Cadeneta
Rueda de Casino chain figure
RuedaLevel: Improver1 min read4 citations
See it danced
Video demo
Cadeneta is a rueda de casino chain figure: the couple relation opens into a circulating sequence in which dancers pass successive partners through alternating hand connections, then return to ordinary rueda partnering when the caller gives a resolving command.[1] In the base form, each dancer keeps casino timing while traveling around the circle rather than executing a slot exchange; leaders and followers still mirror feet, with one break per measure and travel placed on the remaining steps.[2] The figure belongs to rueda, the Cuban round-dance format in which several couples move in a circle under a caller's commands, so its identity is as much collective and directional as it is a single couple pattern.[3] Because rueda commands are commonly called in Spanish, or in Spanish-English mixtures outside Cuba, Cadeneta is usually retained as a Spanish command name rather than translated into local English labels.[4]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountCasino/Rueda On1 frame: one break per measure, leader breaks back left on 1 and back right on 5; follower breaks back right on 1 and back left on 5. In Cadeneta, the 1-2-3 half organizes the entry or next hand change, and the 5-6-7 half carries travel to the next person in the chain.
Lead
From guapea/open rueda position, keep the leader's basic timing: break back on left on 1, replace on 2, step in or slightly around on 3 to enter the chain; on 5-6-7 pass the current follower and take the next available hand connection. Continue one partner per measure or as locally taught, maintaining the circle path and resolving only on the caller's exit command.
Follow
From guapea/open rueda position, keep the follower's mirrored timing: break back on right on 1, replace on 2, step in or slightly around on 3 to enter the chain; on 5-6-7 pass the current leader and take the next available hand connection. Continue one partner per measure or as locally taught, maintaining the circle path and resolving only on the caller's exit command.
Song timingBest at social rueda tempos around 150-185 bpm in salsa or timba; above roughly 190 bpm the chain becomes fast-end material because each hand change and partner pass has less recovery time.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Guapea timing.
- Open-position hand changes.
- Basic rueda circle orientation.
- Listening for caller entry and exit commands.
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Treating the figure as a solo turn pattern instead of a travelling chain through successive partners.
- Breaking on the same foot as the opposite role rather than mirroring feet while moving in compatible directions.
- Stopping the chain without the caller's resolving command, which interrupts the rueda's collective structure.
- Pulling partners through the hand change instead of offering a clear, light connection and continuing personal travel.
- Compressing both travel and hand exchange into one count, which disrupts the one-break-per-measure timing.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Cadeneta is not a cross-body lead; rueda does not use a fixed LA/NY-style slot for this figure.
- Cadeneta is not merely cadena as a literal English 'chain' translation unless the local scene uses that command for the same rueda figure.
- Cadeneta is not a shines sequence; it remains a partnered rueda exchange with hand connections.
Around the world
Other names
Cuba / Cuban rueda
Cadeneta
Attested Spanish command name for the rueda figure.
Miami rueda / Spanglish rueda scenes
Cadeneta
Typically 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.rueda.casino
- 2.wikipedia.org
- 3.ruedawiki.org
- 4.rm-latindance.com
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Cadeneta. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-cadeneta
Bailar Editorial Team. “Cadeneta.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-cadeneta. Accessed 13 October 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Cadeneta.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-cadeneta.
@misc{bailar-move-rueda-cadeneta, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Cadeneta}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-cadeneta}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-13} }
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