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Fly

Rueda de Casino clap-and-separate call

SalsaLevel: Beginner1 min read3 citations

Fly, more commonly called Un Fly in Rueda de Casino, is a short called figure for the Cuban circle format rather than a slot-style partner pattern.[1] The couple remains in guapea: on the first beat of the next measure the partners clap, then the leader moves toward the inside of the rueda while the follower moves toward the outside, returning to the perimeter orientation by the third beat.[2] The action is therefore not a traveling cross-body exchange; it is a compact outward-inward separation inside the shared circular formation, normally requiring the group context and the caller's timing.[3] Its rotation budget is minimal: each dancer may angle slightly away on count 1 and square back by count 3, for a small reorientation rather than a named turn. The figure belongs to the Cuban Rueda de Casino vocabulary, while LA On1, New York On2, Puerto Rican, Miami club salsa, and Cali salsa scenes generally use the Cuban call when teaching rueda, or do not maintain a separate local partnerwork name for the figure.

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountCasino/Rueda a tiempo count: the figure is cued from guapea. On 1 both partners clap and begin the brief separation; on 2 they complete the inward/outward travel; on 3 they return to the rueda perimeter orientation; 4 is the pause. Counts 5-6-7 continue guapea, with the next break occurring on 5; 8 is the pause.

Lead

From guapea in rueda timing, maintain the normal leader break structure: break back on left on 1 while clapping on 1, angle the body toward the center of the circle and step inward through 1-2, then return to the perimeter-facing relationship by 3. Hold the rueda spacing on 4. Continue the next half of guapea on 5-6-7, ready for the caller's next command.

Follow

From guapea in rueda timing, maintain the normal follower mirror break structure: break back on right on 1 while clapping on 1, angle the body toward the outside of the circle and step outward through 1-2, then return to the perimeter-facing relationship by 3. Hold the rueda spacing on 4. Continue the next half of guapea on 5-6-7, ready for the caller's next command.

Song timingBest at moderate social salsa tempos, about 150-185 bpm, where the clap on 1 and return by 3 can stay clean. At 190 bpm and above the figure remains possible but the outward-inward travel should be kept very compact.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Guapea basic
  • Rueda de Casino circle spacing
  • Responding to a caller on the next measure
  • Basic hand-clap timing without disrupting footwork

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Treating Fly as a slot-style traveling exchange instead of a compact rueda separation.
  • Breaking forward on count 1; both roles keep their own guapea break away from the partner, leader on left and follower on right.
  • Leaving the circle shape too far and failing to return by count 3.
  • Adding an unnecessary turn; the base call has only a small angle away and recovery, not a half-turn or full turn.
  • Clapping late on 2 or 3, which obscures the caller's count-1 accent.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • Un Fly doble: a related variation with two claps, not the base Fly.
  • Cross-body lead: a slot exchange of ends, not this rueda clap-and-separate call.
  • Dile que no: a Cuban partner exchange/return action, not the same call.
  • Paso cruzado or cruzado: cross-step footwork terms, not regional names for Fly.

Around the world

Other names

  • Cuba / Rueda de Casino

    Un Fly

    Attested rueda call for the clap-and-separate figure.

  • International Rueda de Casino classes

    Fly

    Common shortened English display name for the same call.

  • Miami casino and rueda scenes

    Un Fly

    Used as Cuban rueda vocabulary where casino rueda is danced.

References

  1. 1.salsayo.com
  2. 2.salsayo.com
  3. 3.salsagente.com

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Fly. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-fly

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Fly.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-fly. Accessed 4 July 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Fly.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 4, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-fly.

BibTeX

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

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Thomas Plawin

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