Rueda Hand Signs (Part 24) El Nudo Del DJ

This is by far the most complicated move we have published and analysed on our blog to date. It is one of the level 7 moves from the Tiempo España Dance Academy syllabus and is one of the longest moves we have taught in class so far comprising 9 eight counts. The move literally translates to “the DJ’s knot” and it is a typical Nudo move in the sense that there are a lot of complex arm movements in quick succession creating a visual effect that is both fascinating and confusing for spectators. It takes a lot of practice and skill to execute this move smoothly and to make it look easy despite its apparent complexity.

Like most nudo moves, the steps are actually fairly simple for both the leaders and the followers so it is the series of alardes, juego de manos and in general the complex arm movements that make this move so difficult to learn and follow and look appealing visually. While it is certainly a very advanced move, it depends on the style of the dancer as to whether this type of move is preferred to easier looking moves. Many advanced leaders will prefer giving the follower time to express herself while executing simpler moves but with advanced styling and body movement as discussed in the “Salsa Nudos” post on this blog.

El Nudo Del DJ is a move that contains some rather unusual elements which are not easy to pick up for followers who have never seen this move broken down. Probably the most unique section of the move that is rarely seen in other turns and combination is during the 5th eight count of the move. Here the leader turns to the left while making the follower turn to the right at the same time but by keeping their left hand low and their right hand high they achieve a back to back position with the hands crossed over in front of the leader which looks impressive when juxtaposed with the other elements of this move.

The hand sign for El Nudo Del DJ is the hand sign for knot (index and middle fingers are crossed over pointing upwards) followed by the hand sign for DJ which is the whole, open and free hand making a forward and backward motion like a DJ would do when scratching.

To see a video of the move El Nudo Del DJ as well as the hand sign, please click on: https://youtu.be/3w5_J-J1MmA

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

My first experience of dancing was when I was about 8 years old and I started having Ballroom dance lessons. I mainly started because my Nanna and Grandad went ballroom dancing twice a week and it encouraged me to give it a go with my sister. I had lessons for almost eight years before I stopped to concentrate more on my school work.

Following this I didn’t dance again until about two and a half years ago. When my friends Ben and Aimi decided to leave their day jobs to set up their own Cuban Salsa dance school I was impressed, but did think they were slightly crazy! As a good friend should, I thought I should support them in their new venture so went along to their first few classes, not really expecting to enjoy it that much. Well, as I said, two and a half years later I am still here! Turns out I enjoy it a little more than expected…!

I can’t tell you what it is about Cuban Salsa that makes it so addictive, I think it’s a combination of the music, the people and the ‘don’t take yourself too seriously’ atmosphere. The classes are always filled with laughter and the whole ethos of the school revolves around enjoying the dance. Aimi and Ben are committed to ensuring the history of the moves and the authenticity of the dance is preserved, whilst at the same time keeping the dance up to date and enjoyable for anyone no matter what your age, ability or day job is!

I have enjoyed every minute of my own salsa story, from those first few ‘here to support a friend’ classes, to now teaching my own classes. So, if Salsa is something you have thought about, no matter how briefly, why not give it a go…. just one class…. what’s the worst that could happen?!? And who knows where it may lead you!

Rueda Formations (Part 1)

Ruedas are often used as a fun warm-up for salsa parties even in the cross-body scene before starting a social event or a more advanced class. As it is a way to break the ice and for people to get to know each other it is often a vehicle to include everyone onto the dance floor which is a very nice idea with one major drawback: Ruedas at social events are overly simplistic and paint a false picture of the dance. I have met dancers who genuinely believed that the dance Rueda de Casino consists solely of the basic step and some very simple moves like Enchufla, Sombrero and Fly as every time they had been to an event, that was all they had been taught.

In reality, Rueda de Casino has thousands of moves and combinations that make it a very complex and immensely beautiful dance when studied and mastered at a higher level. One of the aspects, for instance, that is often overlooked is the concept of Rueda formations. Traditionally there are five structural formations that can be used to build a Rueda that feels complete in the sense that it has a defined and marked start and end point and is varied in the types of moves that are executed. These are in turn.

• La Entrada
• Tiempo España
• Casino
• Para el Medio
• El Fin

The formations la entrada (the entrance) and el fin (the end) start and end a Rueda respectively. They do not have to be included every time but help to give an overall sense of completeness and are certainly included in most shows and performances for aesthetic effects. Strictly speaking moves specific to the la Entrada formation should never be executed at any other point than the beginning of the Rueda and similarly the “el fin” formation should finish the dance although some schools have started mixing certain moves that would normally end the dance such as Sientala into the Casino formation.

Therefore, once we have gone from la Entrada into another formation we can never go back to la Entrada and similarly, once we have started the el Fin formation we cannot go back to any other formation. However, the other three formations are interchangeable i.e. we can go from Casino into Para El Medio or Tiempo España, we can go from Para El Medio into Tiempo España or Casino etc.

Community Projects

Our not for profit organisation Tiempo España Dance Academy C.I.C is now over a year old and we are very happy with its development. We met a lot of new interesting and helpful people through the set-up and running of this company and have been able to provide Cuban salsa classes to a part of the community that would not have been able to enjoy this hobby otherwise which is exactly what we were trying to achieve. It has been particularly nice to see parents bring their kids along to class in our weekly Monk Fryston daytime class which runs every Wednesday from 10.30-11.30am at Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Centre.

Our Monk Fryston classes were the first project we started with our C.I.C which were initially subsidised by the Western CEF as part of a 6 week course and subsequently converted into a regular daytime class that is open to new beginners every week. We are very excited to announce that we have received further funding to offer another 6 week course at the same location for everyone who is interested at a reduced rate of £3 for adults and £2 for students and people < 20 years old per each session. The full details of this course are as follows:

Monk Fryston – 6 week Cuban salsa beginner course at Monk Fryston community centre starting on 28th Feb from 10:30am to 11:30am.

In addition to the above we will be running further projects in villages and towns within the Western CEF to provide people who do not have the means to go to our evening classes in bigger cities a regional alternative to join us. The upcoming projects we have received funding for are as follows:

Sherburn – 6 week Cuban salsa beginner course at Eversley Park Centre starting on Monday 12th Feb from 11am to 12pm.

Burton Salmon – 6 week Cuban salsa beginner course in at Burton Salmon village hall starting on Wednesday 14th of March from 9am to 10am.

To get a place on any of the above courses, just send us an email to tiempoespanadancecic@hotmail.com. We are excited about the upcoming projects and are looking for further opportunities to provide people in our community with a chance to learn and dance Cuban salsa.