Reference

Dance Vocabulary

Every term that shows up on the move cards — the Frame you stand in, the Type of move, the style and the musical use — explained in plain language. New to a word on a card? Tap it and it brings you here.

Frame

How you’re held and where you stand relative to your partner. It’s the first thing a move tells you to set up — and one of the two ways you can filter the floor.

Open

A step apart, joined by the hands.

You stand a step apart and stay connected only through the hands. There’s room between you, so it’s the frame where turns, hand changes and footwork patterns happen. Most figures travel through open frame at some point — it’s where the biggest share of the floor lives.

102 salsa · 57 bachata moves

Close

Bodies close, full frame contact.

You and your partner stand close, chest-to-chest or near it. The leader’s right hand sits on the follower’s back and the follower’s left arm rests on the leader’s shoulder or arm. It’s the warmest, most connected frame — the home base for bachata and Cuban salsa.

15 salsa · 49 bachata moves

Shadow

One partner behind the other, both facing the same way.

Both partners face the same direction, one standing just behind the other like a shadow. It frees the front partner’s body to move and is a favourite for sensual bachata and styling moments.

5 bachata move

Side-by-side

Standing alongside each other, facing forward.

You stand next to each other facing the same way, usually still joined by one hand. Common in playful or showy moments where both dancers do the same thing for the room to see.

1 salsa · 1 bachata moves

Type

What a move is for — the job it does on the floor. A move can wear more than one type, and this is the main way you narrow the floor down to what you want to drill.

Foundations

The basic steps everything is built on.

The core steps — basics, breaks and side-steps — that every other figure assumes you already have. Start here; every level leans on them.

8 salsa · 16 bachata moves

Wraps & Locks

Wrapping the arms into and out of shapes.

Moves that lead the follower’s arms into and out of comfortable shapes — hammerlocks, cuddles, neck wraps and unrolls. Always gentle and led with care.

14 salsa · 15 bachata moves

Cross-Body & Resolutions

The cross-body lead and the moves that resolve it.

The cross-body lead — the move that swaps the partners’ places — and the figures that grow out of it and bring it home. The backbone of line and Cuban salsa alike.

12 salsa move

Turns & Spins

Right turns, left turns and spins.

Turn patterns for the follower and the leader — inside turns, outside turns, and the spins that string them together.

16 salsa move

Position Changes

Swapping places and handholds.

Moves whose whole job is to change where you stand or which hands you hold — the connective tissue that links one figure into the next. The biggest bucket in salsa.

40 salsa move

Shines

Solo footwork, hands released.

Solo footwork done without holding your partner — your moment to play with the music on your own before catching the hands again.

13 salsa move

Styling

Arms, body and flourish.

The polish: arm styling, body movement and accents that make the same step look and feel like yours.

12 salsa move

Rueda

Group salsa danced in a wheel.

Rueda de Casino: couples form a circle and a caller shouts moves everyone does at once, swapping partners around the wheel. Social, fast and a lot of fun.

5 salsa move

Dominican footwork

Traditional taps, syncopations and free-foot play.

The lively footwork of traditional Dominican bachata — taps, double-steps and syncopations that decorate the basic.

12 bachata move

Turns & Patterns

Turn patterns and hand-led figures.

Turns and hand-led figures danced a step apart — the bachata equivalent of salsa’s turn vocabulary, from simple underarm turns to multi-spin patterns.

29 bachata move

Travelling

Moves that cover ground.

Figures that move the couple across the floor rather than staying on the spot — using space and changing the picture.

12 bachata move

Sensual bodywork

Waves, isolations and body movement.

The signature of sensual bachata: body waves, isolations and led body movement, danced close and slow.

23 bachata move

Dips & Drops

Endings that drop or dip the follower.

The dramatic finishers — dips, drops and leans — usually saved for the last beat of a song. Safety and trust first, always.

10 bachata move

Style

The flavour or school a move comes from. Same dance, different feel and body movement.

Any

Works in either salsa style.

This move is at home in both Cuban and line (LA/NY) salsa — a shared piece of vocabulary you can use whichever style you dance.

73 salsa move

Cuban

Circular, casino-style salsa.

Cuban-style salsa (casino): partners move around each other in circles rather than along a line, with a playful, grounded feel. The root of Rueda.

41 salsa move

NY / line

Linear, “on2” salsa.

New York (and LA) line salsa: partners trade places along a single line, often danced “on2”. Smoother and more linear than the Cuban circle.

6 salsa move

Dominican

The original, footwork-driven bachata.

The traditional bachata from the Dominican Republic: lively, footwork-heavy and full of little syncopations and free-foot taps. The roots of the dance.

24 bachata move

Modern

Today’s social bachata.

Modern bachata: the most common social style, blending the basic step with turn patterns and a clean, accessible partner connection.

51 bachata move

Sensual

Body movement, waves and wraps.

Sensual bachata: slower and led from the body, full of waves, isolations and wrap shapes. Emphasises flow and connection over fast footwork.

41 bachata move

Musical use

When in the music a move belongs — what job it does in the song, not just how it looks.

Accent

Hits a strong beat or a punch in the music.

Lands on a strong moment in the song — a horn stab, a drum hit, a punch in the rhythm. You use it to show the music, marking something the listener can hear.

49 salsa · 41 bachata moves

Filler

Keeps things flowing between bigger moves.

A bread-and-butter move that keeps you dancing smoothly between the highlights. Nothing flashy — it buys you time and keeps the connection alive while you decide what’s next.

63 salsa · 36 bachata moves