| The categories are meant as a help to orient among all the different commands. If you or your rueda group want to focus on a specific category of commands this is the recommended view.
Click on the category to see Rueda Standard figures in that specific category. |
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Closed position |
In closed position the couples dance quite close, like in traditional couples dance. It is quite common to start a rueda in closed position. |
Open position |
In open position there is some distance between the two in the couple. They still hold one hand together (leaders left hand and followers right hand). Guapea is the name of the basic step in open position. Most of the rueda figures start from this position, but a few of the figures start when the partners are side by side. |
Street rueda |
Street rueda refers to the easy figures that you may pick up on the street or in a social rueda, as opposed to learning it at a dance school. These are short and fun figures to be used in typically a social rueda, on the street, at a party, and where the dancers might not know the figures already. |
Rueda al medio |
When the command “… y al medio” is called, everyone gets into a position facing the center. Usually this is “enchufla y al medio”, but it could also be “vacílala y al medio” or similar. When everyone is facing the center (or facing out of the circle) the directions are usually given by a la derecha (= right) or a la izquierda (= left), rather than arriba / abajo. |
Rueda caminando |
Caminando means walking. This is a category of commands that keep the rueda walking / rotating continously. To speed up the rotation you may hear the caller call Camina! (= walk), Anda! (= walk), Vamos! (= let’s go) or a similar spanish word/phrase for get moving. |
Rueda structure
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In the various Rueda structures there are certain trafic rules for the structure itself, and there are transit commands to get into and out of the structure. Rueda structures have develloped a lot after 2010, and some of them are work in progress. The Rueda structures page gives you an overview of most of the various Rueda structures that are in use, at least those that have been taught at the SalsaNor Rueda congress since 2002. |
Combinations
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Some commands are modifiers, that may be combined with other Rueda commands. They do not represent a specific figure, but refers to another figure and modifies it. For example: – “repite” (repeats the previous command, like “dame directo > repite”) – “con mambo” (in “echufla con mambo” you add mambo steps at the end of the enchufla) |
For Casino figures or other Rueda figures see the archive of Dance figures.