Rueda Syllabus
In rueda, each move is called by name. The names are usually in Cuban Spanish.
The strict relevance of the name to the move varies. It may be a direct instruction, or an implication, or slang, or innuendo, or a joke, or just a label that happens to be attached to a move. You have to learn to associate the name with the move. With practice this soon becomes a good way to remember moves and to learn new moves.
Level 1
- son position
- adentro y afuera (to the inside and to the outside)
- tiempo España
- zig-zag
- dame from zig-zag (give me (one) from zig-zag)
- arriba (up)
- abajo (down)
- un tarro (an affair)
- dile que no (tell her no)
- guapea (show off)
- chevería
- fly
- 3 flies
- palmas (clapping)
- ping-pong
- yogur (yogurt)
- yogur batido (yogurt shake)
- dame(una) (give me (one))
- enchufe (plug/connect)
- mata la mosca (kill the fly)
- principe bueno (good prince)
- principe malo (bad prince)
- foto (photo)
- adiós (a la prima) (goodbye (cousin))
- caramelo (sweet)
- chocolate
- caramelo y chocolate (sweet and chocolate)
- croqueta (croquette)
- vacílala (check her out)
- pimienta (pepper)
- (la) cuchara (spoon)
- exhíbela (show her off)
- sácala (take her out)
- toca la rodilla/cabeza (touch the knee/head)
- directo (direct)
- directo pa' abajo (direct backwards)
Level 2
- adiós a la hermana (goodbye sister)
- adiós a toda la familia (goodbye the whole family)
- adiós con vuelta (goodbye with turn)
- adiós pa' arriba (goodbye upstream)
- bájala (lower (dip) her)
- bájala domino (lower (dip) her, domino effect)
- con bulla (with a racket)
- camínala (take her for a walk)
- cero (from guapea) (zero)
- cero (from al medio) (zero)
- cero con gracia (graceful zero)
- coca cola
- coco (coconut)
- con las manos (with the hands)
- coquito (little coconut)
- (la) cubanita (Cuban girl)
- daiquiri/se fue
- dame/enchufe/adiós etc con gracia (graceful dame/enchufe/adiós etc)
- (dame) una/enchufe/adiós etc con una/dos/tres (dame/enchufe/adiós etc with one/two/three claps)
- dame dos (tres, cuatro etc!) (give me two, three, four etc!)
- (dame) dos (tres, cuatro etc!) con una/dos/tres (give me two, three, four etc! with one/two/three claps)
- dame una pa'arriba (give me one upstream)
- dame pa'afuera (give me one on the outside)
- dame al medio (give me one, to the centre)
- dos con dos ((give me) two with two (claps))
- dos con Cuba ((give me) two with Cuba)
- enchufe doble (double plug/connect)
- enchufe pa'arriba (plug/connect upstream)
- enchufe pa'atrás (plug/connect behind)
- enchufe y quédate (plug/connect and stay)
- enchufe con vuelta (plug/connect with turn)
- enchufe al medio (plug/connect, to the centre)
- evelyn
- la famosa (the famous)
- ida (one-way journey)
- kentucky
- lola
- lombriz (worm) / se quedó (stay)
- no le llegues (don't get to her)
- la rosa (from al medio) (rose)
- pasan las manos (pass the hands)
- paséala (take her for a walk/show her off)
- pa'ti pa'mi (for you for me)
- pelota (ball)
- pelota y quédate (ball and stay)
- pelota con clave (ball with clave)
- policía (police)
- policía mujeres (police women)
- saludos (from guapea) (greetings)
- setenta simple (simple seventy)
- siéntala (sit her down)
- siéntala con beso (sit her down with kiss)
- siete (seven)
- serrucho (saw)
- sombrero (hat)
- sombrero conejo (rabbit hat)
- un tarro y quédate (an affair and stay)
- tranca (bar)
- vacílala con cero (check her out with zero)
- vacílala con paseo (check her out with a walk)
- vacílala dame una (check her out, give me one)
- vacílala dame una p'arriba (check her out, give me one upstream)
- vacílense (check each other out)
Level 3
- abanico (fan)
- abrázala (embrace/hug her)
- ahorcado (hanged man)
- balsero (rafter)
- bayamo
- bayamo pa' abajo (bayamo below)
- besito (little kiss)
- beso (kiss)
- borracho (drunken man)
- buen viaje (good journey/trip)
- cadeneta (little chain) / se quedó (stay)
- cásate (get married)
- chicos también (guys also) / pa' lante (go forward)
- coca cola por atrás (coca cola behind)
- coca cola doble por atrás (double coca cola behind)
- coco doble (double coconut)
- la completa (the complete)
