Guapea Basic

Guapea Basic: Cuban Casino & Rueda de Casino Dance Technique.

Guapéa means "(you must) fan with your hand". It's the basic Dance Technique done in the Rueda de Casino after the first Dile Que No has been executed, and the dancers do the Guape(rí)a Basic after every Rueda Call. They stay dancing the Guape(rí)a Basic until the Caller (see "Caller") makes another call. The Follower stands on the left side of the Leader in a Left to Right Hand Hold with both dancers facing the centre of the (imaginary) circle (2nd Dance Position).

The Leader starts to swing this L-R Hand Hold down and outside the circle (1st count), they make a Half Cumbia Basic (a Diagonal Back Break: 5th Dance Position) see "Cumbia Basic"), and the Leader swings the Left-Right Hand Hold up & in between their shoulders (3rd count).

During the second half of the Basic the Leader and the Follower turn to each other making a Diagonal Front Break and they meet each other with the Right to Left Hand Hold (5th count). They end in the same dance position they started (7th count) (On1). During Rueda de Casino the dancers repeat the whole process until the Caller makes another call. In Miami Style Rueda the Guape(rí)a Basic has some differences with It's Cuban counterpart. 1.

The dancers start by facing each other and they keep facing each other all the time. 2. The Leader does not "fan" with the Left to Right Hand Hold. Instead he "pushes (1st count) and pulls (5th count)" the Follower in a straight line. 4. The Follower makes a Mambo Basic and the Leader does an Open Break followed by a Front Break with his right foot. 5. The Leader and the Follower taps (see "Tap") with their free toes on the 4th and on the 8th count.