Secador

Rueda de Casino call

RuedaLevel: Improver1 min read3 citations

See it danced

Video demo

Demonstration tutorial on YouTube.

Secador is a rueda de casino call rather than a linear slot-salsa figure: it belongs to a format in which couples dance in a circle while a caller names synchronized patterns for the group.[1] The move normally begins from guapea with an enchufla-type left-turn entry for the follower; the leader raises the joined hand, redirects the follower through a counter-clockwise turn, and then uses the free or joined hand above the follower's head in the comic image of a hair dryer before resolving back into the rueda. Rueda figures vary by group and country, so Secador is best treated as a named call with local execution variants rather than as a universally fixed syllabus item.[2] Its timing follows casino's two-measure salsa phrasing: on an On1 count the couple breaks once in the first measure and once in the second, with the travelling turn and styling distributed across 1-2-3 and 5-6-7 rather than forced into a single spin. The figure is historically tied to Cuban rueda practice, whose modern spread is commonly traced from Havana social dance into wider Cuban, Miami, and international rueda scenes.[3]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountOn1 casino count: first measure 1-2-3, pause/hold on 4; second measure 5-6-7, pause/hold on 8. There are two breaks across the full 8-count phrase, on 1 and 5. The follower's left turn is staged across the entry and resolution, not as a single terminal whip.

Lead

On1 casino phrasing: from guapea, the leader breaks back on left on 1, replaces on 2, and opens the left-hand connection to lead an enchufla-style follower left turn on 3. On 5-6-7 the leader keeps the timing grounded, stages the raised-hand dryer gesture above the follower without compressing the shoulder, and resolves the couple back toward guapea or the caller's next command.

Follow

On1 casino phrasing: from guapea, the follower breaks back on right on 1, replaces on 2, and turns left/counter-clockwise under the raised connection on 3, reorienting about a quarter to half turn as the path opens. On 5-6-7 the follower completes the remaining reorientation needed to face the leader again, keeps steps compact under the body, and returns to the rueda rhythm for the next call.

Song timingBest at moderate social salsa or timba tempos, about 150-185 bpm. At 190 bpm and above the gesture must be smaller and the turn lead lighter so the follower can complete the reorientation without being pulled off time.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Guapea.
  • Enchufla.
  • Dile que no resolution.
  • Comfort with raised-hand turns in casino timing.

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Leading the follower forward on count 1 instead of maintaining the mirrored back break from guapea.
  • Forcing the dryer gesture into the follower's neck or shoulder line instead of keeping it high, loose, and symbolic.
  • Treating the figure as one fast spin rather than splitting the follower's reorientation across the entry and exit counts.
  • Losing the second-measure break on 5 while concentrating on the styling gesture.
  • Stopping the follower short of re-facing the leader before the rueda's next call.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Secador is not a slot-salsa cross-body lead; it is a rueda/casino call with circular group traffic.
  • The name should not be translated into an English figure name such as "dryer" unless a local caller actually uses that label.
  • It should not be confused with generic hair-comb styling, which may appear in many salsa figures without making the call Secador.

Around the world

Other names

  • Cuba / Cuban rueda

    Secador

    Spanish call name; literally evokes a hair dryer, but the local move name is the call itself.

  • Miami rueda

    Secador

    Commonly retained as the Spanish rueda call rather than translated.

  • International rueda classes

    Secador

    Usually taught under the Spanish call name when included in the local rueda vocabulary.

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.dancetravelling.com
  2. 2.wikipedia.org
  3. 3.danceintime.com

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX

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

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