Flare

CountNot a stepped figure with its own break — a decoration placed on the non-stepping beats: the held or tapped counts (4 and 8 in an On1 frame) and the intervening 'and' half-beats. The same logic holds On2 and in cha-cha; the flare always fills the rest beats between weight changes rather than landing on a break.

Song timingComfortable across typical salsa social tempos, roughly 150-185 bpm, where the held and half-beats leave room for the foot to circle cleanly; at 190+ bpm the sweep must shrink or be reserved for fuller pauses. It also fits cha-cha around 120-130 bpm, where the slower pulse allows a more drawn-out arc.

• Solid on-time basic step with clean weight transfer
• Balance on a single supporting leg without rocking
• Comfort with foot and ankle isolations or pointing

• ✕Shifting weight onto the flaring foot, turning the embellishment into an extra step and disrupting the basic timing
• ✕Driving the sweep from the hip instead of the ankle and knee, making the motion heavy and late
• ✕Lifting the foot too high so it loses contact with the floor and reads as a kick rather than a grazing brush
• ✕Placing the flare on the break count instead of the held or half-beat, so it collides with the next weight change
• ✕Tensing the upper body to force the leg, breaking posture and, in partnerwork, the connection

• ≠Breakdance/b-boy 'flare' — a continuous gymnastic floor power-move that shares only the name
• ≠Rond de jambe — a balletic circular leg sweep that resembles a flare but is a larger, fully extended action
• ≠Fan kick / flick — an aerial kick with a lifted trajectory, whereas the flare keeps the foot grazing the floor
• ≠Adorno / floreo — Spanish category terms for any styling decoration, broader than the specific flare

• LA On1 (Los Angeles) and NY On2 (New York) salsa

  flare / flares

  Standard English styling term; used directly with no distinct translation

• Cha-cha (related Latin styling)

  flares / cha-cha flares

  Same circular foot action taught as a named step variation