for Spins and Travelling Turns. If a chart's instructions indicate a Spin or Travelling Turn but no hand hold is specified then a Turn Hold is the one most likely required.
Lead holds their fingers close together, vertically downwards and stiff. Lead can use one, two, or three of their strongest fingers, or all of them as shown. The palm and thumb of Lead's hand will always be above Follower's hand.
Follower's hand can be with their thumb on top (as shown), or upside down with their thumb underneath. The thumb underneath position is sometimes more convenient when the preceding hand hold is Hook Hold because the hand holds are very similar and hardly change as they change from Hook Hold to Turn Hold to Hook Hold again.
For example:
The thumb underneath position is used in CBL with Inside Travelling Turn, sn0019.
The thumb on top position is used in 'Copa' with Inside Travelling Turn, sn0132.
Do not try these moves at the moment.
The hand positions may start as shown above, but during the turn Follower's hand will rotate about Lead's fingers so Lead's and Follower's hands must always remain loosely connected.
Spins
A Spin is a turn where the whole of the dancer's body is pivoted on a part of the dancer's foot (usually the ball of the foot). The Spin can be CW or CCW and the amount of turning movement before the non-supporting foot touches the ground, can vary from a few degrees to one revolution in one beat.
Follower never relies on Lead for balance while doing Spins. Follower has to effectively do their turns independently, so if Lead got a hand hold wrong, or let go while spinning, or gave a bad signal, then it would not cause Follower to fall. Having said this Lead should always take care to do their part of the move as best they can and support Follower while they do a Spin.
Most Spins are done on the ball of the foot. When spinning on the ball of the foot the heel only needs to come off the ground far enough to let the Spin happen, say 1/2" (1cm). Important - Never do a Spin on the ends of your toes.
The head is kept over the pivot.
Legs are kept close together, but not touching, while turning. If the feet come apart then the head will come off center and will unballance you.
Lead will usually lower Follower's arm to signal when Follower should stop their spin.
To stop the spin the non-pivoting foot is put on the ground to act as a brake.
A person doing too many Spins, one after the other, can get dizzy and fall over, especially if all the Spins are in the same direction, and the person doing the Spins is not an experienced Salsa dancer. As a guide, do Spins in alternate directions (eg. CW, CCW then CW), and unless Follower is experienced, do not do more than two Spins one after the other.
Spotting can help you keep your balance while spinning.
Important - The free arm must be kept close to the body to avoid it striking the partner. This can be done by the free hand touching the opposite shoulder while keeping the elbow in.
Single Spin
Single Spins are usually performed by Follower but Lead can also do them. They are done in various different ways but are essentially the same.
General instructions on how to do a CW and CCW Single Spin, which you can adapt to other situations, can be found on this chart - Single Spins (CW & CCW), sn0082.
Now try this short routine
- Mambo Step, sn0001, H2.1 (Twice)
- Inside Spin, sn0005, H2.1 (Once)
Arm Locks
Arm Locks are used in many Salsa moves in various different ways and these general instructions will apply to all of them unless specifically mentioned otherwise.
Usually, it is one of Follower's arms that is put into an Arm Lock. It is vital for Follower's safety that Lead and Follower are able to do this properly.
Remember, because the hand positions in the hand holds can change rapidly hands are never held tightly.
Important - Only do Arm Locks if you are sure you can do them safely. If you can't do an Arm Lock safely then don't do moves that use them.
The following sections on Arm Locks only consider the arms. The signals required and foot positions will be covered in the moves' charts.
The following references to Follower's hand and arm refer to the Follower's arm that Lead wishes to put into an Arm Lock.
How to do an Arm Lock
Before starting the Arm Lock Lead holds Follower's hand at Follower's elbow height (ie. Follower's forearm is horizontal) and in Hook Hold.
Lead signals to Follower to turn. How this is done will be covered in the relevant chart.
Lead then pulls Follower's hand down, and starts to twist Follower's hand (in such a way as to cause an Arm Lock). Remember, Lead does not force Follower into an Arm Lock; Lead only signals an Arm Lock by pulling down and twisting etc.
As soon as Follower's arm starts to be pulled down and twisted (assuming Lead is twisting in the correct direction) Follower starts to turn CCW, if it is their right arm or, CW if it is their left arm.
Important - If Lead is not twisting Follower's arm in the correct direction then, to avoid injury, Follower should not attempt to turn, and should disengage from Lead immediately.
Lead continues to pull Follower's arm down until it is straight and vertical. Follower will have turned about 90° to 180° at that point.
Important - It is essential to get Follower's arm straight and vertical at this point to avoid injuring them.
Lead continues to twist, and Follower continues to turn, for about another 90° to 180°. In the last part of the turn Lead raises Follower's hand up Follower's back until Follower's forearm is horizontal.
Follower would normally aim to turn about 270° in total. Some moves may require Follower to turn more or less than 270°.
At this point Lead's and Follower's hands are in the position shown. Hands are holding by the finger tips. The change from Hook Hold to this hold should happen easily by Lead sliding their hand down Follower's hand.
How to undo an Arm Lock
The diagram shows Follower in an Arm Lock.
Lead signals to Follower to turn in the opposite direction that put them into the Arm Lock. How this is done will be covered in the relevant chart.
As Follower turns, Lead starts to pull Follower's hand down, and untwist Follower's arm, until Follower's arm is straight and vertical. Follower will have turned about 90° to 180° at that point.
Important - It is essential to get Follower's arm straight and vertical at this point to avoid injuring them.
Lead continues to untwist Follower's arm and Follower continues to turn for about another 90° to 180°. In the last part of the turn Lead raises Follower's hand back up to waist height.
