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Principe Bueno

Rueda de Casino hand-kiss variation of Enchufla

RuedaLevel: Beginner1 min read4 citations

Principe Bueno is a named call in Rueda de Casino, the Cuban social form in which multiple couples dance in a circle and respond to a caller's announced figures.[1] The figure is built on Enchufla: the leader initiates the follower's left, counter-clockwise inside turn during the first measure, then uses the second measure to release and progress to the next partner in the rueda.[2] Its distinguishing action is a courtly hand-kiss gesture to the current follower before the leader leaves, which separates it from Principe Malo, where the contrasting theatrical action is a hand-slap mime rather than a kiss.[3] In common a-tiempo rueda counting, the action fits the 1-2-3, 5-6-7 salsa frame: the turning exchange occurs on the first half, and the partner change resolves on the second half. The move belongs to the Cuban rueda vocabulary that later circulated internationally with casino and rueda communities, including Cuban-diaspora transmission through Miami.[4]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountA-tiempo rueda / On1-style salsa count: first measure 1-2-3 with the break on 1; second measure 5-6-7 with the break on 5. The figure has one break per measure, two total across the 8-count phrase.

Lead

On 1-2-3, lead Enchufla from open hold: break back on the leader's left on 1, replace on 2, and guide the follower's left, counter-clockwise inside turn while beginning to pass across. On 5-6-7, collect or present the follower's hand, give the restrained kiss gesture, release, and continue to the next follower in the rueda, landing the new connection by 7.

Follow

On 1-2-3, break back on the follower's right on 1, replace on 2, and complete the left, counter-clockwise inside turn under the joined hand, rotating in staged amounts rather than being whipped: roughly a quarter turn into the pathway, then the remaining turn to reorient. On 5-6-7, offer stable hand tone for the kiss gesture, finish balance, and be ready for the next leader's connection by 7.

Song timingBest at moderate social salsa tempos around 150-185 bpm. At 190 bpm and above, the kiss gesture should be compact so the leader still arrives to the next partner on time.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Casino open hold
  • Dile que no partner exchange awareness
  • Enchufla
  • Basic rueda caller-response spacing

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Treating the kiss as a delay that prevents the leader from reaching the next partner by 7.
  • Turning the follower clockwise; the Enchufla base uses the follower's left, counter-clockwise inside turn.
  • Pulling the follower across on count 1 instead of allowing both partners to break back from their own perspective.
  • Under-rotating the follower's staged reorientation so the hand presentation is off balance.
  • Using a literal slap action, which changes the call toward Principe Malo.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Principe Malo: related theatrical contrast with a mimed slap rather than the good-prince kiss.
  • Enchufla: the base turn without the hand-kiss flourish.
  • Cross-body lead: a linear slot figure from LA/NY salsa, not this circular rueda call.
  • Paso cruzado or cruzado: footwork terms, not attested names for this figure.

Around the world

Other names

  • Cuba / Rueda de Casino

    Príncipe Bueno

    Spanish spelling of the call; often written without the accent in typed rueda lists.

  • International English-language rueda scenes

    Principe Bueno

    Unaccented spelling commonly used for the same rueda call.

  • Miami Cuban rueda scene

    Principe Bueno

    No distinct English replacement name is established; the Spanish call is retained.

References

  1. 1.thelatinworld.nl
  2. 2.dancecentral.info
  3. 3.scribd.com
  4. 4.danceintime.com

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Principe Bueno. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-principe-bueno

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Principe Bueno.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-principe-bueno. Accessed 4 July 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Principe Bueno.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 4, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-principe-bueno.

BibTeX

@misc{bailar-move-rueda-principe-bueno, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Principe Bueno}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-principe-bueno}, note = {Accessed: 2026-07-04} }

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