OUTLINE of LATIN COLLECTIVE TEACHING SYLLABUS

CROSS BODY SALSA on1 and on2 (5 levels)

(italicised sections are lesson plans for classes made up entirely of one sex or with a very strong
gender bias)

ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS (minimum of 2 weeks – 1 hour each)

The Absolute Beginners will cover only the 4 forms of the basic (which I want everyone
to refer to as):- The Mambo Basic, Back Basic, Rumba Basic and The Cubanos (a
name from Casino Style) or opening out, and the Cross Body. The lesson plan is
broken down in much more detail on the appropriate sheet.

BEGINNERS (minimum of 7 weeks - 1 hour each)

The aim in the beginners’ classes is to slowly but steadily build up the skills
required for the dancer to make constant progress. These classes will give the
perfect opportunity to introduce students to key concepts such as:
a. The New York style hold
b. The back break when in a semi-open position to give the tension leads
c. The pizzaman
d. The use of bad word fingers for leading
e. The sweet spot for turns
f. The tushy push
g. Basic ladies’ styling elements such as the hair comb
h. The lead “up the wall” for single right turns

Beginners to cover:
1) Cross Body to open break, then men’s / ladies’ single (2 o’clock) right turn
2) Cross Body to double open break, then men’s Broken Left Turn / ladies’ Broken
Left Turn with High Five
3) Cross Body to open break then In-and-Out (ordinary) / In-and-Out into
partnership with hair comb styling
4) Cross Body to open break, then ladies’ Natural Left Turn
5) Cross Body to open break, then the Cuddle / Simple Wrap and Unwrap
6) Cross Body to open break, then the Cuban Walk-Through

GENDER BIASED classes:

 (in a single sex class – girls only or guys only – you can teach the Turn Combo
level 1)
 (in a class with many more women than men you can teach shines or a simple
turn with styling – hair comb, and In-and-Out).

Revision of these over a minimum of 7 weeks – using only mambo and back basics.
Also showing the leads with different hands i.e. leader’s right and leader’s left. The
Beginners’ pattern should cover no more than 6 bars (3 x dancer’s measure).
 IMPROVERS (minimum of 6 months - 1 hour each)
The Improvers’ syllabus is designed to emphasize the importance of the Cross
Body as the core element. The Improvers’ pattern should cover no more than 8
bars (4 x dancer’s measure) and involve stringing moves together in
combinations using the Cross Body into the open break or double open before
executing the move.
These classes will give the perfect opportunity to introduce students to key
concepts such as:
a. The Cross Body Turn and its counterpart, the outside one and a half rights
b. The rocking step to get the ladies’ footwork pattern correct for sharper
Cross Body Turns
c. Hair combs and styling within Cross Body Turns and Copas
d. The lead “up the wall” for single right turns

Alternatives to the Cross Body

 Reverse Cross Body (essentially a walking half right turn) vs Cross Pass
 Cross Pass ordinary
 Cross Pass over the man’s head

Slightly more smooth Cross Body Combinations with styling

 Cross Body, double open break, then In-and-Out to partnership with ladies’ hair
comb
 Cross Body to open break to Broken Left Turn with High Five, then men’s right
turn
 Cross Body to open break to 2 o’clock right turn, then men’s Broken Left Turn

Ladies’ walking half left and half right (variations on Cuban Walk-Through or Paseo)
vs Change of Place turns
 Cross Body to open break then Walking Half Right Turn lead with both hands
 Cross Body to open break then Walking Half Left Turn lead with both hands

Cross Body with turns

 Cross Body Turn (Inside one and a half left turn) with men’s left hand lead / men’s
right hand lead
 Outside one and half right turn with men’s right hand lead / men’s left hand lead

Simple Wraps and Unwraps, and variations

 “Cuddles”
 Copa Fakes (i.e. In-and-Out then walk backwards – eventually leads into turning
the girl around into a different channel)

GENDER BIASED classes:

 (in a single sex class – girls only or guys only – you can teach the Turn Combo
level 2)
 (in a class with many more women than men you can teach more complex shines).
 INTERMEDIATE (minimum of 1 year – 1 hour each)
The Intermediate syllabus is designed to emphasize the importance of the Cross
Body Turn and the Double Right Spin as core elements. The pattern should cover
no more than 8 bars (4 x dancer’s measure) and build on a theme and all of its
alternatives for a number of weeks to reinforce the learning process.
These classes will give the perfect opportunity to introduce students to key
concepts such as:
a. The Double Right Spin and the correct way to lead this (with timing).
STRESS must be placed on the correct arm posture for the lady i.e. the
pizzaman with her elbow fixed in front. The man must lead hand in a halo
around lady’s head at the sweet spot height about 1 inch above lady’s
head. The lead “across the corridor” to signal multiple spins and set the
lady up.
b. The lead “across the corridor” to signal multiple spins and set the lady up.
Any hand change must be made early enough so that, for best effect, the
men’s footwork should mirror the ladies’ whilst they are setting up.
c. Early variants on one and a half turns used in over-and-unders.
d. The ability of the men to execute turns whilst doing simple moves.
e. The correct place for styling within the framework of the dance
f. Shine theory (where they can and should go and how we “lead” them)
g. Precision, balance and timing.

