The spot turn/underarm turn comes from a side step for the lady. The alemana comes from a fwd walk.

"Alemana" is a spanish word, an adjective for a "German female".

Let's not further confuse the original poster.

There are so many different ways to do alemana. Different teachers will show you yet another fine techniques to do this turn in a different way. As to 3 alemanas then you will involve other techniques with spiral turn, switch turn, lady turn left, lady turn right, etc.

As to the terminology of "alemana" that was coming from a spanish word(phrase) makes more sense to me. I tend to believe originally some teacher was using the phrase "a la mana" which just simply was called to do the "under arm turn". Somehow over the years the term had became "alemana". Just think many of the dancing terminology were quite silly indeed such as "cucaracha", "Kiki walk" or "Turkish towel". :)

I'm with you on this one. I think some of the names given to some of the steps are nothing short of ridicules. Kiki Walks even the New York. I mean where did that come from. Surely opening out in promenade or counter promenade would have been far more sensible.

its an under arm turn

Hi Quickstep,
I remember back in the early 50's there was an 8mm? film showing two Cuban ladies dancing the Rumba. One of the ladies was called, Kikki and the other was called, Aida.

Hi Iluv2Dance,

Can you tell me more about this film?

Perhaps, the names of Kiki Walks and Aida came from this film?

Hi, tango 2x2,
It was sometime in the late 40's, Monsieur Pierre and Doris Lavelle (These are the persons who brought the Cuban Rumba to the UK) brought this privately made film back to the UK after one of their trips to Cuba. I know that copies where made of this black and white film and the late Connie Grant, Sheffield, UK, had a copy. I don't know if any copies still exist. You are right in assuming that the Kiki Walks where named after her and the Fallaway was a figure danced by Aida.

Hi Iluv2Dance,

You wrote:.....the Kiki Walks where named after her and the Fallaway was a figure danced by Aida......

Thank you for the interesting past history and information.

I wonder if in all the syllabi, Kiki Walks and Aida were the only ones named after real person?

"I wonder if in all the syllabi, Kiki Walks and Aida were the only ones named after real person?"

Rudolph ronde - ballroom step named after a famous ballet dancer, found in various smooth syllabi and probably also "Popular Variations" for standard.

One of the problems with naming steps after people, places, or even objects of everyday life ("pepperpot") is that once knowledge of whoever or whatever they were named after dies out, the name provides no hint about what the step involves.