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Setenta Complicado

Cuban casino (salsa) figure — the elaborated Setenta, with hammerlock and added turns

SalsaLevel: Intermediate2 min read7 citations

Setenta Complicado ("complicated seventy") is an intermediate figure of Cuban casino — the circular partner form of salsa — and the elaborated form of the foundational Setenta: it threads an additional turn or hand change through that move's signature hammerlock while preserving the characteristic partner-positioning changes that define the basic.[1]

Execution. In the basic Setenta the leader briefly guides the follower's arm behind her back into a hammerlock as the partners stand side by side, then unwinds her to a facing closed position; the complicado inserts at least one extra turn or hand exchange before that resolution.[1] Danced a tiempo and breaking on beat 1, the figure spans several eight-counts rather than a single basic, which is why it is usually introduced only once the guapea and dile que no are secure. Because casino circulates around a shared center rather than along a fixed slot, the leader continually manages the follower's orientation through the added turns, so the figure's chief demand is clean, unhurried hand changes rather than raw speed.

The Setenta family. Setenta Complicado anchors a small group of related figures that share its hammerlock-and-unwind skeleton, each layering further work onto it: Setenta Nuevo Complicado, Setenta y Cinco Complicado ("75"), and Setenta Complicado con Gancho ("with hook"), the last working a hook turn into the exit.[5][6][7]

Documentation and teaching. The move is catalogued in dedicated casino move references and online databases[2][3] and appears in class syllabi well beyond Cuba, including North-American programs such as Washington, D.C.–area salsa classes.[4]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountCasino, danced a tiempo — breaks on the 1 of each eight-count; the figure spans roughly three eight-counts (open break and lead-across, hammerlock and complicado turn, unwind and resolve).

Lead

From a facing cross-hand hold, break open on the 1 of the first eight-count (guapea) and lead the follower across on 5-6-7 as in a dile que no, changing hands so her right hand is gathered behind her back. On the second eight-count's 1-2-3 settle side by side in the hammerlock, then add the 'complicado' on 5-6-7 — an extra hand change and turn rather than an immediate unwind. On the third eight-count, lead her unwind back to a facing closed position, breaking again on the 1. Keep travel circular and never pull the wrapped arm.

Follow

Mirror the leader's open break on the 1 (opposite foot, stepping outward from your own body, not the opposite direction). Travel across on 5-6-7 and turn about a half (≈180°) into the side-by-side hammerlock, arriving square on the second eight-count's 1-2-3 as your right hand is guided behind your back. Stay soft through the added hand change and turn on 5-6-7, then unwind about a half (≈180°) back to face the leader on the third eight-count's break — a full rotation split across the two reorientation points. Keep the frame light so the wrap never binds the shoulder.

Song timingComfortable at typical casino tempos of about 150-185 bpm to son, songo, and timba; the multi-measure sequence reads cleanly in the mid-range, while fast timba at 190+ bpm is the demanding fast end. Danced a tiempo on the 1; contratiempo phrasing is possible but uncommon for this figure.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Casino basic step (guapea / paso básico)
  • Dile que no (casino cross-body exchange)
  • Basic Setenta
  • Comfort leading and following a hammerlock / behind-the-back hold

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Pulling or gripping the wrapped arm, binding the follower's shoulder instead of leading the hammerlock softly.
  • Under-rotating the follower's entry so she does not arrive square in the side-by-side position, leaving the hand change cramped.
  • Rushing the added 'complicado' hand change so the multi-measure sequence drifts off the 1 and loses a tiempo timing.
  • Treating the figure as a linear/slot move instead of maintaining casino's circular travel.
  • Skipping the dile que no foundation under the lead-across, forcing the entry into the wrap.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Setenta (the basic figure, without the added 'complicado' turn or hand change)
  • Setenta Nuevo Complicado (an advanced extension — a separate figure)
  • Setenta y Cinco Complicado / '75 Complicado' (a related but distinct family variation)
  • Setenta Complicado con Gancho (the hook 'gancho' variation, not the plain Complicado)
  • Paso cruzado / cruzado ('cross step' footwork — unrelated to this figure)

Around the world

Other names

  • Cuba (casino)

    Setenta Complicado

    'complicated seventy'; the elaborated variation of the basic Setenta

  • International casino / rueda de casino scenes

    Setenta Complicado

    the Spanish name is retained across scenes; in rueda it functions as a called figure

  • English-language casino classes

    Setenta Complicado

    the Spanish term is standard; occasionally glossed in English as 'the Seventy, complicated'

References

  1. 1.Cuban Salsa: Setenta Complicado — salsaselfie.com
  2. 2.Setenta-Complicado | Salsa Yo — salsayo.com
  3. 3.Setenta Complicado | Salsa Lust — www.salsalust.com
  4. 4.Syllabus of Moves — DanceInTime - Salsa Classes & Shows in DC area and beyond — danceintime.com
  5. 5.Cuban Salsa: Setenta Nuevo Complicado — salsaselfie.com
  6. 6.Cuban Salsa: Setenta y Cinco Complicado — salsaselfie.com
  7. 7.Setenta-Complicado-con-Gancho | Salsa Yo — salsayo.com

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Setenta Complicado. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/setenta-complicado

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Setenta Complicado.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, bailar.site/biblioteca/move/setenta-complicado. Accessed 29 June 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Setenta Complicado.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed June 29, 2026. https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/setenta-complicado.

BibTeX

@misc{bailar-move-setenta-complicado, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Setenta Complicado}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/setenta-complicado}, note = {Accessed: 2026-06-29} }

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Thomas Plawin

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