- dame/enchufe/adiós etc me gusta (give me/plug/goodbye I like her)
- el dedo (the finger)
- divórciate (get divorced)
- el doce (twelve)
- el dos/dame/se fue (two/give me one/end)
- enchufe con mambo (plug/connect with Cuban mambo)
- enchufe con reguetón (plug/connect with reguetón)
- enchufe con rumba (plug/connect with Cuban rumba)
- (enchufe) moderno (modern plug/connect)
- (enchufe) moderno con saludos (a la vecina) (modern plug/connect with greetings to the neighbour)
- enchufe y paséate (plug/connect and walk)
- festival de adiós con New York (festival of (triple) adiós con New York)
- festival de enchufe (festival of (triple) enchufe)
- festival de enchufe con New York (festival of (triple) enchufe con New York)
- festival de pelota (festival of (triple) pelota)
- festival de pelota y quédate (festival of (triple) pelota y quédate)
- guapea complicada (complicated guapea)
- el guapo (handsome man)
- dame pa' mí (dame for me)
- dame pa' tí (dame for you)
- dame pa' todos (dame for all)
- el kiwi
- matanzas
- media mitad (other half)
- media naranja (other half)
- montaña (mountain)
- ocho (from guapea) (eight)
- ocho (from al medio) (eight)
- once (eleven)
- paséala pa' arriba (take her for a walk/show her off, up)
- paséala con Cuba (take her for a walk/show her off, with Cuba)
- patín (skating)
- patín mujeres (women skating)
- el puente (bridge)
- el ratón (the mouse)
- regístrala (search her)
- rosca (ring)
- la ruleta (roulette)
- sácala saludos (take her out greetings)
- setenta (seventy)
- setenta con alarde (seventy with flourish)
- setenta con la vecina (seventy with the neighbour)
- setenta y uno (seventy one)
- setenta y cinco (seventy five)
- siete con coca cola (seven with coca cola)
- siete afuera/adentro/al medio (seven to the outside/to the inside/to the centre)
- siete pose (seven with a pose)
- sombrero con mambo (hat with Cuban mambo step)
- sombrero con mambo complicado (hat with complicated Cuban mambo step)
- la sorpresa (surprise)
- tarro cubano (Cuban affair)
- torniquete (torniquet)
- torniquete y regresa (torniquet and return)
- treinta y tres (thirty three)
- vacílala doble (double check her out)
- vacílala con estilo (check her out with style)
- vacílala dame una con vuelta (check her out give me one with turn)
Level 4
- abanico complicado (complicated fan)
- algodón (cotton)
- arco iris (rainbow)
- around the world
- azuquita (little sugar)
- bacardi limón
- el barquillo (wafer)
- bebé (baby)
- el clásico (classic)
- combinación (combination)
- (a lo) contrario (contrary)
- coronilla (crown of the head)
- la cuadra (block)
- dedo guarapo y bota (finger, liquor, and boot) / Con giro (with turn)
- el dedo con desprecio (scornful finger)
- el dedo saboreado (tasty finger)
- enchufe y cásate (plug/connect and get married)
- escalera (1,2,2,1) (stairway, ladder)
- estrella doble (double star)
- festival de patín (festival (triple) skating)
- festival de patín mujeres (festival (triple) skating women)
- festival de suspiro (festival (triple) sigh)
- el guapo avanzado (advanced handsome man)
- Havana
- ida y vuelta (return journey)
- la jenny
- el lazo (ribbon)
- maréala (make her dizzy)
- mariposa (butterfly)
- media prima (half cousin)
- mezcla (mixture)
- micaela
- ocho con gracia (graceful eight)
- ocho doble (double eight)
- ocho doble con gracia (graceful double eight)
- pantera (panther)
- paséala por el parque (take her for a walk in the park)
- polimita (snail)
- ponle sabor (put some flavour into it)
- prima dos (cousin two)
- pulpo (octopus) / ahora (now)
- en el quinto (on the five)
- la rosa (from guapea) (rose)
- sambuca
- setenta complicada (complicated seventy)
- setenta y uno complicada (complicated seventy-one)
- siete loco (crazy seven)
- siete loco con coca cola (crazy seven with coca cola)
- siete loco complicado (complicated crazy seven)
- sígame (follow me)
- sombrero complicado (complicated hat)
- sombrero con coca cola (hat with coca cola)
- sombrero doble (double hat)
- sombrero de Manny (Manny's hat)
- tornillo (screw)
- tres sabores (three flavours)
- el trompo (spinning top)
Level 5
- andar la habana (to walk havana)