The PDF document attached to this post is the result of a bit of reflection led while defining my Cuban salsa/Casino teaching programme at intermediate level. It also covers some of the material I teach at intermediate level during a few salsa congresses in the UK.

• Casino Salsa Basic Steps Using
• Basic Salsa Steps For Beginners

At beginners level, we usually teach some basic steps and Enchufla/Dile que No/Vuelta, with lots of emphasis on making people feel comfortable, welcome, confident and entertained, and only limited emphasis on technicality. Then, at intermediate level, the question arises: what tools should you give your Cuban salsa students to help them learn the longer routines more efficiently once they reach the higher levels? What is going to help them for the rest of their salsa life?

For more salsa dance lessons videos! Learn the basic steps to salsa dancing free. This salsa dance video is. Cuban Salsa Figures - Rueda de Casino: Beginner: 3: 24: 0.00 € Andi Con Gancho. Cuban Salsa - Basic Steps: Beginner. Salsa is one of the most popular Latin American dances, the main reason being - it's easy to learn. At first glance it might seem difficult, but the truth is quite the opposite - basic salsa steps can be learned with less than 10 minutes of practice.

Through observation and analysis, the following list of 12 moves came up, which cover a large proportion of the 'situations' met in longer routines. Learning them allows to approach Cuban salsa as a foreign language: while beginner's moves are like a basic alphabet, the 12 moves are like the words which would be used to compose longer sentences at higher levels. From the learner's perspective, knowing these moves does help to 'decode' longer routines more efficiently by training the perception of elementary moves in longer routines. From the teacher's perspective, each of the 12 moves is also an occasion to focus on one particular technical skill such as space awareness, leading/following, particular turn techniques etc.

This list of moves is given here as a handout to help Cuban salsa students remembering the classes, but it is also hoped that it will help other teachers defining their own syllabus. This list is probably neither exhaustive nor perfect, and certainly does not aim at defining any rigid truth about Casino. I would actually be highly interested in your feedback and comments (cf instructions below on how to leave a comment on this website). Is that an adequate list? Should other basic moves be added to complete this list of 'Lego blocks' to construct and de-construct Casino moves while teaching or learning Cuban salsa? Please tell us what you think!

The handout can be downloaded from this link: The 12 basic moves of Cuban salsa, PDF handout

To leave a comment, please click on the title of this post. This will lead you to the post's page. Please scroll down: the comments fields are located at the bottom of the page. Then fill the form, press preview and then press send. Please note that the comments will be reviewed and moderated, and we reserve the right to accept or reject their publication on this website. Thanks in advance for your contributions!

-DJ Sacha

PS: Yielding to popular demand, here are some youtube links. But:
PLEASE NOTE / DISCLAIMER: These videos are only here to give a rough visual impression of the move, which is more effective than a textual description. We do not guarantee that the execution depicted in these videos is standard or even 'correct': that's only whatever we could find on Youtube. Please do consult with a qualified teacher to verify and polish your moves.

1) Enchufla and 2) Dile que No

3) Vuelta a.k.a. Hecho a.k.a. Pimienta

I usually teach these moves as '4 moves for the price of 1': vuelta led with left hand, or led with right hand, or vacilala (no hands) or sombrero (two hands) are essentially the same move with hand variations.
Vuelta a.k.a Pimienta:

Sombrero:

Vuelta Vacilala:

4) Enchufla Ronde (Enchufla y Escondete)

6) Paseala al Frente

6) Sacala / Exhibela

7) Paseala por Abajo y por Atras

8) Adios con la Prima

9) Cubanito, Cubanita, El Uno, El Dos

Cubanito/Cubanita are pre-requisites to El Uno/El Dos:

Casino Salsa Basic Steps Using

El Uno:

El Dos: essentially Cubanito followed by a full Sombrero:

10) Enrocate

I usually teach Enrocate as a pre-requisite to a 'safe' Coca-Cola, and to help people to get the directions right:

11) Coca Cola

12) Siete a.k.a. Panque

Table of Contents

Setenta family

Other Vacilala moves

A Bayamo family

Panqué (Siete) family

Sombrero family

Ochenta (80) family

Enchufla family

Paseala moves and walks

Basic Salsa Steps For Beginners

Counter clock-wise moves

Moves with multiple Alardes

Basic steps and turns

Cuban Shines (Qshines)

Tornado moves

Son in Casino

Yoandy Villaurrutia

Rueda de Casino Only

All Cuban Salsa Moves

This is a project in the making. The ambition is, as the title says, to cover “all” Cuban Salsa moves, that is all common moves. It is impossible to cover everything, because we have endless of variations and anyone can make up a new move or modify an old.

I try to include a move when I have found at least three independent sources, most often just videos uploaded to YouTube. I sometimes accept moves, I have only found once, if I really like it. I try to focus on real moves used in social dancing and in Rueda de Casino. I try to avoid artificial moves just made up.

Also I know of moves from DVD based Salsa courses and Apps that have not found there way to YouTube yet. If they are good, I make room for them and hope they will show up on YouTube one day, or I might make someone record them.

For most of my tutorials I try to find the three best videos around, from an educational point of view, and I try to include as many different dance schools and countries as possible. Cuban Salsa is the most social of social dances: All colors, all sizes, all ages, all nationalities, all levels. I want to reflect that. I am happy to include videos of amateurs and beginners if useful in a tutorial, even if flawed.

Also it is my intention, to replace many of the videos, when I happen to stumble upon better ones.