Hi, everyone,

Please advise what is the footwork of side cucaracha in rumba. Is it right to lift the heel when transferring the weight from one foot to the other?

Thanks.

Dear David,

Thank you so much for your reply.

Rumbalei

In a 'true' Cucaracha the heel of the supporting foot is not released (except in a forward Cucaracha). This is because the feeling and appearance should be one of the moving foot travelling slightly outside the body, with prssure but without much weight; most weight being maintained on the original supporting foot. If you watched your upper body in a mirror, it should not appear to move far – about a hand width. This enhances the action of the hips and legs.

You could move further, in which case the supporting heel would lift, and you would be dancing a Cuban Rock action. It is fun to play with starting with one action and then changing to the other.

(My first two sentences were in accordance with Walter Laird - accepted Guru of Latin – in his book Technique of Latin Dancing. I happen to agree with him. The rest was my own thoughts)