Like so many moves in our level 2 classes this is one of the most fundamental moves that absolutely need to be mastered by students before they move on to higher level classes as it is an elementary move that is underlying various more advanced moves. Strictly speaking, Parte El Brazo is the element that the move Enchufla is based on, however, internationally the move Enchufla is much more well-known and common especially in Ruedas while many schools will not teach Parte El Brazo as a separate move. There is therefore often a misconception that Parte El Brazo is based on Enchufla rather than the other way round but in reality Parte El Brazo is a much simpler move that consists of only one 8-count the footwork of which can be directly applied to Enchufla with only a small adjustment at the end where dancers meet each other instead of passing each other.
Parte El Brazo literally translates to “part of the arm” and comes from the fact that contrary to Enchufla leaders will keep their left hand as low as possible which results in the followers bending their right forearm behind their back instead of turning underneath the leader’s arm. The follower’s forearm is being bent behind their back in a very distinctive way during the move such that instead of the whole arm moving, it is mainly the movement of their forearm which is “part of their arm” that gives the move its visual focus and therefore its name.
By default this move is usually executed by the leader holding the follower’s right hand with their left hand but the full name Parte El Brazo Con La Mano Izquierda can be called to distinguish this move from the right-handed variation.
Parte El Brazo can designate a lot of different moves depending on the region and the Rueda group as it is one of the moves that have evolved and developed differently in many locations. In some dance schools Parte El Brazo refers to a longer combination of Enchuflas similar to the moves El Uno or El Dos. In some dance schools the name is actually associated with entirely unrelated moves such as Toca La T. However, at Tiempo España Dance Academy the move is always executed exactly as shown in the below video.
For Parte El Brazo Con La Mano Izquierda the caller takes the index finger of the right hand and points to the left forearm, swiping up and down to signal that it is only part of the arm instead of the whole arm that we are using.
To see a video of the move Parte El Brazo Con La Mano Izquierda as well as the hand sign, please click on: https://youtu.be/5_3kyvy7Fno
