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
