Rueda Hand Signs (Part 25) Pimienta Con La Mano Derecha

Pimienta Con La Mano Derecha literally translates to “Pepper with the right hand”. It is called “Pimienta” for the same reason as the left handed version, namely, to refer to the motion the follower makes during the move where they are being turned with one hand in a clockwise direction similar to a pepper mill being turned.
The only difference between the moves Pimienta con la Mano Derecha and Pimienta con la Mano Izquierda is the fact that leaders will use the right hand throughout the move instead of the left hand. This may seem like a trivial change that is hardly worth an additional description, however, there are some fundamental differences between these two moves from a leading and following perspective that need to be observed so it is important to make sure beginner students are aware of these.

For Pimienta Con La Mano Derecha leaders will lead the move like Vacilala with the left hand but then raise their left hand and switch it to the right hand all at the same time on beat 2. They can then switch hands again at the end of the move or finish it with a Dile Que No Con La Mano Derecha. As the left hand is switched to the right hand care must be taken to not use any thumbs in the process and remain in a fingertip to fingertip lead until the very end of the move where partners can go into a thumb clasp handshake lead if they want to end the move with a Dile Que No Con La Mano Derecha. Some people make the mistake of preparing for the Dile Que No too early or simply holding on to each other while executing the move rather than being in a fingertip to fingertip position however, this will impede the follower from being able to execute the turn well and can actually be dangerous in some situations.

Another reason it is useful to have a different name for this move compared to the left handed version is that it is one of the basic, fundamental moves that initiate many more advanced moves. I.e. moves like Dedo, Medio Sombrero, etc. start with a Pimienta Con La Mano Derecha so it is important to be able to lead this well and distinguish it clearly from the left handed version as many moves are dependent on this subtle difference.

The hand sign for this move is identical with that of Pimienta Con La Mano Izquierda except that it is the right hand that forms a fist to make a grinding motion.

To see a video of the move Pimienta Con La Mano Izquierda as well as the hand sign, please click on:https://youtu.be/AyOrnXCfaCc

Rueda Formations (Part 2)

As discussed in the previous post, there are five structural formations in Ruedas that either start the Rueda (la Entrada) or end it (el Fin) or determine which type of handhold is being used. The Tiempo España formation uses a closed hand hold while the Para el Medio formation uses an open hand hold. The most common formation (Casino) uses a semi-open handhold where leaders and followers hold each other with one hand only giving them both enough space and flexibility to be able to execute the vast majority of Cuban salsa moves.

For each formation there is a plethora of moves although most moves require the Rueda to be in the Casino formation. After each move the Rueda automatically goes back into the formation that started the move i.e. if the Rueda is in the La Entrada formation and Mexicano is called then at the end of Mexicano the Rueda will automatically go back to La Entrada. Similarly, if the move Cero is called from Para el Medio then after Cero we go back to Para el Medio. For most moves this is fairly straight forward as they are usually designed for a specific formation so it makes intuitive sense to go back to the same formation afterwards. However, there are some moves such as Exhibela, Sacala, Pa Dentro Y Pa Fuera etc. which can be executed from various formations so dancers have to remember which formation started the move. I.e. Exhibela from Casino finishes with a Dile Que No such that the dancers end up back in Casino from where they started the move. However, Exhibela from Tiempo España will end in Tiempo España again so no Dile Que No is used at the end of the move.

Particularly, in Tiempo España, dancers need to be careful to remember not just the initial formation but also the direction of the Rueda i.e. if Pa Dentro Y Pa Fuera is executed while the Rueda is in Tiempo España going in the “Arriba” direction then after the move the Rueda should automatically go back into Tiempo España and continue moving in the “Arriba” direction. Similarly if we call Montuno while the Rueda is in Tiempo España going “al Centro” then this direction should be continued at the end of the move.

