DAME UNA
Ladies do a CBL (Cross body lead) on beats 5, 6, and 7 by moving in a straight line across the man's body to get back into position for Guapea. Sometimes beginners will turn to face the leader too early during the CBL. As a result, they wind up turning while in front of the man, and then they have to "back up" to get into position for guapea, which is awkward. Ladies should think of walking comfortably right in front of their partner to get to his other side, and then turn to face him once they are across his body.
It is also important for ladies not to begin the cross body lead until beat five. Beginners sometimes have some trouble with this, but it's important for the synchrony of the dance. If you are unsure, watch a follower in the circle who is experienced. Try to match her timing on the CBL.
And remember to have your left arm up so it's out of the leader's way, ladies. He must be able to easily slide his arm around your back.
Guys should all move at the same time as they travel to their next partner when they dame. Again, if you're not sure of the timing, watch others who are experienced and move when they do. And men also should not take too big a step back when they begin the CBL. If they take a large step, they may pull their partner with them slightly, and interfere with the direction of her movement.
ENCHUFLA
An issue in doing/learning this step is that you need to do the turn in roughly one beat. Beginners often turn slowly instead of sharply, which puts them behind for the remainder of the move. (Of course, moving sharply does not mean roughly; it just means swiftly and deliberately!)
PA TI PA MI
This step is conceptually simple---it's just three enchuflas. But it's a surprisingly beautiful move, given its simplicity. It's also surprisingly tricky to do well.
The main difficulty is that you have to move through each of the enchuflas quickly (turning in roughly one beat) to be ready for the next one. I find that saying "done" at the end of each turn, helps mark the rhythm. Then everyone has a sense of completing the action on each enchufla in the four beats allotted, as "done" is being said every four beats.
I highly recommend this step for demonstrations and performances by the way.
I once did a show with mostly early intermediate level steps like Dedo, Sombrero de Manny, Cadaneta, etc. When I watched the video, Pa Ti Pa Mi was one of the nicest looking steps even though it was one of the simplest. And I've heard others say the same thing.
EVELIN AND FLAMENCO
These steps start like Adios. But almost as soon as the Adios turn is initiated, the leader must start to break the lady's movement. It is unusual to start a move and stop it so quickly, but if that isn't done, the lady may turn too far. So be ready to lead a turn and put the brakes on almost as soon as it was begun!
In Flamenco, in addition to the guy's turn at the end of Evelin, he also leads the lady in an Exhibe. To lead an Exhibe, the man should face the lady squarely while she faces the center. So they are at a 90 degree angle to each other.
Sometimes ladies make the mistake on an Exhibe of turning in place. Instead, they should step forward on their left (heading toward the center of the circle) but leave the right foot in place. They pivot on the left foot, turning 180 degrees so they face outside the circle. Then they step on their right foot which was left at the perimeter of the circle, and pivot 180 degrees on that foot as well. So they are now facing the center of the circle again. Then they close their left foot to their right foot and the Exhibe turn is done.
KENTUCKY
In Kentucky, it is commonplace for guys to be facing the circle's circumference after the turn rather than the center. Guys need to keep in mind that they should wind up facing the center, and force themselves into that position at the end of the turn.
And staying close to your partner is very essential on this move. It's incredibly awkward for guys to do a Kentucky turn far from their partner with their arms connected as they are!
If the guy has trouble getting his arms overhead during the turn, he can bend at the knees--that really helps. Generally speaking, it is aesthetically preferable to keep the body upright. So if a dancer needs to be "shorter" to do a move, bending the knees is better than bending over.
SIETE / SIETE MODERNO / SIETE LOCO
On Siete, how far the lady turns is a matter of taste or preference. But if you are first learning, I suggest a shallow turn of 180 degrees----from facing into the circle to facing out of it. If you roll further than that, unrolling from such a tight pose can be strained in the time you have. Once you have a lot of experience with the step, you can roll it as far as you like.
I just suggest this because I've seen so many people have trouble unwinding in time (or overturning it due to the momentum created) and they would have been fine if they hadn't turned in as far.
As you go on with other steps that "stem" from Siete, it is important for ladies to leave their free hand up around mid-chest level. In Siete Moderno for example, the leaders need to switch hands quickly and they need to be able to find the lady's hand easily. So when you do any of the Sietes, ladies should make a special effort to leave their hands where the leader can easily find them. This is good general advice for other steps as well by the way.
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