In the last blog I wrote on Rueda hand signs I discussed the fact that very few teachers around the world know a lot of Rueda hand signs and therefore do not use them in class, let alone discuss the history, humour or culture surrounding Rueda hand signs. This is to a large extent due to the fact that they themselves were not given this information when they attended classes and even if they have been shown a few signs, they might feel that it is better not to teach them at all than only teach a subset of the hand signs in circulation.
Another reason teachers opt out of using hand signs in class is the fact that it makes the lesson significantly harder for them as they have to simultaneously think about the hand sign, the move they are about to call, as well as the people in the Rueda etc. This can overload even experienced callers quickly. Sometimes it might just be that the hands are not free to signal a certain move or teachers feel that they are not being watched by students anyway so they do not bother signalling the move.
However, none of these points are good enough reasons to call Ruedas without the hand signs and it is in fact the increased difficulty that makes overcoming this challenge such a great achievement and a rewarding exercise when a teacher can add this to their skillset.
On the other hand, the increased communication as well as the humorous and cultural aspects that come with signalling Rueda moves make students have an even better experience when dancing Rueda de Casino, not to mention the increased respect they feel for the teacher in mastering this skill.
I have often been approached by students after class who mention that they have been to many Cuban salsa classes without seeing a Rueda being executed with all the moves being signalled from start to finish. Similarly, a lot of the questions and discussions people have with me around Cuban salsa involve hand signs and their history, meaning etc. rather than specific steps of a move or body movement advise etc. so it is clearly an aspect that many people are very interested in despite the fact that it is usually neglected by Cuban salsa classes around the world.
The hand sign I would like to introduce this week is that for “Enchufla Con La Mano Izquierda” which involves the left hand forming a fist which is then being pulled down like sounding the horn of a lorry. While this is one of the oldest and most widely used hand signs internationally and often one of the only signs people know in Rueda, its origin has to my knowledge not been documented in any way (please do let me know if you are aware of any source that describes how this sign has come to be used for “Enchufla”). As a result there are now various theories as to where this hand sign came from. I.e. I have heard this sign being discussed as a reference to the warning signal that might be exchanged between two lorries when they are about to pass each other on a narrow street or going around a bend similarly to when we execute Enchufla in a busy club i.e. we have to pass each other in a narrow space so we need to stay close together and avoid crashing into each other or the other dancers on the dance floor.
On the other hand, I have heard this being a reference to lorry drivers sometimes sounding their horn when seeing a woman they find attractive meaning that the signal is a reference to the sexual innuendo the move can suggest (i.e. the move can be translated as “plug her in”) rather than describing the motion we perform.
While its obvious similarity to sounding an air horn in a lorry has supported the rumours that it is in fact a signal relating to reasons that cause lorry drivers to honk, as far as I know these theories are all based on hearsay and I have never seen any documentation of any kind that would support one theory over another.
