Abrazala

Rueda de Casino embrace figure

RuedaLevel: Advanced1 min read3 citations

See it danced

Video demo

Demonstration tutorial on YouTube.

Abrazala is a named Rueda de Casino partner figure whose Spanish call is understood as an instruction to hug the follower, rather than as a generic cross-step or slot figure.[1] It belongs to the rueda calling system: several couples dance in a circle while the caller names figures that the couples execute together, often with partner circulation between calls.[2] In its common taught form, the figure begins from a right-to-right handhold with a Vacilala con la Mano action on 1-2-3, after which the leader passes under the joined arm on 5-6-7 and places that arm behind the leader’s back.[1] The next measure contains the embrace: the leader uses the free left arm to make a brief hug while both partners keep the casino stepping rhythm, then the figure releases into a Vuelta on 5-6-7.[1] The move sits inside the Cuban rueda lineage that formed in Havana in the early 1950s and later circulated through Cuban communities abroad, especially Miami.[3]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountCasino/rueda 8-count phrasing: steps on 1-2-3 and 5-6-7, with one break per measure on 1 and 5 when danced a tiempo/On1. Phrase 1: Vacilala con la Mano on 1-2-3, leader under the arm on 5-6-7. Phrase 2: embrace on 1-2-3, Vuelta release on 5-6-7. Phrase 3 may continue with Enchufala on 1-2-3.

Lead

From right-to-right handhold, leader breaks back on left on 1, replaces on 2, and uses 3 to send the follower into Vacilala con la Mano while staying compact. On 5-6-7, leader steps through under the joined arm, rotating in stages: about 1/4 by 5, about 1/2 by 6, and finishing with the right arm comfortably behind the leader's back by 7. On the next 1-2-3, leader keeps the rhythm and adds a brief left-arm embrace without pulling the follower off axis. On 5-6-7, leader releases the embrace and leads a normal Vuelta, then may continue to Enchufala on the following 1-2-3.

Follow

From right-to-right handhold, follower mirrors the leader's timing by breaking back on right on 1, replacing on 2, and completing the Vacilala con la Mano action through 3 without anticipating travel. On 5-6-7, follower keeps compact casino steps while the leader passes under the joined arm; the follower allows the hand connection to wrap behind the leader rather than forcing a turn. On the next 1-2-3, follower stays balanced for the brief embrace. On 5-6-7, follower turns the led Vuelta in staged rotation and returns to face the leader, ready for a possible Enchufala on the following 1-2-3.

Song timingFits medium social salsa and timba tempos where rueda calls remain clear, roughly 150-185 bpm; above about 190 bpm, the leader-under wrap and hug release become fast-end execution rather than comfortable social timing.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Rueda de Casino closed and open-position timing.
  • Right-to-right handhold control.
  • Vacilala con la Mano.
  • Vuelta.
  • Enchufala.
  • Comfort with wrapped arm positions.

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Leader pulls the follower forward on count 1 instead of both partners breaking away from their own centers on opposite feet.
  • Leader passes under the arm too late, leaving the right arm jammed behind the back rather than staged into place by 7.
  • Follower anticipates a large travelling turn during the leader-under section instead of keeping compact casino steps while the leader rotates.
  • The embrace is held too long, blocking the Vuelta release on 5-6-7.
  • Partners collapse posture during the hug, causing the next Enchufala or partner change to start off balance.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Beso: a related rueda figure with a kiss-like concluding action rather than the hug used in Abrazala.
  • Abrazo: a general Spanish term for an embrace, not necessarily the specific rueda call Abrazala.
  • Paso cruzado or cruzado: cross-step vocabulary, not an attested name for this figure.

Around the world

Other names

  • Cuba / Casino rueda

    Abrazala

    Often written with the Spanish accent as Abrázala; the call means 'hug her'.

  • International English-language rueda teaching

    Abrazala

    The Spanish call is retained; English glosses explain the hug action.

References

The bracketed numbers in the text show which source each fact comes from. Tap or click one to jump to that source in this list.

  1. 1.salsayo.com
  2. 2.dancetravelling.com
  3. 3.wikipedia.org

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Abrazala. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-abrazala

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Abrazala.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-abrazala. Accessed 13 October 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Abrazala.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-abrazala.

BibTeX

@misc{bailar-move-rueda-abrazala, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Abrazala}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-abrazala}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-13} }

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Thomas Plawin

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