Rueda Hand Signs (Part 21) Rompe El Brazo

The move Rompe El Brazo litterally translates to “break the arm”. It is sometimes seen under the name “Rompe Brazo” or “Rómpele El Brazo” although the accent on the “o” which is the correct Spanish spelling in the latter form is sometimes missed out. Particularly in the form “Rómpele El Brazo” meaning “break his arm” it is clear that we are talking about the leader’s arm instead of the follower’s arm which corresponds to the move where it is predominantly the leader’s arms that are twisted. There are in fact certain parts of the move where new students will initially think they cannot keep hold of both hands without breaking something and it can indeed feel very uncomfortable if the move is not executed perfectly in terms of timing and signals which is where the name of the move comes from.

While there are certainly more complicated moves which would deserve this title more, “Rompe El Brazo” is often an introduction into these type of moves for new students so it can feel like a big challenge to twist the arms in such a way that the move works smoothly without anyone getting hurt without losing the rhythm of the song.

The move itself is often confused with the move Parte El Brazo meaning “part of the arm” and in some Rueda groups the moves are used interchangeably, however, these are completely independent moves that have very little in common other than the names being similar which may be the source of confusion particularly for non-native Spanish speakers.

There are some nice elements in this move that are not commonly seen in other moves such as the leader’s left turn at the end of the initial Pimienta to be able to lead the follower into another Vacilala based turn straight away instead of a Dile Que No or the leader’s right turn underneath both hands towards the end while bringing their right hand over the follower’s head which is unusual and not easy to execute but a nice variation on some of the more common elements.

The hand sign for Rompe El Brazo consists of the sign for “Rompe” which is the caller’s free hand forming a fist and quickly pivoting it around itself in a swift motion like the movement a hand would make when trying to break a branch into two parts. This is followed by the sign for “Brazo” which is signalled by the caller grabbing their upper arm with their free hand.

To see a video of the move Rompe El Brazo as well as the hand sign, please click on: https://youtu.be/o0b6SETh37c

Trios de Casino (Part 2)

Trios de casino is a very challenging form of Casino that only few people master well and it is rare to find classes and dance teachers that go into this subject. The most commonly seen form (un hombre con dos mujeres) involves the leader taking the right hand of one follower into their left hand similarly to normal en parejas Casino while taking the second followers right hand into their right hand at the same time. That is to say, the leader will lead two followers simultaneously which requires a very good handle of the normal en parejas Casino moves in order to figure out quickly which moves can be led with one hand only. The leader not only has to give the correct signal with both hands but also ensure that the space between both followers is maintained at all times so that they are not in each other’s way. Similarly, followers need some experience in this dance form to maintain the correct body position and spatial awareness between themselves and the leader as well as the other follower. The few leaders who do master some of the basics of this style of Cuban salsa tend to use the same exact moves on both followers i.e. leading an Enchufla or a Vacilala for both followers at the same time. What is immensely more difficult is the ability to actually lead two independent moves with each hand separately i.e. leading an Enchufla with the right hand and a Vacilala with the left hand which requires the simultaneous lead of two completely different signals as well as guiding followers through independent moves without favouring one side over another. The ultimate goal is often seen as the point where special moves are executed that involve both followers at the same time so that the full trio looks like one unit in producing a move that could not be executed en parejas.

The other form of trios de casino (una mujer con dos hombres) is equally challenging and involves two leaders dancing with one follower but rather than both leaders trying to lead independently they effectively act as one unit, that is, they are joined together going into a Dile Que No type hold such that one leader will act as the left hand and the other leader will act as the right hand. In theory, this allows for almost any move to be performed in this constellation although some moves which involve a tight connection have to be slightly modified to account for the space of two people where only one person would be normally. Similar to the other style there are certain moves that can only be executed when there are exactly two leaders and one follower which is the aim for many people trying to learn this style.

Rumba (Part 1)

In the blog series “Salsa Leeches” we looked at how some dance types such as Kizomba are often pushed onto the salsa market and promoted as if they were in fact related to salsa. This causes a lot of confusion particularly among beginners who try and find some common ground between these dance types that they are asked to learn together. In reality, however, it is not their lack of musicality or dance ability that prevents them from forming any meaningful synergy between these dance types but the misleading marketing mechanism that paints these entirely different groups of dance with the same brush.

