Son Son Setenta
Son-timed variation in the Cuban casino Setenta family
SonLevel: Intermediate2 min read2 citations
Son Son Setenta is a son-timed partner figure in the Setenta family of Cuban casino — the circular, pair-danced style of Cuban salsa that can be led one-on-one or called as a named figure within a rueda de casino.[1] Like the rest of the family it takes its name from Setenta, Spanish for "seventy," the foundational figure from which the variants branch; the doubled "Son Son" prefix flags this version's son-montuno phrasing. To the eye it reads as a compact wrap-and-release: the partners briefly knot into a pretzel-like shape before a dile que no spins the tangle open and returns them to a clean facing position.
Execution
The figure begins from a two-hand hold. The leader sends the follower through an enchufla-style clockwise pass while drawing her hand across and behind his own back, momentarily wrapping the pair into the characteristic tangled, pretzel-like position. A dile que no then unwinds that wrap, freeing the trapped hand and resolving both partners to an open, facing close. Throughout, leader and follower hold mirror footwork — opposite feet — and orbit a shared center rather than travelling along a fixed line, the defining circularity of casino.
Timing and family
The "Son Son" prefix marks the son-timed reading: the figure is phrased a contratiempo against the son-montuno and accented by a doubled hand exchange, the detail that sets it apart rhythmically from the plainer members of the family. The underlying pulse stays in casino's guapea basic, breaking back once per measure across the bars the figure occupies. Within the broad Setenta family — which spans many documented variations — Son Son Setenta sits among the more rhythmically inflected.[2]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountCuban casino timing; the guapea basic breaks back once per measure, danced a contratiempo to the son offbeat accent that defines Son Son Setenta. The wrap-and-unwind core spans roughly two measures (one 8-count). Casino is circular — partners orbit a shared center, not a linear track.
Lead
Begin in a two-hand hold within the casino frame and hold the guapea basic — break back on the left foot once per measure, a contratiempo to the son accent. On the first measure lead an enchufla-style clockwise pass, raising the right hand and drawing the follower's joined hand across and behind the lower back to set a momentary wrap (~half turn, staged). On the next measure lead a dile que no, opening the wrap and passing the follower across the shared center to unwind the remaining ~half turn, resolving to an open facing close (~180° total exchange).
Follow
Mirror the leader's footwork — break back on the right foot once per measure, a contratiempo to the son accent. On the first measure follow the clockwise pass, turning roughly a half turn as the joined hand is led behind the leader's back into the wrap. On the next measure, as the dile que no opens, travel across the center and turn the remaining half to re-face the leader, completing the ~180° exchange to an open facing close.
Song timingPairs with son montuno and casino-tempo salsa, comfortable roughly 150-185 bpm danced a contratiempo with the son offbeat accent; ~185-200 bpm is the fast end where the behind-the-back wrap tends to get rushed. Clave-driven montuno sections suit the doubled 'Son Son' exchange better than fast timba breakdowns.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Casino guapea (Cuban back-break basic)
- Enchufla
- Dile que no (Cuban cross-body lead)
- Basic Setenta
- Leading a behind-the-back hand wrap without clamping the joined hands or losing frame
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Under-rotating the wrap or the unwind so the dile que no never fully opens the tangle, finishing off-axis instead of cleanly facing.
- Clamping the joined hands during the behind-the-back pass, which jams the follower's turn; the lead should stay loose enough to glide.
- Losing the contratiempo son accent and collapsing into a flat on-the-downbeat step, erasing the 'Son Son' rhythmic signature.
- Driving in a straight line as if down a slot instead of orbiting the shared center, which is foreign to casino's circular geometry.
- Breaking on the same foot as the partner rather than mirroring with opposite feet.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Setenta Complicado, Setenta y Uno (71), Setenta y Dos (72), Sombrero Setenta — sibling figures in the same family, not this variation.
- Dile que no / paseala on its own — the casino cross-body lead is a component of Son Son Setenta, not the whole figure.
- Enchufla — the entry pass resembles it, but Son Son Setenta adds the behind-the-back wrap and the son-timed unwind.
- Cross-body lead (LA On1 / NY On2 linear salsa) — a slot figure on a fixed track, not the circular casino dile que no; the two should not be conflated.
Around the world
Other names
Cuba (casino / rueda de casino)
Son Son Setenta
Home name; a son-timed member of the Setenta ('seventy') family of casino figures.
Rueda de casino (international)
Setenta
The family's base figure as a called move; 'Son Son Setenta' designates the son-flavoured, doubled variation.
Miami casino scene
Setenta / Son Son Setenta
Uses the Cuban terms directly; no distinct local renaming.
References
- 1.Setenta Moves | SalsaSelfie.com — salsaselfie.com
- 2.Setenta Moves | SalsaSelfie.com — salsaselfie.com
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Son Son Setenta. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-setenta
Bailar Editorial Team. “Son Son Setenta.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-setenta. Accessed 29 June 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Son Son Setenta.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed June 29, 2026. https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-setenta.
@misc{bailar-move-son-son-setenta, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Son Son Setenta}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-setenta}, note = {Accessed: 2026-06-29} }
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