Say it with me Now - Salsa terminology

As we reviewed the steps, and appropriate terminology complementing them in our last class, I couldn’t help but question their meaning. Sitting on the subway on my way home, I wondered how and why these steps, turns, and switch-a-roos (as I like to call them), were labeled the way they were. I wondered about the importance of their names.

          For instance, the ‘hammer-lock’– that must have been invented by a dude. He hammers the woman by twisting her arm and then locks her in by not letting go. Pretty good system if you ask me. The women most likely came up with the ‘cat-walk’, and an eighty-year-old man must have given us the idea for the ‘comb’, since the last time I saw one was in my grandfather’s shirt pocket.

           When I first started salsa I didn’t pay too much attention to the vocabulary. I was there to dance not study. As time passed and the lessons became more challenging I found myself getting a little confused as to what step we were doing next since I hadn’t memorized their names. I realized that for my and my partner’s sake I had to get familiar with these terms in order to refer to them on the dance floor and in class. In just one class, I put a name to each little spin, twist, and tap, and what a difference it made. I was now able to control what moves we did next as well. If I wanted a hook turn, I just said so, if I wanted the cross body lead I let the words slide off my tongue and off we went!

        So next time you’re in class, pay closer attention to what you’re doing and what it’s called, and you’ll feel much more confident. If there are any nerds such as myself out there who’d like to get a head start and impress their instructor, here’s a little sneak peak at what you can expect to hear:

1. I turn, You turn: the male partner first turns himself and then the girl.

2. Cross body lead: the male partner takes a step to the side to let the female pass in front of him as you exchange positions.

3 . Cross body lead with a turn: the male partner pulls the woman to pass in front of him as in the cross body lead, but this time spins the girl at the end.

4. Hammer lock: a right turn for the girl but while still holding on to your partner’s hand with your left hand behind your waste.

5. Cat Walk: a cross body lead, but this time the woman going under the man’s arm so you end up in a hammer lock.

6. Comb: the man turns his female partner without letting go of either hand, so you end up facing each other with crossed hands. He then gently throws her hands into the air and she slides them along her hair and neck as if combing herself. To be contined....