There has been little documentation around Rueda hand signs
since their creation and already, some of these signs have become lost over
time which is unfortunate considering the myriad of ways they enrich this
dance. On the other hand, while Cuban salsa moves are constantly being
developed and new moves are invented all the time, there are now many moves
which are being invented by dance schools that do not teach Rueda hand signals.
As a result, a new move may be invented with no associated hand sign.
Unfortunately, this means that the few schools which do
teach hand signs quickly run out of known signs for moves and they often start
inventing their own signs for more complex moves, leading to a number of
different hand signs signalling similar moves around the world. This being
said, the same thing happens with the names of the moves which are changed
often not only from country to country but even between different dance
schools. It is therefore very difficult for say a Swedish Rueda dancer to join
a Rueda in Tokyo even if they are experienced dancers and know all the
underlying moves, as most likely the names being called will differ in other
regions. Not only can the names be changed internationally, but often the same
move can be called by different names by the cantante to make it more
interesting for themself i.e. Dame, Dame Uno, Uno, Botala etc. all refer to the
same move.
This means that while there may be a few variations of the
possible hand signs for a given move, there are usually significantly more
variations in terms of the possible names, and therefore someone who is not
part of a certain Rueda group has a much higher chance of understanding the
hand sign compared to the name of the move. Even if the hand sign is not known
to the dancer then they often have a very good chance of figuring out the sign
on the fly as many of the hand signs are very descriptive of the move they
relate to. In short, hand signs increase the level of communication between the
caller and the dancers, making for a much smoother Rueda and a better
experience for everyone. Moreover, it allows new members to join Ruedas and
catch up quickly with the others. Therefore, using hand signs is a much more
welcoming and inclusive gesture than just calling the moves.
This week, the hand sign I would like to introduce is that
for Sombrero. The most common way I have seen this signalled is the cantante
tapping his head with his free flat hand. Usually this is done twice although
the number of taps are irrelevant to the signal and signalling a move twice is
simply a way to emphasise the signal without it becoming too hectic (i.e. other
signals often follow the same structure). This has to be distinguished from
moves where repeating the signal in short succession actually indicates how
many times the move is done such as is the case for “Fly”. Moreover, it is yet
another move that can be signalled with either the right or the left hand
depending on which hand is free, similarly to the previously discussed moves
Dame and Enchufla, however, it should be noted that there are some hand signals
which change the way the move is executed depending on the left or the right
hand being used to signal the move i.e. the distinction between Exhibela and
Sacala.
The meaning of the hand sign is very descriptive as Sombrero
translates to hat so we are tapping our head to signal the object that is worn
on our head.
A common variation of the hand sign is the flat hand making
a circling motion on top of the head without actually touching the head with
the same underlying meaning. Again this circling motion is usually done twice
for emphasis.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