Double Right Spins led with different hands

Copa & Copa Variations
 Single Right hand – Right hand Copa
 Double-Open hand Copa
 Double-Open Right hand – Right hand, Left hand over Copa
 Double-Open Right hand – Right hand, Right hand over Copa
 Copa with stop check behind the back (lady’s hands in the air)

Copa Fake Variations

 Copa Fake with men’s right turn / men’s left turn

Ladies’ Double Right Spin Variations

 One-Up, One-Down followed by
a. Men turning ladies on the spot
b. Men bringing ladies out along same channel with hand down.
c. Men swap channel but into a Cross Body Turn lead over man’s head.
 Over and Under (travelling one-up, one downs) and variations

Cross Pass Variations

 Cross Pass holding ladies in place and men travelling behind ladies’ back to change
channel
 Cross Pass then Pretzel change of place turn behind back (maintaining handhold)
 Cross Pass then Windmill into Drop Catch

Drop Catch Variations

 Single /double right turn / spin with Drop Catch in man’s right hand
 Single /double right turn/spin with Drop Catch in man’s left hand
 Single /double right turn / spin with Drop Catch in man’s right hand
 Single /double right turn/spin with Drop Catch in man’s left hand
 Single /double right turn / spin with Drop Catch in man’s right hand
 Single /double right turn/spin with Drop Catch in man’s right hand
Drop Catches within Disconnections

Checks and Variations

 Jesus Check with Broken One and a Half Right Turn to get out lead with left hand
– left hand
 Half Check with Broken One and a Half Right Turn to get out lead with right hand
– right hand
 Belly checks
 All variations showing lead into Broken Right Turn changing into a double right
spin
 Low Lasso (double handed check with walk around) then come out with travelling
one and half right turn

Cross Body with one and a half outside spins

Cross Body with over and under then out
Cross Body with two and a half inside left spins
Cross Body with two and a half outside spins
All of the above whilst men simultaneously execute full left (5,6,7) or right (5,6,7 hook
and 5,6,7 swivel) turns
Throwaways and Palm Offs, Low Fives and Cast Off Variations

Shines (updated)
8 beat shines
Suzy Q, Suzy Q Drop, Front Double Cross, Syncopated Front Double Cross, Rumba
Cross, Rumba Walk, Rumba Drop, Bicycle, Sailor, Chord Beat, Pachanga, Spiral,
Hook Step, Hook Flick, Heel Toe, Half Flare, Sliding Doors, Bouncing Ball, Syncopated
Bouncing Ball, Chuck & 8 Ball Chuck, Cuban Mambo Step, Whiny Whiny, Crossover
Suzy, Kick Toe Swivel, Front Toe Tap, Five Toe Tap

16-32 beat shines

Mambo Flare, Grapevine, Chord Beat Grapevine, Heel Toe Grapevine, Chord Beat
Angle Tap Slide, Full Flare, Double Spiral, Forward and Reverse Slide, Triple Spiral,
Suzy Q Plus, Slave Suzy, Uptown/Downtown Suzy, Cuban, Ghetto Fabulous

Turn Combo
Level 1
2 o’clock Right
Broken Left
Half Right, Half Left
Single Right Spin
Single Left Spin

Level 2 (all above plus)

Double Right Turn
Double Left Turn
Double Right Spin
Double Left Spin

Level 3 (all above plus)

Triple Right Turn
Triple Left Turn
Triple Right Spin
Triple Left Spin
TEACHING GUIDELINES
1. Firstly, all teachers must introduce themselves and state that they are teaching
as part of The Latin Collective
2. Secondly, I would like all teachers to clarify for students that the class that is
going to be taught is a Cross Body Salsa on1 class (as opposed to a Cuban Salsa
or Colombian Salsa class or indeed an on2 class etc)
3. At the end of each class I would like all teachers (especially any other guest
teachers) to recommend that the students attend our Tuesday night technique
classes and also to urge their students to complete our membership forms. We
must aim to sign between 30-50 new members every single week.