Un Tarro
Rueda de casino horn-gesture call
RuedaLevel: Beginner1 min read2 citations
See it danced
Video demo
Un Tarro is a compact rueda de casino figure: a caller-led Cuban casino action performed simultaneously by couples in a circular formation, consistent with rueda’s call-and-response structure.[1] The base form is usually treated as an enchufla-family action with a playful “one horn” accent: both partners break away from each other on count 1, the follower is led into a left, counter-clockwise reorientation across counts 2-3, and the leader stages the connected arm or free hand near the head as the tarro image rather than adding a separate turn. On counts 5-6-7 the pair re-forms the rueda relationship, commonly returning to guapea or continuing into the next called change. Rueda de casino is traced to Havana’s Club Casino Deportivo milieu in the mid-1950s, so the figure belongs to a Cuban call vocabulary rather than to the fixed slot terminology of New York or Los Angeles salsa.[2] The call is best documented in practice as a Spanish-name rueda item; outside Cuban and Miami-linked rueda scenes, dancers generally retain the Spanish call or do not use a distinct local name.
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountCuban rueda On1 phrasing: one break per measure, on 1 and 5. First half 1-2-3: shared back break on 1, enchufla-family reorientation and tarro accent on 2-3. Second half 5-6-7: second break and recovery into guapea or the caller's next linked action.
Lead
On 1 the leader breaks back on the left while maintaining the rueda hand connection. On 2-3 he redirects the follower through an enchufla-like left, counter-clockwise reorientation while staying compact in the circle. During the 1-2-3 half he shapes the connected arm or free hand near the head as the single tarro accent without pulling the follower off balance. On 5-6-7 he restores the open guapea relationship or completes the called resolution, matching the follower's count-7 landing.
Follow
On 1 the follower breaks back on the right, away from the leader. On 2-3 she follows the lead into a left, counter-clockwise reorientation, turning in stages rather than snapping at the end: approximately a quarter turn into the exchange, then enough rotation to face the leader again as the figure resolves. On 5-6-7 she steps out cleanly to the next guapea or called position, landing with the leader on count 7.
Song timingFits Cuban rueda social tempos around 150-185 bpm; above about 190 bpm the gesture should stay small so the circle remains synchronized. The card assumes On1 casino/rueda phrasing with breaks on 1 and 5.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Guapea timing.
- Basic enchufla lead and follow.
- Comfort maintaining compact rueda spacing.
- Clear light hand connection.
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Treating the tarro accent as a forceful arm crank instead of a brief visual shape.
- Having the follower step forward on count 1; the follower breaks back on the right on 1, then travels or turns on the later counts.
- Adding an extra break inside the same measure instead of keeping one break on 1 and one on 5.
- Letting the horn gesture delay the count-7 recovery.
- Over-enlarging the figure so it disturbs the neighboring couples in the rueda.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Sombrero: a different Cuban casino figure with a two-hand wrap/hat-like ending.
- Enchufla: the related base action, but without the tarro head/arm accent.
- Cross-body lead: a slot-salsa traveling exchange, not the circular rueda frame of this call.
- Paso cruzado or cruzado: footwork terms, not regional names for this figure.
Around the world
Other names
Cuba / Cuban rueda
Un Tarro
Spanish call name; literally evokes a single horn.
Miami Cuban rueda
Un Tarro
Commonly retained as the Spanish rueda call rather than translated.
International Cuban-style rueda classes
Un Tarro
Usually taught under the Spanish call name.
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.oudancesport.co.uk
- 2.danceintime.com
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Un Tarro. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-un-tarro
Bailar Editorial Team. “Un Tarro.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-un-tarro. Accessed 13 October 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Un Tarro.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-un-tarro.
@misc{bailar-move-rueda-un-tarro, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Un Tarro}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-un-tarro}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-13} }
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