It is important to remember that whenever we lose, even just momentarily, the direction of the Rueda in Tiempo España we need to re-initiate the direction by taking the first step into the opposite direction to gain momentum and for leaders to provide a signal to followers. Therefore, this applies for moves like Exhibela or Sacala in Tiempo España while it is not applicable to moves like un Tarro where the direction is not lost while the move is going on.

Son Cubano (Part 2)

Son Cubano is a descendant from various Cuban musical styles that appeared in the mountainous region of the Oriente Province such as Kiribá, Regina and Changüí which is itself a descendant of Nengón.

Nengón is therefore sometimes seen as the grandfather of son and together with the Changüí is considered one of the prototypes of Son, sometimes referred to as proto-sones or primeval sones as musicologist Danilo Orozco describes them. These styles were developed by Guajiros (Cuban peasants) of predominantly Bantu origin although other rumbitas from different geographical Cuban areas such as Sucu-Sucu from Isla de Pinos are also considered proto-sones in terms of the musical characteristics they share with the style that eventually emerged as Son Cubano. Ultimately, there continues to be widespread disagreement around which particular music styles influenced Son Cubano directly due to the lack of documentation. Even though it is one of the most widespread and important forms of Latin music it is one of the least studied forms according to musicologist Cristóbal Díaz.

The transition into son was marked by aspects such as instrumentation which consisted of clave, maracas and guitar in early forms of the music. Over time, tres, bongos, guiro and bass (such as marímbula, botijo, serrucho, contrabajo and bajo) were added to the mix. The composition of band members changed from early trios and cuartetos to a sexteto in the 1920s through the influence of a band first called Cuarteto Oriental which expanded from maracas (Felipe Neri Cabrera), botija (Guillermo Castillo), claves (Gerardo Martínez) and tres (director Ricardo Martínez). With the addition of band members Antonio Bacallao and Óscar Sotolongo the band re-established themselves under the name Sexteto Típico Oriental adding guitar and bongos into the band. Ricardo Martínez was later replaced by Carlos Godínez at which point the band renamed itself as Sexteto Habanero which went on to popularise its sextet configuration of instruments to the point where their model is now seen as the classical format of the son sexteto. In 1927 a cornet player (Enrique Hernández) was added to the band who was eventually replaced by a trumpet player (Félix Chappottín) bringing the band into the modern septet form and changing the name of the band to Septeto Habanero.
The septeto format using the sexteto Son composition and a cornet or trumpet player was a common feature in Son Cubano in the 1920s and 1930s but later these were replaced by even larger bands called “conjuntos” which added piano, more percussion instruments and trumpets.

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

I discovered Cuban Salsa quite by chance one bored Saturday evening two years ago.

I’ve been a dancer for most of my life, but mostly in solo styles such as classical Indian dance and creative dance in childhood, with a bit of jazz and Middle-Eastern bellydance in my twenties. As an undergraduate in the USA, I studied Cuban & Haitian traditional dance for one semester. My favourite dances were those of the Cuban Orishas (Yoruba spirits). I loved the rhythms, the storytelling, the mythology and the movements. I didn’t know Cuban partner dancing in the form of salsa/casino existed. This might be because my dance professor was pretty humourless (Evidence: I lost some points clowning around during group choreographies and she gave me an A-minus).

I always thought Latin partner-dancing looked really glamorous and so I gave Argentine tango and New-York style salsa a go a few times during and after university. It certainly looked pretty, but I wasn’t sure I was having fun (did I mention I’m a clown?). I wanted the freedom to play games with a partner, to swap roles freely and to be able to laugh while dancing.

About three years ago I injured my spine after a fall, which left me unable to sit for prolonged periods. Gone were the nights out dining with friends, sitting at the cinema, going on road-trips. Ever the “my-glass-is-half-full-(of-rum-so-could-you-top-me-up-please)” optimist, I started looking into things ‘Naba (my husband) and I could do together for fun that didn’t involve sitting down too long. I saw an advert for Cuban Salsa right here in Leeds, and immediately suggested we try it together…and we’ve never looked back.

 
What is it that I love about Cuban salsa?

