What does “Cross-body lead” mean?
Cross-body lead is a common and useful move in Latin dances such as salsa , mambo , rumba and cha-cha-cha . Basically, the leader, on counts 2 and 3 of their basic step (assuming dancing on 1), does a quarter-left turn (90° counter-clockwise) while still holding on to the follower. On counts 4 and 5, the follower is led forward across the leader, i.e., firmly led with the leader's right hand on their back, so that the follower travels across to turn and face the opposite direction they were originally facing. At the same time, the leader does another quarter-left turn as necessary in order to follow the follower and face them. At the end of the move, the dancers have their positions exchanged. The cross-body lead can be done with single-hand or double hand hold, with or without a follower's underarm turn, or leading the follower to do a free spin .
See also
Definition adapted from Glossary of dance moves on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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