Bayamo por Abajo
Rueda de casino Bayamo-family figure
RuedaLevel: Advanced1 min read3 citations
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Bayamo por Abajo is a rueda de casino figure in the Bayamo family, reported in teaching references as associated with Santiago de Cuba and named for Bayamo, a Cuban city near that region.[1] The figure normally begins from a right-to-right vacilala-to-shoulder setup, often described as a half-sombrero entry, before the couple changes orientation around a compact circular pathway rather than a linear slot.[3] Its defining contrast with many rueda calls is that the follower travels counter-clockwise around the leader, a pathway sometimes glossed as rodeo inverso, while the leader keeps the low-hand pathway implied by por abajo and passes under the follower-side connection during the sequence.[1] The rotation is staged: the entry creates roughly a quarter-turn of shared reorientation, the follower then continues around the leader through another half-turn, and the close restores facing alignment, for about a three-quarter to full circular exchange across the whole call rather than a single whipped turn. The move is documented as advanced and commonly closes with a two-hand enchufla ending with the hands high in a sombrero-like finish.[2]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountCasino On1/a tiempo: one break per measure, leader on left foot and follower on right foot on count 1, then the second measure break on count 5 within each 8-count phrase. The call is best taught as staged 1-2-3 and 5-6-7 actions across multiple measures, with no steps on 4 and 8 except body settling or tap/styling according to local casino practice.
Lead
Casino On1/a tiempo over four measures. Measure 1, 1-2-3: leader breaks back on the left on 1, replaces on 2, and sends a right-to-right vacilala/half-sombrero entry without pulling the follower forward on 1; 5-6-7: leader settles the shoulder-side shape and begins opening about 1/4 turn to create the circular pathway. Measure 2, 1-2-3: leader keeps the low-side connection controlled and lets the follower begin counter-clockwise travel around him; 5-6-7: leader ducks under the connected arm while turning his own body about another 1/4 to stay with her path. Measure 3, 1-2-3: leader continues tracking the follower's counter-clockwise orbit for roughly another 1/4 to 1/2 turn; 5-6-7: leader redirects into the two-hand enchufla ending. Measure 4, 1-2-3: leader leads the enchufla action; 5-6-7: leader places the hands high into the sombrero-like finish and re-establishes facing alignment.
Follow
Casino On1/a tiempo over the same four measures. Measure 1, 1-2-3: follower breaks back on the right on 1, replaces on 2, and responds to the right-to-right vacilala lead, rotating into the shoulder-side shape rather than stepping forward on 1; 5-6-7: follower completes the entry with about a 1/4 shared reorientation. Measure 2, 1-2-3: follower begins counter-clockwise travel around the leader on her walking rhythm; 5-6-7: follower continues the orbit while the leader passes under the arm, maintaining tone without collapsing the elbow. Measure 3, 1-2-3: follower continues the circular pathway for roughly another 1/4 to 1/2 turn; 5-6-7: follower accepts the redirect into the two-hand enchufla ending. Measure 4, 1-2-3: follower turns through the enchufla action; 5-6-7: follower lands in the high-hand sombrero-like finish facing the leader.
Song timingBest at moderate casino social tempos, roughly 150-185 bpm, where the leader-under action and counter-clockwise follower travel can be staged cleanly. Around 190 bpm and above, the call becomes a fast-end rueda challenge rather than comfortable social material.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Casino basic/guapea timing.
- Vacilala from right-to-right handhold.
- Sombrero or half-sombrero entry.
- Enchufla.
- Comfort with rueda calls that change partner orientation around a circle.
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Treating the follower's first count as a forward travel step; both partners break away from each other on count 1 from their own perspective.
- Lifting the low por abajo hand pathway too early, which turns the call into a por arriba-like shape.
- Stopping the counter-clockwise orbit after the entry, leaving the follower beside the leader instead of completing the staged circular travel.
- Ducking the leader under the arm without first creating enough shared rotation, which compresses the connection and distorts the follower's path.
- Rushing the enchufla close so the hands finish late or behind the follower rather than high and centered in the sombrero-like ending.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Bayamo por Arriba: related Bayamo-family material, but the hand pathway is overhead rather than the lower por abajo pathway.
- Rodeo Inverso: a useful description of the follower's counter-clockwise orbit, not necessarily the full call name in every scene.
- Sombrero: Bayamo por Abajo may use a half-sombrero-style entry and sombrero-like ending, but the figure is not simply Sombrero.
- Enchufla: the ending may use a two-hand enchufla action, but the Bayamo call includes the preceding Bayamo-family orbit and leader-under pathway.
Around the world
Other names
Cuba / Santiago de Cuba rueda de casino
Bayamo por Abajo
Primary attested call name for this Bayamo-family figure.
Rueda de casino teaching repertory
Ponle El Cagua Dos
Attested synonym in the available source set.
International Cuban salsa / rueda scenes
Bayamo por Abajo
Usually retained as the Spanish call rather than translated.
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.salsaselfie.com
- 2.salsaselfie.com
- 3.salsayo.com
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Bayamo por Abajo. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo
Bailar Editorial Team. “Bayamo por Abajo.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo. Accessed 13 October 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Bayamo por Abajo.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo.
@misc{bailar-move-rueda-bayamo-por-abajo, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Bayamo por Abajo}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-13} }
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