Bachata
Left Turn / Outside Turn
BachataIntermediateopen-handsModernconnector
The mirror-image turn. The follow's outside turn, rotating away from the lead.
Also known as: Outside turn
This move builds: Frame …on the always-on four — Connection, Frame, Comfort, Posture.
- Entry
- open L-to-R
- Exit
- open L-to-R
- Tempo
- any
- Musical use
- accent
- Connector
- Yes — connects open L-to-R → open L-to-R vocabulary
- Level
- Intermediate
- Cluster
- open-hands
- Style
- Modern
What This Move Is
The follow's outside turn, rotating away from the lead. It needs a clearer path and prep than the right turn and frequently resolves into a wrap or hammerlock.
Key Points
- Lead: Open the path and lead the follow to turn away from you; clear the arm so there is no collision.
- Follow: Turn outward, keep a compact frame, and spot.
- Timing: Prep on 4 or 8, turn across 1-2-3, resolve on the tap.
- Common mistake: Collision risk if the lead does not clear the arm path; the outside direction is less intuitive, so the follow may turn the wrong way.
Style Notes
The natural feeder into the wraps-locks cluster — an outside turn that does not fully unwind lands you in a hammerlock or cuddle.
Chains into
After this, you can flow into…