Salsa
Pretzel
Also known as: The Knot
Tangle, then untangle. A two-hand sequence that laces both arms into a pretzel knot and unwinds it in one flowing pass — the classic show of clean, unhurried leading.
Coach's notes — the how & why
What This Move Is
A continuous wrap-and-unwrap in a two-hand hold. The leader threads both joined hands through a series of turns that lace the arms into a knot, then reverses the exact path to dissolve it back to open position.
Lead & Follow It
Every step is led by where the hands travel, so the leader moves slowly and keeps both connections alive. The follower follows the hands and keeps her elbows soft, never deciding for herself which way to turn.
The Thing Almost Everyone Gets Wrong
Forcing the unwind by a different route than the wind-up. A pretzel only unties cleanly if you reverse the way you tied it — take the same path back. Rushing turns it into a tangle nobody can escape.
How It Connects
Returns you to a clean open, two-hand hold, ready to flow into turns or another wrap.
Quick notes, not instruction — always learn moves in person with a qualified teacher.
- Musical use
- Level
- Advanced
- Type
- Frame
- Style
Chains into
Layer this onto any move.
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Go deeper with your coach
Own Pretzel, then make it yours
This page is free, always. Your online coach goes further on every move you own — styling that makes it look like you, variations to keep it fresh, and how to hit it on the music.
- Styling
- Variations
- Musicality