Rueda Hand Signs (Part 31) Setenta Complicado

The move Setenta Complicado is one of the most common Setenta variations taught internationally. Contrary to most other Setenta moves it is taught and performed relatively consistently internationally with only minor variations being added or removed for styling purposes.

The move is in no way among the most difficult Setenta moves but it received the qualifier complicado simply to distinguish it from the standard Setenta version. While the first 8-count of this move is identical to the standard Setenta move, leaders bring their left hand over their head on beat 7. What makes this move more difficult than the standard version is that for the second 8-count leaders lead the Enchufla behind their back (before they do a Ronde Moderno) which is a very common element found in many other moves but dancers usually experience this element for the first time when learning Setenta Complicado.

In order to execute the Enchufla behind your back, an easy way to get used to this initially is for leaders to try and look at their follower by turning their head towards their left hand side which will automatically puts them into the correct position. It does feel slightly more natural initially for leaders to look at their follower by turning their head to their right, however, this will make it impossible for them to complete this move and it is one of the most common issues new dancers have when trying this out.

Like most other Setenta variations the ending is a simple Enchufla, which can be embellished by Alardes, Ganchos, Styling etc. As usual at Tiempo España Dance Academy we finish Setenta Complicado with an Enchufla Ronde which can of course be changed when social dancing but it keeps things consistent when performing Setenta Complicado in a Rueda.

The hand sign for this move is the hand sign for Setenta followed by the sign for Complicado which involves the caller forming a fist with their free hand and knocking it against their head. It is irrelevant how many times the fist is knocked against the head, it is simply meant to convey that it hurts your brain to figure out this move i.e. because it is complicated.
Other hand signs are also sometimes observed for this such as making a circling motion next to your head with your index finger. However, this sign is also used for the modifier “loco” which is used to describe a different set of moves so we use the former sign at Tiempo España Dance Academy to avoid ambiguity.

Rumba (Part 12)

It should be clear by this point that the term Rumba has become one of the most ambiguous descriptions in dance. While there are many forms of dance and music that are described by this term they often have little in common other than the title “Rumba” which distracts from their individual characteristics as well as diluting the original Cuban Rumba complex internationally. It is not the aim of this series to go into details about every musical reference that includes the term Rumba but rather to clear up some of the most common misunderstandings when any of the Cuban Rumba dances are discusses outside of Cuba where an entirely different meaning of the term Rumba may be more prevalent. That being said, a few additional Rumba references will be mentioned in this post as they are relatively common and often better known in certain territories than the original Cuban dances.

Galician rumba is a term used to describe songs and dances that emerged in Galicia in the 19th century mixing Spanish and Cuban musical elements. They are often described as “cantes de ida y vuelta” similarly to Rumba Flamenca as some of the Spanish influences on Cuban music were brought back to Galicia to form Galician rumba. While some of the Rhythms in this musical genre may also be characteristic of the original Cuban Rumba music, Galician rumba was equally influenced by other Cuban genres such as Guaracha and Habanera not to mention the European aspects that dominate this form such as the inclusion of bagpipes.
The song names of Galician rumbas are usually attributed to their author if known (i.e. Rumba de Pucho) or to the region where they were collected (i.e. Rumba de Vergara).

La Rumba Criolla is the name given to a category of various dance forms in Colombia that developed in the Tolima region, particularly in Fresno. It was influenced by such musical genres as Rumba Flamenco, Bambuco and the original Cuban Rumba complex and was developed at the start of the 20th century. Over time different types of Rumba Criolla emerged according to their meter and the culture surrounding the area in Colombia where they emerged such as Rumba Antioqueña, Rumba Cundí and Rumba Criolla Tolimense.

During the 1940s some Afro-Cuban songs and musicians became popular in Congo thanks to Radio Congo Belge playing Cuban music. Congolese bands started to create their own versions of what they heard on Radio singing in French or Lingala adding their own musical and cultural influences to the new sounds they had discovered. Despite the fact that the songs they tried to emulate were predominantly Son Cubano, the new music that was created became known as Congolese Rumba or Rumba Lingala. This style of music in turn became popular in various African countries and later led to the development of Soukous creating yet another point of confusion as to what is understood by Rumba internationally.