My Hands Smell Like Girls [Salsa]

This is more for me, but if you dance a little salsa, you'll like it to. Learned multiple good moves at class today--possibly enough to make it worth taking. We have another week too.

A new place
Some place called "Sellers" on 1st and Blanchard. Apparently they do salsa on Tuesday nights. Some people at my class said they were going there tonight. That means people there would know me, people that can dance well enough for me to try my old moves. If last weeks sinus infection wasn't coming back for a re-match, I'd probably be going there tonight.

[Weird belly rape move]
I'm probably not going to do this move the way I just learned it. All those shy girls that don't like my turning them from the hip are definitely not going to want me rubbing my thumb across their stomach, and doing so doesn't transmit a strong direction change. But the move appears to be the same move as the sweetheart, which I've been meaning to start doing again.

Footwork--back break, like an enchufla, but she doesnt spin around. You go around behind her. 1,2,3 is your back break, push your feet extra forward on 2 and 3. On 5, cross your right foot behind you (you're now behind her, facing her, she facing away from you). On 6, left foot way forward. On 7, do something with your right foot. I guess you can cross it.

Hands--start with...your left to her right. Enchufla pull thing on 1. On 2, pull and toss her arm above and to the right of your head. Sort of over your right shoulder. On 3, right hand starts going across her belly, and allegedly if you turn your hand and mostly only grope her with your thumb, its better. (I'd prefer to make a V with my hand and push back gently and firmly, but thats a different move that I can't remember.) Around 5 or 6 you take your right hand away.

This move relies on the girl both A) knowing to do her basic, since you're not really pushing back with your thumb and B) knowing not to turn around and follow you. Why did I write this down? Oh, cause its like the sweetheart move.

[Sweetheart move]
You start this in open position. She will be facing the same way the whole time, while you scurry around behind her.

1,2,3, back break to start an enchufla, but she's not turning. Your right hand will be wrapping her slightly lower, and your left hand has to cross her, wrapping that arm to your right/her left before you pass her, wrapping that arm above the other one. When you get behind her, she is like hugging herself.

On 5, you do the right foot crossing behind, I think, and I think you also pull on the arms for the direction change. 6,7 you come back around on the other side.

I'm not sure about this move; I didn't get to try it tonight. Now that I'm more confident about the footwork, I'll probably do it.

["hacky sack" -- men's styling for cross body lead start]
I learned some men's styling I actually liked. It was great. My instructor called it a hacky sack, because it looks like you're playing that for a second. Anyway, imagine you are starting a cross body lead, but you are already on the side of the dance track (where you get to on count 3). Instead of stepping in and out again on 1,2,3, you can stay in place and wave your left foot around to show on.

Count 1: best way to describe this: keep your left toe where it is, turn your knee inward, heel outward.
Count 2: reverse the direction of your left foot. Swing it to the right, so your heel is in front of your right leg, just above your right knee.
Count 3: swing your left foot back out to the left, pointing to the left. That whole look-im-sexy-cause-i-moved-my-leg-to-the-left pose.

Count 5: proceed with the cross body lead. Could probably do an inside turn.


[side-switching move that seemed cool in class]
This move seemed awesome 30 minutes ago. Now that I'm about to write it down, I can't describe what the point is.

You start on the right side of the dance track, your left to her left, as if you are halfway through a pepsi cola. He had us not use our right hand at all, but I probably would use it to help lead the inside turn.

Do an inside turn. Right foot in place on 5 like usuall. On 6, cross as much of the dance track behind her as you can with your left foot. On 7, take your left hand and place her left behind your head for closed position. Also on 7, right hand to shoulder blade ("dance button"). You should end up on the side of the dance track, as if you've just done the 1,2,3 of a cross body lead.

This isn't much different then a normal inside turn, but I think the point is you end it sooner, and you are then already on the side of the dance track, ready to do that hacky sack move.

This move reminds me of what you do to do a 360 after an inside turn.




I need to go dancing this weekend. I want to get the Sweatheart and that foot waving thing into my head. If I added one or two moves every week, I would probably be great in a few months. Well...3 months would be twelve new moves. I'll need more than that to dance to the music.