Isle of Wight Salsa

The Rueda is danced on lively, up-beat, salsa music. Basically, everybody dances as a couple. The couples stand in a circle. During the dance there is a constant changing of partners, which makes it a vivid and joyful spectacle. The Rueda can be danced with a minimum of two couples. However, three or more couples is advisable. The beauty of the moves can then better be shown.

There are three groups of participants:

The caller, who shouts the names of the moves that are to be danced.
He may also call the moves by hand signals in a loud club setting.

The leaders, usually the men, who perform as the leading elements in each couple.
The caller is usually a leader as well.

The followers, usually the ladies, who perform as the following elements in each couple.
In this text, I will refer to followers as 'ladies'.

Leaders usually keep their eyes on the caller. Executing the moves, however, often places them with their back to the caller for a few moments. Leaders and ladies can help each other: if they see that someone missed the call, call it out for them. But remember: although the Rueda is a group dance, one still dances as a couple. It is a nice gesture to have at least one moment of eye-contact with your actual partner.

Steps are small, especially backwards. Be aware of the space and the local ebb and flow of the movements relative to the nearest neighbours, as well as to the Rueda as a whole.
The default movement for leaders is counter clockwise, which means that they go backward. Dancing clockwise is called ariba. In this text, 'In' and 'Out' refer to directions relative to the centre of the Rueda circle. Unless otherwise specified, all turns refer to the ladies turn