Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Mucho Salsa

After 7 sessions of basic salsa, we've pretty much mastered all the dance moves our instructors taught us. Problem is that I usually forget a couple or two by the next session. Another problem is that we're still dancing pretty much via voice control. The instructor shouts out the move, and we execute it. Yeah, I know the guy is supposed to lead, and all the lady needs to do is to follow. Easier said than done.

To give you an idea how much we progressed, these are the steps we learned so far:

  • Basic - Easiest of all moves. All salsa steps are done in counts of eight. For the basic, left foot steps forward, right foot steps in place, left foot returns to position, and rest. Second half of the basic has the right foot stepping backward, left foot stepping in place, right foot returning to position, then rest.
  • Rhumba - This is the side-to-side move of salsa.
  • Crossbody - Similar to the basic, but the partners swap position. On the fourth count, the guy's body is facing left. 5-6-7, the guy uses the left hand to guide the lady across. 8, the couple faces each other, positions exchanged.
  • Open - Similar to Basic. On the first count, the guy releases left hand, left foot steps sideward-back, so the guy's body is facing left. 2-3-4, partners return to position. For the second half of the Open, the couple opens to the right side (from the guy's point of view).
  • Boy Turn Girl Turn - Not sure if that's the technical turn for it, but that's what our instructors called it. Exactly what it says. Two sets of 8 counts are needed for this step. Start off with the Basic, on the seventh count, the guy raises left hand. 1, left foot forward. 2, the guy does a 180-degree turn clockwise with both feet in place. 3, right foot pivots, and the guy does another 180-degree turn. 4, he's back in position. 5-6-7, the girl does her turn. 8, partners in position.
We also learned the Shuvla, the Hammerlock, and the Ochienta. These steps are quite complicated (to me), and I've pretty much forgotten how they work. I hope my instructors are not reading my blog.

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