10 Most Beautiful Salsa Moves and Exercises

Your first salsa class can be very intimidating; many feel confused, stiff, and insecure. This is especially true when the instructor starts saying words that sound like a made-up language. Those words are the names of movements. To master them, you don't need to know Spanish, but understanding their meaning is very helpful.

There are 10 basic figures taught in the first months of classes, and that's what we'll talk about.

1. Guapea

Originally, the name sounds like "Guaperia." The Spanish word guapo(a) means "beautiful," and the suffix "-eria" expresses an action performed by a person. Thus, literally guaperia is the action or movement of an attractive person.

The figure itself denotes the basic step in an open position. To understand this, imagine a mirror separating the dancers, where each sees their reflection. That is, the follower performs the basic step, and the leader mirrors it: on count "1" step back with the left foot, on count "5" step forward with the right foot.

2. Exhibela

The name comes from the Spanish word "exhibir" – to show, to display. It refers to the fact that during this combination, men proudly showcase their partners' beauty in the best way, making others envy them. The position for this figure is closed. Basic steps are performed on counts "1-2-3", during "5-6-7" the partners continue their steps, while the lady moves forward, turning clockwise.

3. Dile que no / Dile que si

The first phrase literally translates as "tell him/her no," and the second as "tell him/her yes." During the "Dile que no" combination, the dancer distances himself from the original partner (says "no" to her), anticipating a transition to the next one.

Count: "1" – partners step to the center of the circle/dance floor, "3" – they face her, while the follower does basic steps; "5" – the man moves back to make space for the partner; "6-7" – he guides her past him. The combination ends with the dancers facing the center of the dance floor.

The second figure is performed exactly the opposite: being apart, the partners come together into a close, closed position – the man has chosen the partner and says "yes" to her.

4. Enchufla

The word Enchufar has different meanings: it can be interpreted as "to ignite" or "to connect, to attach." In this combination, the man does not abandon his current partner (as in 3) but guides her, "attaches" her to a new partner. He takes the lady's hand, passes it over her head, ending up behind her. On count "1" he switches to the next partner.

5. Dame (una), Dame dos, Dame tres

The word dame is a form of the verb dar, from Spanish – "to give." So the name of the figure translates as "give me one/two/three." This also involves changing partners, but more simply: "una" – the man turns to the next dancer, returning her to the starting position; "dos" – the dancer changes partners skipping one girl; "tres" – skipping two.

6. Vacilala

Cubans use this word to mean "to enjoy, to have fun," because the man spins his partner, and under this impulse she easily completes a full turn around her axis, allowing him to admire her body.

7. Sacala

This name translates as the verb "to take out" or "to lead out," and it speaks for itself. Starting in a closed position, the men "lead" their partners in a circle and out of it, turning the girls to the right.

8. Setenta

The main reason for this name is visual resemblance, because the translation of the combination is "seventy." During execution, the partners' arms make swings, forming the number 7 when seen from the side. The man's left arm is up, on counts "1-2-3" he raises the second arm, forming a zero.

9. Sombrero

The name is familiar to everyone – it means a wide-brimmed hat. During this combination, the arms are crossed, then the partners raise them; the man places his right arm behind the lady's head and his left behind his own, so that the position resembles hats on both heads.

10. Mariposa

This unusual word sounds like "butterfly" in Russian. First, the partners dance Setenta (8), then the man moves the partner behind his back, where on counts "1-2-3" she peeks out first from under his right arm, then his left. Watching from the side, this combination truly resembles the fluttering of butterfly wings.

Dancing is always about positive emotions, and when you understand the basic elements and moves, it starts to flow from within. Knowing the theory of salsa and paying proper attention to these elements lets you feel that very enjoyment and passion that this style holds.