There are many debates around where the name for this move comes from but it is generally accepted that it was called “La Botella” in Cuba originally which means “the bottle” in Spanish. Many Cubans will still call this move Botella although internationally the move has become better known under the name Coca Cola. One of the origin stories of the move name proposes that it comes from the way the second C is written in the stylised brand name of the drink Coca Cola as it follows closely the pathway the follower takes when doing the move.
Coca Cola, despite being an elementary move, is one of the hardest moves to grasp initially and it is often done wrongly even by advanced dancers. Both leaders and followers struggle with this move for different reasons which is why we only teach it at level 3 at Tiempo España Dance Academy rather than level 2 together with most of the other elementary moves such as Vacilala, Exhibela and Enchufla.
It is the most that followers will have to turn in the initial stages but what makes this move difficult for a lot of people is the fact that followers will have to turn and travel at the same time rather than just turn on the spot. Turning & travelling is nothing special in Cuban salsa, on the contrary, it is one of the key elements that distinguishes Cuban salsa from other types of dance and specifically Cross-body salsa where on the spot turns are much more common. However, it is one of the things that many people need to get used to first and the move Coca Cola is usually the introduction to this concept. Similarly, many leaders will just lift their hand expecting the follower to turn while hardly moving themselves, however, to do Coca Cola well they should follow their partner around while doing the move instead of staying on the spot.
The hand sign for Coca Cola Con La Mano Izquierda uses the left hand forming a fist with the thumb and little finger pointing away from the fist to symbolise a (coke) bottle. The fist is slightly tilted so that the little finger points upwards and the thumb point towards the caller’s mouth at which point the hand is shaken (it is irrelevant how many times you shake the hand) to symbolise someone drinking a coke.
To see a video of the move Coca Cola as well as the hand sign, please click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzNsHZ68SjE
