I've recently encountered a problem in transferring some of my competitive dancing figures to the social dancing scene:
I had to explain to the girl I was dancing with how to do cuban breaks as one opens up as in a New Yorker/Promenade in the cha-cha. That was easy enough, but then she asked me how I signal that I want to do that, and my answer was no more than a vague erm... shall we say...
I anticipated the same problem with the toe-heel-swivels in the jive, but we never got to do that because she figured she couldn't move fast enough to keep up con la musica.

So, the question is: How do you signal cuban breaks in the cha and toe heel swivels in the jive??? And this is International style, if that matters.

Philipp,

I wasn't trying to be sarcastic in my answer. So many coaches skip the lead and follow when teaching for competition. When time is short, such as for college students, sacrifices in instruction are necessary. For example here in the US, students are pushed into championship levels by using a routine which includes tons of picture steps. They are a pain to compete against as they are constantly breaking up the natural flow of the dance.
The latin lead requires a tone in the arms which is something that is acquised over time. It usually starts by being rather stiff and softens to the proper tone over a period of time. The lady then can feel each movement of your center through the toned arms. If the lady lacks this tone, there is nothing you can do to overcome this. Practice this by standing facing each other, arms bent at the elbow with the forearm horizontal. Man's hands straight out with palms facing each other, fingers bent with fingers pointing toward eachother. Lady's hands straight out with palms down, with fingers bent over man's fingers. Don't grasp just rest them over the man's. Then just walk the basic steps with the man moving his center with toned arms and the lady following, also with tone. It is almost impossible to describe this. Get your coach to give you the proper feel by doing this with him or her. With a proper tone it is easy to lead anything.
If the lady lacks this, I don't waste my time. It takes two to tango and do any other of the dances. Every good dancer develops this tone to the extent that it is not noticeable to the casual observer. It usually looks rather soft with a quiet topline. My personal test as to how well I am leading is how well I lead the spanish arms in jive.
Again, good luck.