Rueda Hand Signs (Part 7) Exhibela

Exhibela literally means “exhibit her” and it is easy to see why. The move involves the leader dancing from side to side while the follower does a right turn underneath the leader’s left arm effectively being shown off to the rest of the dancers. Particularly in a Rueda this move looks really nice as the followers all step towards the centre of the circle before performing a synchronised right-turn.

Exhibela is one of the most basic moves that are being taught from the close-hold position (Tiempo España) and is often the first move dance schools use to introduce students to the feeling of dancing in Tiempo España. At the end of the move, the leader can decide to do another Exhibela, finish the move by going back into Tiempo España or transitioning to the Casino formation by ending the move with a Di Le Que No.

At Tiempo España Dance Academy students learn Exhibela as the first move from the Tiempo España formation. This move is not only an effective way to introduce students to the concept of transitioning between formations but it is also a relatively simple move that looks and feels great to most people including Aimi and myself which is why this move has been chosen as the symbol of Tiempo España Dance Academy, in addition to the fact that it is a move that is done from the Tiempo España formation thereby referring back to the name of our dance school.

To signal Exhibela the caller will point the index finger of either one of his hands to their left eye. This is the exact same signal as is used for Vacilala with the difference being that for Vacilala it is irrelevant which eye the leader points towards whereas for Exhibela we have to point at the left eye specifically, to signal the fact that the leaders will lead the move with their left hand in contrast to Sacala (More on this to follow in the post on Sacala). Despite the fact that the signal for Exhibela is essentially the same as that for Vacilala there should be no ambiguity as these moves are done from different formations i.e. Tiempo España and Casino respectively so there should be no confusion as to which move is being called. The hand signal for Exhibela comes from the same underlying image as that for Vacilala which is why these are the same. In Vacilala it is the meaning of “check her out” that gave the move its hand signal i.e. the pointing to the eye is an invitation for other dancers to watch the follower. Similarly, Exhibela meaning “exhibit her” is an invitation for the other dancers to watch the follower as she is being “exhibited”. The connection between these moves is so strong that I have seen both Vacilala and Exhibela being translated as “show her off” rather than the more literal translations. Ultimately, these move names and signals illustrate Cuban humour and dance machismo culture that is an omnipresent influence on Cuban salsa dancing.

To see a video of the move Exhibela as well as the hand sign, please click on  https://youtu.be/ZDolYQOI2zg

Hi, my name is Aimi and I'm a salsaholic...

My first experience of a dance class was at the age of 5 or 6 when I was taken to a ballet class to see if I would like it. Having an older brother in his teens, I remember my first thought being of the certain ridicule I would face if I had to wear a tutu, and deciding quite swiftly that this was not for me. So there began and ended my career in ballet.

Many many years later I faced a similar feeling of nervousness and embarrassment at the thought of what was to come as I was convinced by my husband-to-be to try out a Cuban salsa class. Walking in to the class I felt a sense of dread. Even though there were people of all ages and abilities I had no doubt in my mind that I would surely dazzle them with my total lack of coordination and inability to follow instruction. It didn’t help that my husband had already danced salsa before and therefore I didn’t even have the comfort of us both fumbling through a beginner’s class - it was me against the salsa! As I tried to find the darkest corner in the room where I could hide, in walked a girl dressed casually, Converse shoes on her feet. It is a moment that I will never forget. You could tell from the second she stepped in to the room that she was a dancer, that rhythm came naturally to her, that she knew exactly what she was doing. I stood there in awe, and I hadn’t even seen her dance yet! The confidence she exuded was both an inspiration and something that terrified me.

