Bachata
Change of Place (Switch)
Also known as: switch, change of places (bachata scenes rarely call it "enchufla" — that's a Cuban-salsa term; lineage noted, not the bachata name)
Trade spots without letting go. A turning lead walks you both around a shared centre until you've swapped places — the bachata cousin of salsa's enchufla.
Coach's notes — the how & why
What This Move Is
A place-change: with one hand connected, the lead leads the follow on a turning path around a shared centre while he travels the opposite way, so the two of you trade positions and end facing again. It does the same job as the Cuban enchufla — swap places, keep flowing — in a bachata frame.
Key Points
- Lead: Lead her around the centre point as you walk the mirror path — you're both orbiting the same spot. Keep the connected hand at a steady height so the turn stays smooth.
- Follow: Travel the arc the lead opens; spot across the change and arrive facing. Don't cut the corner — the swap needs the full curve.
- Timing: Trade places across 1-2-3, resolve facing on 4.
- Common mistake: Both partners walking straight lines and colliding, or the lead standing still and winching her around. It's a shared orbit — you move too.
Style Notes
A workhorse place-change that keeps the dance travelling and resets your positions. Flag for students: the mechanic is the enchufla family, but in bachata we just call it a change of place — don't import the Cuban name as if it were bachata-native. Feeds naturally into the Copa (B046) and Hammerlock (B022).
Quick notes, not instruction — always learn moves in person with a qualified teacher.
- Musical use
- Level
- Intermediate
- Type
- Frame
- Style
Chains into
After this, you can flow into…
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One way to flow
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