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Tarro

Rueda de Casino partner-change call

RuedaLevel: Beginner1 min read3 citations

Tarro is a Rueda de Casino call used inside the circular, caller-led format of casino, where multiple couples execute named figures together and partner changes are part of the structure.[1] In the commonly taught form, the call is made while the rueda is moving arriba: the leader advances along the circle, raises the connected hand enough to pass under it, and changes forward to the next follower, while the original follower stays rhythmically marked rather than travelling with him.[2] The movement is counted in the Cuban rueda frame as two measures: steps on 1-2-3, a tap or hold on 4, steps on 5-6-7, and a tap or hold on 8; the change is completed across the phrase rather than as a single whipped turn. Tarro mujer is the related women’s version, usually described after abajo, in which the follower is the one who travels forward underarm to the next leader.[2] The name belongs to Spanish-call rueda vocabulary rather than to New York or Los Angeles slot salsa terminology, and the cited material gives no separate English regional name for the same call.[3]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountCuban rueda a tiempo count: one break or weight-change emphasis per measure, with steps on 1-2-3 and 5-6-7, tap/hold on 4 and 8. Tarro is normally called from arriba; Tarro mujer is the related follower-travelling version after abajo.

Lead

From arriba, maintain the circular march and prepare the connected hand without pulling the follower forward. On 1-2-3, travel forward counter-clockwise around the rueda, passing under the raised arm connection with about a half reorientation across the change; on 4, mark the tap or hold. On 5-6-7, arrive to the next follower and re-establish the rueda frame or continue the called march; on 8, mark the tap or hold.

Follow

From arriba, keep the timing and allow the leader to pass forward under the raised connection rather than following him through. On 1-2-3, mark in place or with the rueda’s travelling action as locally taught while releasing space for the leader’s change; on 4, tap or hold. On 5-6-7, receive the arriving leader in time with the circle; on 8, tap or hold and reset the frame for the next call.

Song timingBest at moderate social timba or salsa tempos around 150-185 bpm, where the circle can travel cleanly; 190 bpm and above is the fast end and requires compact steps.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Basic rueda timing
  • Arriba and abajo
  • Partner-change awareness
  • Comfort raising and releasing an underarm connection without force

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the follower forward during Tarro instead of letting the leader travel to the next follower.
  • Treating the call like a slot-salsa cross-body lead; Tarro belongs to the circular rueda track, not a fixed slot.
  • Dropping the 4 or 8 tap/hold and arriving early to the next partner.
  • Raising the hand late, which forces the leader to duck or twist under the connection.
  • Under-travelling and stopping between partners instead of completing the change across the two-measure phrase.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Cross-body lead: a linear slot-salsa exchange, not the same circular rueda partner change.
  • Dame: another rueda partner-change call, but not the same underarm travelling action as Tarro.
  • Tarro mujer: related call, but the follower travels forward underarm rather than the leader.

Around the world

Other names

  • Cuba / Rueda de Casino

    Tarro

    Spanish rueda call for the leader’s forward underarm change during arriba.

  • International rueda teaching scenes

    Tarro

    Commonly retained as the Spanish call rather than translated.

  • Rueda de Casino

    Tarro mujer

    Related women’s version; not the base Tarro, but an attested paired call name.

References

  1. 1.wikipedia.org
  2. 2.salsacruz.co.uk
  3. 3.ruedawiki.org

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Tarro. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-tarro

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Tarro.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-tarro. Accessed 4 July 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Tarro.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 4, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/rueda-tarro.

BibTeX

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

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