I struggle to remember all the details of that first class but unfortunately I was not pleasantly surprised by “actually being good at dancing”. I struggled with the basics and I did feel slightly disheartened by the end. And hence looking back on these first few classes, perhaps my experience with salsa is different from some. It was not that of instant addiction. In fact, it took me months before I really developed a love for it. At times I felt like I would never escape the awkward phase of dancing where every basic step is a challenge and every mistake you make seemingly an embarrassing reflection of your lack of ability. I’ll be honest, there were times where I felt that it was never going to get easier - that this was it. I had reached the limit of my abilities and I simply could not dance. But I persevered with classes. Partly because I wanted to be able to share the experience with my husband who was unmistakeably addicted, partly due to plain old stubbornness - I really wanted to look like that confident girl, the natural dancer I had encountered in my first ever salsa class. So I went back to classes time and time again and just pushed through that awkward feeling until one day it disappeared.

From that moment on, all I felt was excitement, and a desire and urge to dance that I had never experienced before. Suddenly everything in my life started to revolve around salsa. I listened to salsa walking to work, I practised steps under my desk, I’d do Suelto steps while on night shifts. It had become an obsession, and the unmistakable signs of addiction were there. Salsa opened a door to a select dance community and I discovered a whole new side of the city I had lived in for years. It only took one look to find that there were salsa classes practically every day and salsa club nights every weekend…and I wanted to do it all. I started going to every salsa class I could make and all other aspects of my life were put on a back-burner. I would sneak out of work as early as possible just to make it to a salsa class across town and the moment I entered that dance hall, the outside world and the stresses of daily life would just disappear. There was only good music, great friends and the dance. It was profound! I just needed one dance to make me feel happy.

This feeling plays a large part in the reason my husband and I set up a dance school here in Yorkshire. Cuban salsa has given us the opportunity to make some amazing friends, dance with some incredible dancers and given us some unforgettable memories. We hope that through our dance school, many more people can share the same experiences and fall in love with this beautiful dance form.

Salsa Curse (Part 2)

Few people are content with the level of dancing they have achieved at any one moment and many students want to learn more, simply to increase the pool of people they are confident in dancing with. Many people have told me “I want to improve my dancing to a point where I can dance with everyone”.
However, at the end of the day, from the moment you learn some basic moves you can already dance with everyone. More experienced dancers should have a plethora of ways to make almost any dance interesting to them. Even if you do the same few basic moves over and over again, a more experienced dance partner can use this opportunity to try out different styling, to connect with the music or the lyrics, or to simply enjoy a less complicated dance before they go back to their usual dance partners.

In the constant search for more extreme moves to impress their dance partners, most people do not realise how they are becoming more experienced themselves and are starting to intimidate beginners with their skill. Many people assume that they need to work hard to ask more experienced dancers for a dance while beginners will always want to dance with them. They are often utterly shocked when they are first refused a dance on the basis of being too good a dancer. This is however, part of the same natural process that created their own ambition and many people find that the better they get the fewer people ask them for a dance simply because their dance style is too intimidated.

This is sadly the salsa curse most people go through and I have often seen the promoters, DJs, dance teachers, band members etc. dance the least out of everyone in a club because their level of dancing is assumed to be so good that few people have the courage to ask them for a dance.

The first lesson to learn from this is: Do not expect to dance with everyone. There will always be a few people that do not want to dance with you whichever level of dancing you have reached and whatever may be their underlying reason. The sooner you accept this simple truth the less stressed will you be when someone refuses a dance invitation and the less pressure you put yourself under to try and get to a level where everyone will dance with you as such a level ultimately does not exist.

Secondly, try to go out of your comfort zone every now and again and dance with new people irrespective of their level or even ask someone for a dance who you know to be much better than yourself. You will be surprised to find how happy most experienced dancers are to dance with you, irrespective of your level of dancing.

Thirdly, don’t forget about the less experienced dancers at any point of your salsa journey. If you dance with some beginners from time to time when you are an improver, then they will continue to dance with you even as you get very advanced. However, if you only ever stick to people of your own level then chances are you will reach a point where your moves look so impressive that a large number of people will be intimidated to dance with you if you never danced with them before.