Bayamo por Abajo
Rueda de casino Bayamo-family figure
RuedaLevel: Advanced1 min read3 citations
Bayamo por Abajo is a rueda de casino figure in the Bayamo family, reported in teaching references as associated with Santiago de Cuba and named for Bayamo, a Cuban city near that region.[1] The figure normally begins from a right-to-right vacilala-to-shoulder setup, often described as a half-sombrero entry, before the couple changes orientation around a compact circular pathway rather than a linear slot.[3] Its defining contrast with many rueda calls is that the follower travels counter-clockwise around the leader, a pathway sometimes glossed as rodeo inverso, while the leader keeps the low-hand pathway implied by por abajo and passes under the follower-side connection during the sequence.[1] The rotation is staged: the entry creates roughly a quarter-turn of shared reorientation, the follower then continues around the leader through another half-turn, and the close restores facing alignment, for about a three-quarter to full circular exchange across the whole call rather than a single whipped turn. The move is documented as advanced and commonly closes with a two-hand enchufla ending with the hands high in a sombrero-like finish.[2]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountCasino On1/a tiempo: one break per measure, leader on left foot and follower on right foot on count 1, then the second measure break on count 5 within each 8-count phrase. The call is best taught as staged 1-2-3 and 5-6-7 actions across multiple measures, with no steps on 4 and 8 except body settling or tap/styling according to local casino practice.
Lead
Casino On1/a tiempo over four measures. Measure 1, 1-2-3: leader breaks back on the left on 1, replaces on 2, and sends a right-to-right vacilala/half-sombrero entry without pulling the follower forward on 1; 5-6-7: leader settles the shoulder-side shape and begins opening about 1/4 turn to create the circular pathway. Measure 2, 1-2-3: leader keeps the low-side connection controlled and lets the follower begin counter-clockwise travel around him; 5-6-7: leader ducks under the connected arm while turning his own body about another 1/4 to stay with her path. Measure 3, 1-2-3: leader continues tracking the follower's counter-clockwise orbit for roughly another 1/4 to 1/2 turn; 5-6-7: leader redirects into the two-hand enchufla ending. Measure 4, 1-2-3: leader leads the enchufla action; 5-6-7: leader places the hands high into the sombrero-like finish and re-establishes facing alignment.
Follow
Casino On1/a tiempo over the same four measures. Measure 1, 1-2-3: follower breaks back on the right on 1, replaces on 2, and responds to the right-to-right vacilala lead, rotating into the shoulder-side shape rather than stepping forward on 1; 5-6-7: follower completes the entry with about a 1/4 shared reorientation. Measure 2, 1-2-3: follower begins counter-clockwise travel around the leader on her walking rhythm; 5-6-7: follower continues the orbit while the leader passes under the arm, maintaining tone without collapsing the elbow. Measure 3, 1-2-3: follower continues the circular pathway for roughly another 1/4 to 1/2 turn; 5-6-7: follower accepts the redirect into the two-hand enchufla ending. Measure 4, 1-2-3: follower turns through the enchufla action; 5-6-7: follower lands in the high-hand sombrero-like finish facing the leader.
Song timingBest at moderate casino social tempos, roughly 150-185 bpm, where the leader-under action and counter-clockwise follower travel can be staged cleanly. Around 190 bpm and above, the call becomes a fast-end rueda challenge rather than comfortable social material.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Casino basic/guapea timing
- Vacilala from right-to-right handhold
- Sombrero or half-sombrero entry
- Enchufla
- Comfort with rueda calls that change partner orientation around a circle
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Treating the follower's first count as a forward travel step; both partners break away from each other on count 1 from their own perspective.
- Lifting the low por abajo hand pathway too early, which turns the call into a por arriba-like shape.
- Stopping the counter-clockwise orbit after the entry, leaving the follower beside the leader instead of completing the staged circular travel.
- Ducking the leader under the arm without first creating enough shared rotation, which compresses the connection and distorts the follower's path.
- Rushing the enchufla close so the hands finish late or behind the follower rather than high and centered in the sombrero-like ending.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Bayamo por Arriba: related Bayamo-family material, but the hand pathway is overhead rather than the lower por abajo pathway.
- Rodeo Inverso: a useful description of the follower's counter-clockwise orbit, not necessarily the full call name in every scene.
- Sombrero: Bayamo por Abajo may use a half-sombrero-style entry and sombrero-like ending, but the figure is not simply Sombrero.
- Enchufla: the ending may use a two-hand enchufla action, but the Bayamo call includes the preceding Bayamo-family orbit and leader-under pathway.
Around the world
Other names
Cuba / Santiago de Cuba rueda de casino
Bayamo por Abajo
Primary attested call name for this Bayamo-family figure.
Rueda de casino teaching repertory
Ponle El Cagua Dos
Attested synonym in the available source set.
International Cuban salsa / rueda scenes
Bayamo por Abajo
Usually retained as the Spanish call rather than translated.
References
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Bayamo por Abajo. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo
Bailar Editorial Team. “Bayamo por Abajo.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo. Accessed 5 July 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Bayamo por Abajo.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 5, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo.
@misc{bailar-move-rueda-bayamo-por-abajo, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Bayamo por Abajo}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-bayamo-por-abajo}, note = {Accessed: 2026-07-05} }
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