Rueda contrario – hombres y mujeres is an extended variation of rueda contrario.

In this variation, the leaders (hombres) may still change partner in opposite directions, but now also the followers (mujeres) may do that. Changing partner in opposite directions still happens only when the call includes “contrario“, like “enchufla contrario” or “patin mujeres contrario“.

The followers use something visual to distinguish the roles, like wearing light/dark tops, or wearing red/blue bands.  
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Traffic rules 

  • Followers (mujeres) have a fixed role (arriba or abajo) throughout the rueda.*
    Every second follower dance abajo, the others dance arriba. You need something visual to distinguish the roles, like wearing light/dark tops, or wearing red/blue bands.

  • Leaders (hombres) have temporary roles 
    The leaders get assigned a role when a contrario call is issued. If the call is “enchufla contrario“, then the leaders’s role for that specific figure is the same role (arriba or abajo) as the partner has when that figure starts. They see the role from the color the partner is wearing. 

  • The rules for changing partner are similar to regular rueda contrario: 
    – abajo followers/leaders change partner in abajo direction (counter clockwise), going inside the arriba follower/leader (i.e. closer to the center)
    – arriba followers/leaders change partner in arriba direction (clockwise), going between the abajo  followers/leaders and the partners waiting in the rueda.

  • In calls that include “mujeres contrario” the followers (mujeres) change partner in opposite directions. (Also calls including “muchachas contrario” indicates that followers are changin roles, but this is new in 2022, so not well established yet.)
    For example in “patin mujeres contrario”, the abajo followers change partner in abajo direction, and the arriba followers change partner in arriba direction. (Easy to remember.)

  • In calls that include “contrario” and not “mujeres“, the leaders (hombres) change partner in opposite direction. 
    For example in “enchufla contrario” and “patin contrario” the leaders have temporary roles for that figure only (abajo or arriba). They get the same role as their partner has, when the figure starts.

*) This rule with fixed roles for women was established in 2019. In the first edition from 2017, the leaders had fixed roles, and the followers got their role for each figure, based on the partner’s role when the figure started. It was changed because it was too difficult for followers to keep track of directions, when thay are not used to being the active part in changing partner.  

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Rueda contrario hombres y mujeres | Workshop by Bernt Rygg, SalsaNor Rueda Congress 2019

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Established figures 

OPEN POSITION

1: patin mujeres contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 patin pa’mujeres (video below)
patin pa’mujeres pa’arriba
 

Abajo followers need to exit the figure in front of the arriba followers, closer to the center, to avoid running into each other. Followers should be aware of each other, and also keep eye contact with their new partner before exiting the figure.

2:  rebota mujeres contrario / enchufla muchachas contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 enchufla con muchachas (enchufla y mujeres derecha con vuelta)
enchufla con muchachas pa’arriba (enchufla y mujeres izquierda con vuelta)
 

Two and two followers cross in front of the same leader, while turning.
Abajo followers end up with the same partner, arriba followers change partner dos arriba.

RUEDA AL MEDIO

enchufla y al medio >
(video below)

3: mujeres contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 mujeres derecha (video below)
mujeres izquierda (video below)

4: mujeres contrario con vuelta / muchachas contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 mujeres derecha con vuelta (turning left)
mujeres izquierda con vuelta (turning right)
 

Two and two followers are both crossing in front of the same leader while turning, the abajo followers passing closest to the center. There is a point (around beat #2-3) where both followers turn and face each other, when they may make contact with each other with both hands, for fun/connection and for security/control.  

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Some possible figures to be explored

OPEN POSITION

enchufla mujeres contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 enchufla mujeres
enchufla finta y dame
 

Abajo followers should probably be led into a forestep, to make the travel easier.  
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 enchufla y lazo y enchufla mujeres
enchufla finta con paseala y exhibela y mujeres pa’arriba

lazo mujeres contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 enchufla y lazo y enchufla mujeres
enchufla finta con paseala y exhibela y mujeres pa’arriba
 

Note that this depends on enchufla mujeres, which is a component of “enchufla mujeres contrario”.

cero mujeres contrario con vuelta
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 cero con vuelta  (ladies turn left while moving right)
enchufla y mujeres cero a la derecha con vuelta (ladies turn right while moving left)
 

Similar to “mujeres contrario con vuelta“, but starting with enchufla, and ending with dile que no. The followers are both crossing in front of the same leader while turning, the abajo followers passing closest to the center. There is a point (around beat #2-3) where both ladies turn and face each other, when they may make contact with each other with both hands, for fun/connection and for security/control.  

ocho para mujeres contrario 
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 ocho para mujeres (video below)
ocho para mujeres opuesto
 

In ocho para mujeres contrario everyone ends up with the same partner they started with. This is a complicated figure for the followers, and they need to be practiced in the two figures separately (ocho para mujeres and ocho para mujeres opuesto). 

In ocho para mujeres opuesto the follower first circles around the partner that initiates the figures, and finishes with “muchachas pa’arriba”, ending up with changing partner dos arriba.

Note that two and two followers are both crossing in front of the same leader while turning twice. 

exhibela mujeres contrario 
botala mujeres contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 exhibela | botala – y mujeres pa’abajo 
exhibela | botala – y mujeres pa’arriba 
 

The principle is the same for both of these these. The followers do a right turn towards the center, and they change partner in opposite direction. Abajo followers move closest to the center to give way.

CLOSED POSITION

americana mujeres contrario
  Abajo followers:
Arriba followers:		 americana y mujeres pa’abajo 
americana y mujeres pa’arriba 
 

Same principle as in “exhibela mujeres contrario“. The followers do a right turn towards the center, and they change partner in opposite direction. Abajo followers move closest to the center to give way.

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Related videos

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patin para mujeres

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cero

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ocho para mujeres

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enchufla y al medio

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mujeres derecha, mujeres izquierda

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Origin

Rueda mujeres contrario was created by Bernt Rygg in 2017, and it was taught at the SalsaNor Rueda Congress for the first time in Málaga in 2018.

Later the concept has changed into being an integrated part of rueda contrario, rather than a separate structure only focusing on the followers. Hence the name rueda contrario – hombres y mujeres.

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