I remember how impressed I was seeing this move for the first time. Having done and seen various Bayamo variations before I encountered this move made me think the move would end in one of the usual ways after seeing the start which looked to be just another move from the Bayamo family. To my surprise however, the ending was entirely different to anything I had seen previously and I have never come across this ending in any other move since.
While the key element of El Matrix may exist in other moves and has probably been done a long time before El Matrix was invented, it is definitely not one of the traditional Cuban salsa moves. Like so many modern moves it may not even have been invented in Cuba in the first place and even though it is relatively popular in the UK I have rarely seen it being performed elsewhere (also some evidence exists showing that it is known internationally to some extent). While the country or time of origin is unknown to me we can at least infer from the name of the move that it must have been invented some time after the film “Matrix” came out in 1999 which it clearly references.
In this movie, the lead character Neo makes a distinct hand sign every time he encounters one of his opponents he is about to fight where he points the index finger towards his enemy, the thumb away from the index finger roughly at a 90° angle and the middle finger slightly in the air. This signal is a key recognisable moment in the film which has become directly associated with the movie and is repeated throughout the trilogy. It is therefore no surprise that the hand signal for the move El Matrix was chosen to be the same as the signal made famous by the movie.
One of the key positions Neo uses to dodge bullets in the Matrix movie is a balancing act where he leans backwards with his head and torso but bending his knees so as to balance his weight on his toes. This move is one of the most famous aspects in the trilogy and certainly a contributing factor in making the movie an instant cult. The salsa move El matrix is not particularly special until the end as it simply starts like any Bayamo variation. However, the ending is what has given the move its name as it involves the leader ducking underneath the follower’s arms while using a stance that is very similar to the one Neo uses throughout the movie.
To see a video of the move El Matrix as well as the hand sign, please click on https://youtu.be/Q0tbi_NvlQM