The opposite is equally true. There are many dance types that are closely related to Cuban salsa without being mentioned in a lot of dance classes and which are hardly ever danced at salsa socials. It is hard to come across an event or party where you can even hear Cuban music being played that is not immediately recognisable as “salsa” and the few instructors who are able to teach these non-mainstream dances can usually only offer some taster classes at bigger salsa congresses and events as they would simply not get enough interest to teach group classes regularly.

Out of these type of dances, some of the least common and most misunderstood dance types can be classified under the term "rumba" or also the "rumba complex" as it is more and more frequently referred to by musicologists. The complex consists predominantly of the subgenres Yambú, Guaguancó and Columbia which are seen as the three traditional forms of rumba although other styles and more modern forms are often also included in this category.

 
Even though the complex is a Cuban product of African origin that has remained popular predominantly on the island with some small success internationally, the so-called rhumba (with an h) aka ballroom rumba has made the name of the complex famous internationally while associating it with a completely different form of dance. The Cuban Ministry of Culture once stated that “Rumba sin Cuba no es rumba, y Cuba sin rumba no es Cuba" – rumba without Cuba is not rumba, and Cuba without rumba is not Cuba. I.e. Rumba is seen as one of the most characteristic dance forms of Cuba and it is therefore all the more lamentable that most people are completely ignorant about this fact and immediately think of ballroom rumba when they hear the term.

Halloween in Cuba

Halloween seems like a nice celebration that is certainly enjoyed by many people around the world. It gives kids the chance to dress up and receive sweets despite the inevitable parental concern of accepting them from strangers as well as the ensuing toothaches. Some of the cultures and customs associated with Halloween have become world famous even in countries that do not celebrate it like the carving of pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns.

While the history of Halloween is still subject to debate it is believed to have been derived in part from Christian customs some of which have Pagan roots. The origin of trick-or-treating for instance is believed to have come from a custom called souling where groups of predominantly poor people would go from house to house collecting cakes in exchange for praying for the dead in the Christian triduum of Allhallowtide which is a time to remember the dead. The modern world usually celebrates Halloween in the way it has become common place in the U.S. with some small variations locally.

However, what seems like an innocent holiday that is celebrated internationally is in fact often perceived as the epidemy of American cultural and commercial imperialism destroying local customs in the process. Customs that seemed closely related on the surface such as the German tradition of Ruebengeistern or the Mexican Día de los Muertos have already been mixed with Halloween to the point where many people believe it is one and the same thing perpetuating a process that swallows some of the traditional customs. In countries where there were no similar customs traditionally, Halloween has often been incorporated “straight from TV” and is often linked to the arrival of American troops like in Italy.

It is therefore no surprise that a country which has had rather difficult relations with the U.S. and has no problem with engaging in interventionism to protect its culture is watching the spread of American style Halloween with horror. There have been reports in recent years where salsa clubs and other touristic venues in Cuba were made to close on 31st October or had to make it a policy to not admit anyone wearing a costume. The official view in Cuba is that the holiday is something strange, alien and inappropriate that has no place in Cuban culture. Of course, the reality is that the more something is being suppressed the more interesting it becomes so inevitably there are universities in Cuba where people are starting to celebrate this American import not to mention the hotels that try to cater to the increasing amount of tourists who want to go abroad to receive the exact same thing they left behind at home.

That being said, it is maybe not as big a deal as many people fear. Cuba has a remarkable history for developing their own culture and many customs and traditions in Cuba may have influences from several countries at its core while being adapted and changed to suit the Cuban spirit. Even tourists who come to Cuba go there predominantly for the uniqueness of the Cuban culture. The very idea that things like Halloween may become a common celebration in the future after Cuban and U.S. relations are starting to ease has had many tourists come to the island over the last few years in an attempt to see the uncompromised country one last time before it becomes contaminated with globalised products such as Halloween. It is therefore questionable whether there is indeed any significant interest in Cuba to simply copy a piece of culture without any modification or whether the holiday will simply be ignored on the island in the long run. Given Cuba’s history, chances are they will take some influences from Halloween and create their own unique customs and cultures that will not be an exact copy of what everybody else does. Instead of Halloween swallowing Cuba, Cuba may just swallow Halloween.