Sombrero
Cuban casino 'hat' figure
SonNivel: Intermedio1 min de lectura5 citas
The Sombrero is one of the signature figures of Cuban salsa, counted among the style's most recognizable casino patterns.[1] Its name is the Spanish word for 'hat,' applied because the leader passes both joined hands up and over the partners' heads so the forearms frame each head like a brim.[2] Mechanically it is a hand-and-arm figure rather than a travelling one: 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 form the 'hat,' holds the shape briefly, then draws the hands forward over the heads to unwind and resolves out — commonly through a Dile Que No.[1] Because casino is a circular dance, the figure references a shared center rather than a fixed track, and by convention it is danced a tiempo, breaking on the downbeat. The pattern is widely taught through dedicated lessons[3] and catalogued in international salsa turn-pattern references and move syllabi under the same name.[4] More elaborate developments, such as the 'Sombrero Complicado,' layer extra arm work for intermediate and advanced dancers, leaving the base figure as foundational casino vocabulary.[5]
Cómo se baila
Señales para líder y seguidor
ConteoCasino 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.
Líder
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.
Seguidor
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.
Tiempo musicalSits 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.
Aprende antes
Prerrequisitos
- Casino básico / guapea
- Dile que no
- Enchufla
- Two-hand-hold handle turns
Ten cuidado
Errores comunes
- 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.
No confundir con
Movimientos que se confunden
- '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.
Por el mundo
Otros nombres
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
Referencias
- 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
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Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Sombrero. Bailar Biblioteca. Recuperado el 29 de junio de 2026, de https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-sombrero
Bailar Editorial Team. “Sombrero.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, bailar.site/biblioteca/move/son-son-sombrero. Consultado el 29 de junio de 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Sombrero.” Bailar Biblioteca. Consultado el 29 de junio de 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 = {Consultado: 2026-06-29} }
Editor en jefe: Paul Thomas Plawin
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