Teaching via La Rueda

[captain jep]

In LA cross body style the lady seems to expects to stay in place (mark time) until 3 then to catapult across in 4 & 5

With DQN the guy should go forward in 1 and so "block" the usual cross body. The woman is forced to take a forward step on 2 and then turn on 3 to go across in 4 and 5.

What I cant seem to get right is the a) blocking and b) the arm motion that tells the lady it is a DQN and they should take a forward step

I think what I am saying above is right - but then as a lady you'll know the timings better than I do...

Yes do ask - it's really bugging me...

[StageKat]

No problem... bringing thread with me tonight! Will post what I can find out when I get home.

[dream a little dream]

CJ, wait 'til my roommate gets home.  I'll have explain.  She dances both lead and follow in salsa and rueda and is a better lead than most gentlemen.  I can follow one, but can't explain it.

[StageKat]

Ok... managed to get pro and his partner (who have been teaching for 18 years together... ) to discuss DQN (and as soon as they said it I knew exactly what it was... just never seen it in writing before )

DQN is a regular cross body lead... just like LA Style...danced on On1. So half a basic...1,2,3..hold 4...lady steps with left foot forward on 5 as lead opens up for CBL which is finished on count 6 and 7...hold 8. What might make it totally different is going into (phonetic spelling here) "Wah-pay-ah" afterwords which of course you don't normally do in every day Salsa. Unfortunately I don't know exactly what the guy's steps are during CBL/DQN...I've lead this step before but I was more concerned with making sure the follow made it and we got back to basic on time to realize what I was doing with my feet to get her there. :p

[captain jep]

Hmm Im not sure it's just like LA style. Isnt LA style "in the slot" - in other words you follow a straight line from one side to the other? With Cuban its more J shaped. Lady starts at tail of J goes forward pivots round then completes cross body steps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5job0FZWu1k&feature=related

I cant find any clear comparison videos but the one above shows how it's more of a circular motion than the usual cross body

Yes its easier if you have guapea - but then you would almost certainly be dancing Cuban style in the first place! I guess Im trying to lead something that a LA style dancer doesnt normally do so I cant rely on them to second guess me.

Well well I'll experiment some more next week. Thanks for asking!

[dream a little dream]

CJ, you are trying to lead a cross body lead in a slot, right? 
What exactly is the question again?  I don't understand how you are having problems.

[captain jep]

? No I am trying to lead a Dile Que No to someone who usually dances LA Style - I should be able to lead it even if they arent familiar with it but cant

[dream a little dream]

So, you are having troubles with getting your lady to do a cross body lead, but not in a slot?

[captain jep]

So, you are having troubles with getting your lady to do a cross body lead, but not in a slot?

Yes

[dream a little dream]

It really shouldn't make a difference.  A lady who knows how to follow a cross body lead should be able to follow it in and outside a slot.  I've learned the slot style, but can allow a lead to "rotate" me around the floor if he doesn't dance slot style salsa.  In Rueda, there seems to be a lot of slot style dancing, unless you are changing partners in the circle.

[TangoDancer]

Hmm. I find this odd as well. It should work.

[captain jep]

It really shouldn't make a difference.  A lady who knows how to follow a cross body lead should be able to follow it in and outside a slot.  I've learned the slot style, but can allow a lead to "rotate" me around the floor if he doesn't dance slot style salsa.  In Rueda, there seems to be a lot of slot style dancing, unless you are changing partners in the circle.

Perhaps we're confusing terms? "Slot" to me means that the followers dance up and down a single line. Sometimes it's also called a "tram track"

Cuban salsa is generally circular. What I find is that cross body dancers who havent been exposed to it tend to a) wait for a "slot" (as defined above) to appear before moving and b) find that it's too "up close and personal" and then get weirded out by it.

I probably need to go back to a Cuban class to refine my lead, to be honest. Meanwhile if you cant beat 'em join 'em..

( By the way I think of most Rueda moves as being circular - setenta being a classic example. )

[TangoDancer]

Perhaps the real issue is trying to dance the dile que no too succinctly. Treat it as simply a change of place/sides where the alignment is secondary to the intent. As I said before, it should be working according to your description.

[nonfinity]

As a social salsa dancer that prefers the NY On2 style (which is also in the slot like LA style), I can say that I often experience difficulty when dealing with follows not accustomed to the slot. Whether it is the side-to-side cumbia style steps or the more circular cuban and mexican styles the shape of the dance seems to make a huge huge difference. All of my experience is to lead someone that is used to a curved path onto a straight one, as opposed to the opposite, so I can't throw out any specific advice. I do find, however, that taking them slowly (over the course of 2-3 8 counts) on the path I want seems to get them accustomed to the movement without the normal directional instincts kicking in. good luck

[cdnsalsanut]

I started learning salsa with casino rueda.  Someone gave me a dvd set called quick and dirty guide to salsa, a 3 dvd set.  It was a fantastic way to learn.  I'm not pushing the dvd's, just want to say it was a great way to learn salsa.

In miami I've taken classes at salsa mia, with alex and he's fantastic. They have some great video of him teaching at expertvillage.com, search salsa and then look for advanced steps and salsa mia. Another good resource and it's interesting some of the steps are rueda, beso and dedo for example.

I'm in Toronto and there's a fantastic salsa scene up here, every night of the week at a different place.  LA style, Rueda, Cumbia, you'll see all the styles at the same clubs.  On one, on Two, freestyle...it's great!

By the way, one of my favourite t-shirts

On One
On Two
On Carpet