Advanced
Cuban Motion
Advanced Level
Full mastery — nuance, personal expression, and artistry
The continuous hip-ribcage figure-eight that gives Latin dance its signature fluid look, driven by knee action and weight shifts.
Tips
- •Stand in front of a mirror and just shift weight side to side with deliberate knee straightening. Watch your hips. That natural movement IS your Cuban motion — don't add anything to it.
- •Practice wearing tight pants or a fitted dress so you can see exactly what your hips are doing. Baggy clothes hide technical issues.
- •Watch competitive Latin ballroom dancers in slow motion. Their Cuban motion is the most technically refined version you'll see.
Common mistakes
- •Moving the hips directly instead of letting them respond to knee straightening — this creates a disconnected, hula-hoop look.
- •Keeping both knees bent at the same angle — one knee must be straight while the other bends.
- •Letting the Cuban motion affect your frame — your hips move, your shoulders stay quiet.
- •Overdoing it to the point of instability — Cuban motion should enhance your balance, not destroy it.
- •Only moving in the frontal plane — true Cuban motion includes a subtle front-to-back component.
Practice drill
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Step in place: right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, at 60 BPM. On each step, fully straighten the standing knee and fully bend the free knee. Exaggerate for the first minute. Then gradually make it smaller until it looks natural. Do this for 5 minutes daily for two weeks. Then apply it to your basic step.