Congratulations on Completing all of Salsa Level 1
Thank you for joining our family and having fun with us weekly in class!!!
Below is a list of all the moves you have learned with us with a simple breakdown of each move.
To get the full breakdown, please refer to the individual class-by-class breakdown.
Everything we break down for you below is done from the partnerwork perspective. 🙂
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Basics of Merengue
Merengue is danced on beats 1-2. The Leader will always start with the left foot (LF) on beat 1 and the Follower will always start with the right foot (RF) on beat 1. You’re dancing in place when you start with an open-hand hold.
Turns
Turns are done on any count with the Leader bringing either their LH or RH up, fingertip to fingertip, just over the Follower’s head. The Follower's arm should be at a 90-degree angle. The Leader stirs outwards or inwards until the Follower comes fully around (360 degrees).
Sweetheart Hold
Fingertip connection for the Leader’s RH with the Follower’s LH. The Leader’s RH turns the Follower inside (counter-clockwise) while the Leader’s LH holds onto the Follower’s RH. It’s a half turn until both Follower and Leader are facing the same way (half turn for Follower). This ends with the Follower “hugging” themselves with arms crossed at waist level and Leader’s right arm wrapped around the Follower’s back.
The Leader walks forward in a circle while tugging the Follower backwards for a 360 walk-around (like a carousel movement).
To exit, the Leader’s LH lets go of the Follower’s RH while the Leader’s RH pulls (unwraps) Follower’s LH inside (counter-clockwise) for a turn and a half.
Hammer-Lock
Fingertip connection for the Leader’s RH with the Follower’s LH. The Leader’s RH turns the Follower’s LH inside (clockwise) while Leader’s LH holds onto Follower’s RH down low with the arm fully extended down.
The Leader turns the Follower 360 degrees until the Follower is facing the Leader again and the Follower's RH is locked behind their back with the Follower's LH up at 90 degrees.
The Leader then steps to the right under the Leader's RH (palm to the sky). Then the Leader steps to the left to be back-to-back with the Follower. Both Leader and Follower do a booty shake downwards while back-to-back and stepping in place.
After the Leader comes up, the Leader does a side shuffle to the left to exit under the Leader's LH to get back in front of the Follower.
To exit, the Leader uses their LH to turn Follower inside (clockwise) all the way around (360 degrees) to come out of the hammer-lock.
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Basics of Bachata
Bachata is danced on beats 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8. Where you begin is “Home”. When you step 1-2-3-4, you step away from home. When you step 5-6-7-8, you step back towards home. Remember to finish the entire 8 beats before switching to another direction (i.e., Forward/Back Basic). Or keeping with the “Home” analogy, you must come back home before you take another trip in a different direction.
Basic Left Turn for Follower on 5678
Leader preps by raising their LH (Follower’s RH) in a C-Prep - down and out on 1234 (on 4 think, “Tent is up” - fingertip to fingertip) as the Follower and Leader step outside of their HOME.
The Leader draws a halo around the Follower (counterclockwise) on 5678. The Follower does an inside turn (left turn), making sure to step every count back home.
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Basics of Salsa
Salsa is danced on beats 1-2-3, 5-6-7 (or 1-2-3-pause-5-6-7-pause). Remember to finish the entire set of 8 beats before starting a new set.
Leaders will always start with the left foot (LF) on beat 1 and move forward. Followers will always start with the right foot (RF) on beat 1 and move back.
Right Turn for Follower - Open-Hand Hold
The Leader does a J-Prep on 123, stepping back on 567, turning the Follower to the right over their head.
Right Turn for Leader - Open-Hand Hold
The Leader does a basic on 123, raises LH in a waiter-hold above their own head on 567. Stepping forward the Leader does a turn under their own hand on 123, finishing the basic on 567. *Follower does basic steps the whole time.*
Open Breaks - Open-Hand Hold
Basic steps on 123 pause 56, on 7 the Leader’s LH tosses the Follower’s RH out and follows through by pushing the Follower’s LH between the bodies to open up. On 1 Leader steps LF behind the RF’s heel (the Follower mirrors with their RF behind LF) and both begin to do open breaks. Exit will be on 7 at the end of any set, with the Leader pressing their LH forward against the Follower’s RH to step forward into the 1.
Cross Body Lead - Closed-Hand Hold
The Leader opens up on 123, sending the partner straight in front of them on 567. The Follower does half a basic on 123, and walks across on 567 with a small quarter turn to the left.
Catwalk - Open One-Handed Hold
The Leaders’ LH is holding the Follower’s RH, with the Leader’s RH behind the back, the Followers LH on the hip. The Leader opens up on 123 (Follower does half a basic) and pulls the Follower across with the LH on 5,6 and on 7 turns Follower outside (clockwise).
Reverse Turn - Open-Hand Hold
The Leader and the Follower do half a basic on 123 and the Leader brings both hands to the Follower’s shoulder height. The Leader steps back and pulls the Follower to the left on 5, then tosses RH on 6 and follows through on 7 to send the partner back to the right (left for the Follower) for a half turn.
Stepping forward on 123 the Leader finishes the second half of the reverse turn as the Follower steps back, finishing the turn. Both finish on 567 with basic steps.
You turn - I turn Combo - Open-Hand Hold
The leader does a J-Prep on 123, turning partner on 567 and keeping the hand up, flips palm up (waiter hold) on 8. The leader does their turn on 123, on 4 switches back to fingertip handhold, and turns partner on 567.
You turn - I turn - Behind the Back Combo - Open-Hand Hold
The Leader does a J-Prep on 123, turning partner on 567 and lowering the LH down on 8. The Leader does their turn on 123 and does a hand switch from the LH to the RH and raises their hand to a fingertip hold on 4. The Leader does a turn for the Follower on 567 and on 8, should end in a right-to-right handhold with the Follower.
Do a basic step next on 123, 567 and count with the steps. On 1, the Leader’s LH grabs the Follower’s LH under the right-to-right handhold and combs on 3 over the Follower and grabs the Follower’s shoulder. Leader tosses on 5 over the Leader's shoulder.
You should end up in a closed-hand hold.
Cross Body Lead Turn - Closed-Hand Hold
The Leader opens up on 123, the Follower does half a basic on 123. The Leader pushes the Follower on 5, turning the partner inside (counterclockwise) on 678. Leader scoops the Follower with the RH and steps forward as the Follower does a final half turn, then stepping back into a basic on 123, 567.
The Follower does 3 half turns to the left in total.
Cross Body Lead Turn with the shoulder - Closed-Hand Hold
The Leader opens up on 123 (LH letting go of Follower’s RH). Follower does half a basic on 123. With the Leader's left palm facing down, the Leader pushes the Follower forward on 5, grabbing the Follower's right shoulder with the LH and begin turning the Follower inside (counterclockwise) on 6,7,8. Leader scoops the Follower with the RH and steps forward as the Follower does a final half turn, stepping back into a basic on 123, ]567.
The Follower does 3 half turns to the left in total.