How To Salsa Dance: Cuddle Step For The Leader

Step 1: You will need

Pair of soft-soled shoes

Step 2: Footwork For The Leader

The salsa open break under arm turn is an intimate salsa dance step. The leader's footwork consists of two back breaks one after the other.

To start, you place your feet together with equal weight on both feet. Now move your left foot backward about a foot or two, placing your weight on this foot. Next, keeping the left foot in the same place, replace your weight to your right foot and simultaneously turn it an eighth of a turn to the right. Now bring your left foot back to it's original position next to your right foot. Repeat this now in the reverse, starting by moving your right foot back, replacing the weight to the left foot and simultaneously turning the left foot an eighth of a turn to the left. Then bring the right foot back together with the left foot. And repeat for another back break.

Step 3: Upper Body For The Leader

In terms of upper body movement, the leader will hold the follower in the closed position for the first back break, bringing his left hand down on the last count of the first back break (seven) to a double hand hold. Now you raise your left hand still holding hers and bring them across your face, circling clockwise, ending in a cuddle position. In this position, you will do a back break and then elevate your left hand and send the lady under the raised hand, ending again in a double hand hold. You can now repeat the move starting from this double hand hold position.