Sombrero
Cuban casino 'hat' figure
SonLevel: Intermediate2 min read5 citations
In Cuban salsa — and in its group form, the rueda de casino — the Sombrero is one of the style's signature hand-and-arm figures, counted among its most widely recognized casino patterns.[1] Its name is simply the Spanish word for "hat," and it describes exactly what the dancers see: the leader carries both joined hands up and over the partners' heads so the linked forearms frame each head like a brim.[2]
Execution
The Sombrero is a hand-and-arm figure rather than a travelling one, layered on top of the partnership's basic step. From a two-hand hold on the casino básico, the leader brings the follower a quarter-turn to his side, slides the linked hands behind both necks to shape the "hat," holds that frame for a beat, then draws the hands forward over the heads to unwind and resolve out — most commonly through a Dile Que No, the figure casino dancers use to reset the partnership.[1] Because casino is organized around a shared center rather than along a fixed line or slot, the move orients to that common axis, and by convention it is danced a tiempo, breaking on the downbeat.
Variations and teaching
Catalogued by name in international salsa turn-pattern dictionaries and move syllabi, the Sombrero travels well beyond its Cuban roots into the wider casino-teaching world,[4] where it is passed on through dedicated step-by-step lessons.[3] More elaborate developments extend the base shape: the "Sombrero Complicado" layers additional arm work and is pitched at intermediate and advanced casineros, leaving the original figure as foundational casino vocabulary on which the harder variants are built.[5]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountCasino a tiempo (on 1): partners break on 1 and 5; the over-head 'hat' shape forms and settles across one measure and unwinds on the following break.
Lead
On the casino básico the leader breaks back on his left foot on count 1; on the next measure he leads the follower a quarter-turn to his side, raises both joined hands and slides them up and over both heads so each forearm frames the back of the neck — the 'hat.' He lets the shape settle on the held count, then on the following break draws the hands forward over the heads to unwind and leads out, commonly into a Dile Que No.
Follow
The follower mirrors with the opposite foot, breaking back on her right on count 1; led a quarter-turn to the leader's side, she keeps her frame as the joined hands pass up and over her head, her forearm settling across the back of her neck for the held 'hat' shape, then follows the hands forward and over to unwind and steps out on the resolving break.
Song timingSits comfortably across mid-tempo son and salsa used for casino, roughly 150-185 bpm, danced a tiempo on the downbeat. At 190+ bpm the over-head pass and the held 'hat' compress, so the figure reads best in the middle of the social range.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Casino básico / guapea
- Dile que no
- Enchufla
- Two-hand-hold handle turns
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Yanking the joined hands downward instead of sliding them up and over the heads, snagging hair or jamming the follower's shoulder.
- Losing the grip or frame during the over-head pass so the lead disappears and the resolve cannot be read.
- Pushing the follower's head down to clear the hands rather than leading the hands above it.
- Rushing the held 'hat' shape instead of letting it settle on the beat.
- Failing to lead a clear exit (the Dile Que No), leaving the arms tangled.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- 'Sombrero Complicado' / 'Sombrero Doble' — advanced multi-arm developments, not the base figure.
- 'Setenta' and 'Coca-Cola' — other casino figures that may share a setup but resolve differently.
- Linear-salsa 'hammerlock' or 'cuddle' wraps — behind-the-back hand positions that are not the casino over-head hat frame.
- Spanish 'sombrero' meaning the hat object itself — the figure is named for the silhouette, not a garment.
Around the world
Other names
Cuba (casino / rueda de casino)
Sombrero
Spanish for 'hat'; the original and dominant name, after the over-the-head arm silhouette
Rueda de casino (international calls)
Sombrero
standard called-figure name
Miami / U.S. casino scenes
Sombrero
retains the Cuban term
International salsa syllabi & turn-pattern dictionaries
Sombrero
catalogued under the same name
References
- 1.Sombrero: an iconic figure in Cuban salsa - Only Dance — only-dance.com
- 2.Sombrero in Salsa turn patterns - SalsaisGood — www.salsaisgood.com
- 3.Sombrero | Cuban Salsa Video Lesson • Dance Papi — dancepapi.com
- 4.Syllabus of Moves — DanceInTime - Salsa Classes & Shows in DC area and beyond — danceintime.com
- 5.Cuban Salsa: Sombrero Complicado - SalsaSelfie — salsaselfie.com
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Sombrero. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-sombrero
Bailar Editorial Team. “Sombrero.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-sombrero. Accessed 29 June 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Sombrero.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed June 29, 2026. https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-sombrero.
@misc{bailar-move-son-son-sombrero, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Sombrero}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-sombrero}, note = {Accessed: 2026-06-29} }
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