Carinosa Steps

The basic footwork is similar to the steps used in a waltz: You

move around the floor by stepping to the side with your left foot, then
moving your right foot next to your left. You finish off this series of
three movements by tapping your left foot on the floor. Repeat this
sequence of steps, this time beginning by stepping to the side with
your right foot.
Spins are another fundamental element of carinosa. They take up the
last two bars of an eight-bar sequence. If you're the male half of the
dancing pair, you either fold your hands behind your back or put your
hands on your hips. The best way to think of this modified hands-onhips pose is to make sure your thumbs point inward toward your waist
and your knuckles rest on your love handles, even if you don't have
them. If you're the female, hold your skirt up a few inches off the
floor by taking each side of your skirt between your thumb and
forefinger. You can either do two turns, one for each three-beat bar,
or one turn on the first three-beat bar. For the latter, you simply
stand still for the last three-beat bar. You'll always turn to the right.

Carinosa Props

Female carinosa dancers often use fans. If you're the female

dancer, you open your fan by giving it a firm shake. Once it's open,
simply fan yourself to the music, matching each downward movement of
the fan with one beat in the three-beat bar.
The handkerchief hide-and-seek is a key element of carinosa. Each
partner holds two corners of the handkerchief and stand facing each
other, holding the handkerchief so it blocks the view of the other

partner's face. On the first beat of the three-beat musical bar, both
partners lean to the right side and peek at each other around the
handkerchief. They hold for a beat, then, on the third and final beat of
the bar, they return to an upright position, holding the handkerchief so
it is blocking the faces again. On the first beat of the next bar, the
partners flip the handkerchief while still holding it, so if one partner
had been holding the top two corners, he's now holding the bottom two
corners, or vice versa. As they do so, they lean to the side and peek at
the other partner around the handkerchief again. This series of
movements continues for six bars in total; for the last two bars of the
eight-bar section, the partners switch places by waltzing around each
other while still holding the handkerchief. This entire sequence
repeats. The hide-and-seek sequence can be performed with a fan
instead of a handkerchief.
The female dancer of the carinosa pair holds her skirt with one or both
hands, pinching the fabric of the skirt with the thumb and forefinger,
at the side, at about mid-thigh level.