Follower should have returned to the position they started from and should now be out of the Arm Lock. Lead and Follower return to Hook Hold.
Now try this short routine
- Mambo Step, sn0001, H2.1 (Twice)
- Arm Lock (2 Hands), sn0088, H2.1 (Once)
Open Break
General instructions on how to do an Open Break, which you can adapt to other situations, can be found on this chart - Open Break in Detail, sn0095
Now try this short routine
Palm to Palm
This signal is usually used to signal an Outside Turn. If a chart's instructions indicate an Outside Turn but no hand hold is specified then Palm to Palm is the one most likely requried.
Lead's hand raises Follower's hand above and to the right (relative to Follower) of Follower's head with the hands 'palm to palm', as shown in the diagram. Lead's palm faces toward Follower.
Outside Turn
General instructions on how to do an Outside Turn, which you can adapt to other situations, can be found on this chart - Outside Turn in Detail, sn0134
Now try this short routine
Window Hold ²
Lead may use this hand hold when Lead and Follower are holding opposite hands and Lead has to pass under Follower's arm during a turn.
Lead raises their hand up with Follower's fingers hooked over Lead's fingertips. Lead's fingers are together (in 'karate chop' style), with the palm of their hand facing upward. Lead's forearm is vertical and is pulled over to the 'other side' of their body, and Lead's fingers point 'back' to Lead's arm's side.
Lead and Follower should be able to look at each other through a 'window' made by their arms.
Important - Lead keeps their elbow close to their body to avoid striking Follower in the face.
As Lead (or Follower) turns, the hands go horizontal with Lead's palm facing upward and Follower's palm facing downward as shown. Hands remain 'fingertip to fingertip' through the whole move.
Pivot Turn
General instructions on how to do a Pivot Turn, which you can adapt to other situations, can be found on this chart - Pivot Turn in Detail, sn0092
Now try this short routine
- Mambo Step, sn0001, H2.1 (Twice)
- Lead's Pivot Turn > Outside Turn, sn0057 (Once)
Comb
This technique is called a Comb because it looks like someone combing their hair. It is usually used to change from a Hand Shake Hold to an Open Hold or Closed Hold. It can also be used just because it looks good.
Although a Comb looks like someone combing their hair Lead's and Follower's hands should never actually touch any hair. Go over the hair but don't touch the hair.
Important - While doing a Comb Lead should not bow their head or bow from the waist because Lead and Follower's heads may clash. This can happen when Follower is smaller than Lead. To overcome this problem Lead should bend from the knees while keeping their back and head upright.
Lead can do a Comb on themselves
For example - Lead's left hand takes Follower's left hand and places it on Lead's right shoulder. Lead's left forearm goes over Lead's head keeping Follower's left hand on Follower's left side.
Follower's hand is a Placed Hand so Follower leaves their hand where Lead placed it.
Lead can do a Comb on Follower
For example - Lead's right hand takes Follower's right hand and places it on Follower's right shoulder. Lead's right forearm goes over Follower's head keeping Follower's right hand on Follower's right side.
Follower lowers their hand gracefully back to the neutral position as soon as Lead lets go of their hand.
Placed Hand
Sometimes Lead will place one of Follower's hands somewhere on Lead's body. When Lead does this Follower leaves their hand where it has been placed untill Lead moves away out of reach, or does something with it. For example:
- If Lead does a Comb on themself and lets go of Follower's hand, Follower leaves their hand on the shoulder where it was placed. If Lead then steps backward and out of reach, Follower lets their hand slip off Lead's shoulder before lowering their hand gracefully back to the neutral position.
- If Lead places the palm of one of Follower's hands onto Lead's waist and then Lead does a Spin, Follower keeps the palm of their hand at the same height in contact with Lead's waist.
The above rules do not apply if Lead places one of Follower's hands onto Follower's body. For example:
- If Lead does a comb on Follower and lets go of Follower's hand, then Follower gracefully returns their hand to the neutral position.
Now try this short routine
- Mambo Step, sn0001, H2.1 (Twice)
- Outside Turn with Open Break, sn0135, H2.1 > H2.2 (Once)
- Stepping Out, sn0136, H2.2 > H2.1 (Once)
- Comb > Cross Body Lead, sn0138, H2.1 > H1 (Once)
Changing Hands
While in Open Hold, Lead can let go of Follower's hands and quickly change from Open Hold (opposite hands) to a Crossed Hand Shake (same hands), or vice versa, between beat 8 and beat 1. Follower keeps their hands in roughly the same position.
Changing hands from 'Crossed Hand Shake, Right Under (Hold 3.3)' to 'Crossed Hand Shake, Right Over (Hold 3.4)' can also be done quickly between moves. Lead's left hand just lets go of Follower's left hand, Lead's right hand then raises Follower's right hand above Follower's left hand, then Lead's left hand takes hold of Follower's left hand again, which had remained at the same height.
Changing from Hold 3.4 to Hold 3.3 is done in a similar way except Lead's right hand lowers Follower's right hand.
Although the above hand changing methods are acceptable there are special moves to change from Open Hold to one of the Crossed Hand Shakes, and there are moves to get back again, such as a Comb.
Hook Turn
General instructions on how to do a Hook Turn, which you can adapt to other situations, can be found on this chart - Hook Turn in Detail, sn0142
Now try this short routine
- Mambo Step, sn0001, H2.1 (Twice)
- Lead's Pivot Turn > Lead's Hook Turn, sn0143, H2.1 > H3.1/H3.3/H3.4 (Once)
Next
Now try the routines in the Improver's Routines section.