Texas Tommy
Salsa adaptation of a behind-the-back hand-change turn
SalsaLevel: Intermediate1 min read2 citations
In salsa, the Texas Tommy is a partnered figure rather than the early twentieth-century dance of the same name; the older Texas Tommy originated in San Francisco's Barbary Coast scene around 1910 and later became associated with swing lineage.[1] Salsa usage keeps the recognizable hand idea: a connected hand is guided behind the follower's back during a travelling turn, comparable to the swing move also called Apache in some partner-dance vocabularies.[2] In slot-based salsa the figure is usually built from open or right-to-right handhold. On the first measure the partners make their normal On1 break and the leader opens a passage; the follower does not break forward, but enters the slot after replacing weight. On the second measure the follower travels through the opened track while rotating in staged portions, commonly about a quarter-turn into the pathway, a further half-turn while passing, and a final quarter-turn to re-face the leader. The leader stays compact, changes the hand path behind the follower only after her shoulder line has cleared, and avoids pulling the arm across the lower back. The name is common in English-language salsa instruction, while many Afro-Cuban and Colombian social contexts either do not center the slot figure or borrow the English term when it appears.
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountOn1 salsa: one break per measure, on 1 and 5. First measure 1-2-3 sets the open pathway after both partners break away from each other; second measure 5-6-7 carries the follower through the slot with a staged clockwise turn of roughly 90 degrees into the path, about 180 degrees while passing, and about 90 degrees to re-face, for roughly one full turn total.
Lead
On1 from open or right-to-right hold: 1 break back on left, 2 replace right, 3 step left while opening the slot and presenting a forward path. On 5 guide the follower forward and begin a clockwise travelling turn only after her frame has entered the slot; on 6 keep the connected hand close enough to pass behind her back without twisting the shoulder; on 7 receive or release as she finishes facing back toward the leader.
Follow
On1 from open or right-to-right hold: 1 break back on right, 2 replace left, 3 step forward on right only after the lead opens the pathway. On 5 travel forward on left and begin the clockwise reorientation, on 6 continue through the slot as the connected hand passes behind the back, and on 7 step left to complete the staged turn and re-face the leader.
Song timingBest at moderate social salsa tempos around 150-185 bpm, where the follower can complete the staged travelling turn without shoulder pressure. Around 190 bpm and above it becomes a fast-end pattern and should be simplified or released early. For On2 use, the same physical actions shift to 2-3-4 and 6-7-8, with breaks on 2 and 6.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- On1 salsa basic
- open hold
- cross-body lead pathway
- follower right turn
- comfortable hand changes without gripping
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Starting the follower forward on count 1 instead of allowing her normal back break on right.
- Pulling the follower's arm behind the back before her torso has cleared the slot.
- Letting the hand path drift high behind the shoulder instead of keeping it low and close to the follower's back line.
- Treating the turn as one late whip rather than splitting the rotation across entry, travel, and exit.
- Under-rotating so the follower stops short of re-facing the leader on count 7.
- Using the ballroom phrase line of dance instead of the salsa slot.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- The historical Texas Tommy social dance is not the same thing as the salsa figure.
- Apache may name the same behind-the-back partner-dance idea in some scenes, but it is not a separate salsa basic.
- Paso cruzado and cruzado describe crossed footwork in Spanish-language dance contexts and should not be used as translations for this figure.
- Hammerlock names a held arm position; Texas Tommy names a travelling figure that may pass through or finish in that position.
Around the world
Other names
English-language salsa scenes
Texas Tommy
Common borrowed name for the salsa figure with a behind-the-back hand path.
Cross-dance swing, West Coast Swing, and salsa vocabulary
Apache
Attested alternate name for the same behind-the-back move family.
New York On2 salsa
Texas Tommy
Generally retained as an English move name when used; timing shifts to On2 rather than changing the figure name.
Los Angeles On1 salsa
Texas Tommy
Generally taught under the English name in slot-based On1 vocabulary.
References
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Texas Tommy. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-texas-tommy
Bailar Editorial Team. “Texas Tommy.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-texas-tommy. Accessed 4 July 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Texas Tommy.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 4, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-texas-tommy.
@misc{bailar-move-salsa-texas-tommy, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Texas Tommy}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/salsa-texas-tommy}, note = {Accessed: 2026-07-04} }
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