1. It’s very easy to learn yet looks so impressive when executed, even after just a few lessons.
2. You are not confined to a role defined by your gender – yes, a lot of women tend to follow and men tend to lead, but there are a number of moves where roles are swapped, and sneaky ways of doing so as well (e.g. Confusión, one of my favourite moves to unleash on an unsuspecting leader when social dancing). It doesn’t matter how old you are either!
3. If there are enough of us in a rueda (wheel of dancer pairs), we can create the most amazing shapes and formations together. It’s an exercise in teamwork, concentration, and multi-tasking. Sometimes it ends up looking like a round of Twister, but that’s the fun!
4. The earthy rhythms of the music synchronise us like a secret glue.
5. The Spanish names of the moves are fun to learn and often cheeky (but sometimes hard to remember – so there are entertaining hand signals for them too).
6. You don’t have to be glamorous and graceful, clowns are allowed.
7. Finally, for me it’s an escape – when I’m a Cuban salsa dancer, it’s all I need to be. I can forget my injury, I can erase a bad week and I can forget the stresses of modern living.

All of this has been possible because Ben and Aimi are such fantastic and natural teachers. Their no-frills teaching style is friendly, clear, non-judgmental and FUN. This is reflected in the general atmosphere in the classes. Over the last couple of years our little Cuban Salsa family has grown, with new dancers every week. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, and we have enjoyed many fun Cuban nights out together. I’ve been a level 1 and 2 teacher for nearly a year now and have found the experience of teaching a rewarding challenge – plus a shiny Teacher’s Certificate is way cooler than an A-minus. I also continue to attend the higher-level classes as a student, because you can never have too much Cuban salsa.

Rumba (Part 7)

Amidst the confusion surrounding the term Rumba in the 20th century one person who did try to clarify the concept by codifying Rumba based on what he witnessed on his travels to Cuba was professional dancer and dance teacher Pierre Jean Phillipe Zurcher-Margolle. He was born in France and studied engineering in Zurich but after losing sight in one eye he moved to England where he eventually became a professional ballroom dancer at the end of World War I. While he started off with other dances such as Argentine Tango he witnessed a demonstration of what the western world considered Rumba according to the American model in 1932 at which point he began to learn and soon teach this dance accordingly. He visited Cuba for the first time in 1947 and was surprised to find out that Cubans danced differently to what he had been taught and one of the first comments he received was that he was dancing out of time. He was cognizant of the fact that the dance he knew as rumba was not actually called rumba in Cuba but did seem to think that it was exactly the same as Son Cubano and was surprised by the differences. He actually remarked “The Ballroom Rumba in Cuba is known as the “Son”.” upon his arrival but when he could not reconcile all aspects he immediately began taking lessons while in Cuba and danced as much as he could writing down his observations upon his return to London.

Until Fidel Castro rose to power, he travelled to Cuba 2 more times in 1951 and 1953 and his observations led to the development of other dances in the western world such as ballroom cha-cha-chá picking up on some important differences between music and dance in Cuba that had previously been lumped into the category rumba. One of his biggest contributions was his observation of contratiempo in Cuba which led to ballroom rumba and cha-cha-chá starting on the “2” beat.

However pure his intentions, when Pierre set the groundwork for much of what international Rumba has become today after his first Cuba journey he had in essence just been on a 3-week Cuba holiday. While he certainly tried to re-introduce authenticity into ballroom rumba and did a lot of work to codify it, it is preposterous to believe he would have become an expert at Son Cubano after only a few lessons within a 3-week period in a dance that takes even talented Cubans, who grow up surrounded by the culture that defines Son, a lifetime to master. I.e. it would be similar to a dance teacher travelling to Cuba today and learning Casino for 3 weeks and then canonising a dance system based on this experience for the Western world. No matter how good this dance teacher would be the system would fail to capture the entirety of Casino. And in fact one of the elements that was removed in the codification of “Rumba” was improvisation which is the backbone of most Cuban dances.