- Mambo leads must be a little more forceful than other dances because the turns and changes of direction occur very quickly.
- Mambo is similar to fast international Rumba.
- Sliding Mambo
Salsa Basic
- closed basic (quick, quick, together, quick, quick, together)
- open basic (quick, quick, open, quick, quick, open) → leads into crossover breaks.
- forward and back basic (quick, quick travel, quick, quick, travel) → leads into chase or challenge.
- side (cucaracha) basic (left, rock, together, right, rock, together)
- back break basic
- underarm spot turn: ½ basic, stop her right hand with your left hand and lead her on a clockwise spot turn
- dance position: (use pressure to keep frame tight)
- open
- closed
- closed with man's right hand on lady's waist
first quick step
- on count 1: "Salsa on 1"
- on count 2: "Mambo" or "Salsa on 2"
- on count 3: "Salsa on 3"
- spot turn
- back breaks
- Use closed-position nightclub-two-step style back breaks in Mambo.
- back breaks with interlocking arms (after right side back break go forward into the rumba box)
- double back breaks (probably finish with a brace and turn around)
- parallel breaks
- open break
Shoulder Check or Peekaboo
- peek-a-boo high hand
- peek-a-boo straight arm
- yo-yo, tuck turn and rewrap: cuddle position → tuck turnout → rewrap to cuddle.
Charge patterns
(Can add rotation: forward turning left, backward turning left)
- side-by-side charge
- cuddle charge
- sweetheart charge
- skater charge
- open promenade charge
- closed promenade charge
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Shadow patterns and fake steps:
- (Shadow patterns are same foot patterns.)
- sweetheart shadow: open break in handshake position → pull her into sweetheart while doing the fake → go side-to-side in double sweetheart shadow matching her footwork → fake back to the basic and switch the hands
- cuddle shadow ("cuddle guided turn")
- skater shadow
Turkish Towel
- start with double sweetheart
- (Guys, when starting the Turkish towel from peek-a-boo, step with your right when she in cuddle to start)
- lady starts in right sweetheart position and walks around man's left side → Turkish Towel
- lady starts in left sweetheart position and walks around man's right side → Turkish Towel
Cross Over Breaks
- crossover hand change breaks
- crossover break → left underarm spot arch turn (lady put opposite hand on hip) → switch hands → right underarm spot arch turn → crossover break
- (you can end crossover breaks with a turnaround)
- double crossovers: right crossover stop (brace) → right crossover stop → left crossover stop → left crossover stop
- advanced side breaks: ½ box, side break, switch hands to a loose handshake hold and reach behind her with the other arm (keep the arm level)
- passing hand change: switch to handshake position → open break → the man pulls her to his side while he passes behind her and goes to the opposite side (as the man passes her he lets his opposite hand slide down her opposite shoulder to switch the hands) → repeat the passing hand change 3 times
- pivot turns – underarm turn
- pivot turns – figure-8 turns
- add forward and back underarm turn
- crossover break → left underarm spot arch turn (lady put opposite hand on hip) → switch hands → right underarm spot arch turn → crossover break
- open break → walk around underarm turn
- back spot turn from an open break: (man): open break, side, cross-behind, spin together (lady): quick, quick, forward, forward, forward, side → basic (face each other during the turn)
- Mambo open left box turning: ??
- the Mambo chase
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Cross-body Lead
- closed cross-body lead → 180º turn → lady starts to turn on the 2nd quick
- closed cross-body lead with inside underarm turn for the lady: lady starts to turn on the second quick, the lady spins on her left foot. As soon as the lady finished the turn, catch her in closed position and do the basic (both partners turn sharply to face each other throughout the pattern)
- closed cross-body lead → crossover break
- from two-hand open position
- half moon: cross-body lead → sweetheart → ??
Same-hand crossover (full moon)
- Start with a cross-body lead and switch to same hands and roll into a forward crossover. The man hold the lady's right hand with his right hand throughout the remainder of this pattern. The man then turns 180º and leads the lady into a cross-body lead followed by a forward crossover. This pattern is repeated several times. During each crossbody lead, the lady raises her left hand in a large circular gentle arc that ends with her left hand on her right shoulder. During each forward crossover, the lady extends her left hand straight out to her left side. At the end of the pattern, the lady does an inside double-turn to the right followed immediately by the basic.
- cucaracha or ("Rocking breaks to the side") Bring the feet together after a full basic, then start rocking breaks to the side.
- the "surprise": lead lady to do a rocking break to her right while the guy does a crossover to the left with his left foot, then finish with the last half of the mambo basic
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