Tango Terminology

Argentine Tango is a wonderful dance originating from Buenos Aires in Argentina, where the primary language spoken is Spanish. At our Tango dance classes in Southampton, we like to celebrate this by using some of the original terms used to describe the dance moves and its culture.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, just the most popular ones we use and we hope you find this helpful.

Abrazo –  an embrace used as a greeting or on parting in Spain and Latin America.
Adorno – an adornment, something that adds beauty or embellishment.
Apilado – a style of close embrace where the dancers lean into each other, sharing an axis and creating a “piled up” effect.
Balanceo – “balancing” changing weight from one foot to the other
Barrida – a sweeping and dragging action executed by one dancer’s foot against their partner’s foot or leg.
Boleo – a dynamic movement characterized by a “whip” or “throw” of the dancer’s free leg.
Cabeceo – a traditional, non-verbal way for a dancer to invite another to dance, typically involving a subtle nod of the head with eye contact.
Cadena – a chain of steps where the dancers move around each other, looping and repeating steps without a clear beginning or end.
Calesita – “merry-go-round” or “carousel” in Spanish, indicating the circular motion it creates on the dance floor.
Codigos – “the codes” refers to the social customs and etiquette for respectful and harmonious social dancing in the tango community.
Colgada –  a visually striking move where the dancers lean away from each other, creating an illusion of defying gravity.
Cortina – “curtains”, a short piece of music played between tandas (sets of tango songs) to signal the end of one set and the beginning of a break for dancers to socialise, change partners, or take a rest.
Cruzado – can mean cross system where dancers align their steps with the same leg, ie left & left/ right & right (as in a back ocho), rather than in the parallel system which uses opposite legs (as in walking).   It can also mean the cross for either follower or leader
Enganche – a movement where the follower’s leg wraps around the leader’s leg in a hooking action. It’s typically executed by the follower in response to the leader’s movement, creating a wrap and unwrapping sequence.
Enrosque – an embellishment where the dancer pivots on one foot while the other is hooked behind it, creating a “coiling” or “twisting” motion.
Entrada – “Entrance” occurs when a dancer steps forward or otherwise enters the partner’s space.
Gancho – a sharp move when a dancer hooks a leg around a partner’s leg by bending the knee and then straightening.
Giro – “turn” where one partner travels in a circular path around the other, creating a turning or “wheeling” motion.
Lapiz – “pencil”, a leg gesture where the free foot traces a circular motion or “draws” on the floor with its toe or inside edge, while the dancer pivots on the supporting foot.
Media Luna – a 180-degree turn, where the follower walks around the leader in a “U” or half-moon shape.
Milonga – a social gathering or dance party where Argentine Tango is danced, traditionally in sets called “tandas”.
Milonga is also a style of Tango music and has a faster dance associated with the music, having a rhythmical 2-beat pattern
Milonguero / Milonguera – Male / female dancer who frequently attends Milongas.
Mirada Cabeceo – “look” or “gaze”, and the word ‘cabeza’ means ‘head’, therein the word ‘cabeceo’ refers to the ‘nod of the head’ – the traditional way to invite someone to dance in the milonga.
Mordida – a move where the leader’s feet are placed to “sandwich”  the follower’s foot.
Ocho – “eight” is a dance step where the follower draws a figure-eight pattern on the floor with their feet through a series of pivoting movements.
Ocho cortado – the follower’s pivot is interrupted halfway through, “cutting” the expected eight-shaped pattern into a half-eight figure.
Parada – “pause”, the leader uses their chest and body to halt the follower’s movement, often placing their foot against the follower’s foot, creating a momentary pause.
la Ronda – the line of dance – where dance couples move counter clockwise around the room.
Sacada – one partner’s leg or foot displaces the other’s, creating a visual illusion that their legs have collided to make a ricochet effect
Soltada – “breaking of the embrace” where the partners release their embrace to turn or make more expansive movements.  This is primarily found when dancing to modern Tango-esque music and not the traditional music from the golden era.
Tanda – a set of three to four songs, played consecutively, that you dance with the same partner.
Tanguero – the word for a male Argentine Tango dancer.
Tanguera – the word for a female Argentine Tango dancer
Vals – a fast-paced dance in 3/4 time, characterised by its quick, circular movements, frequent turns (giros), and flowing, continuous motion.
Volcada –  a movement where the follower leans into the leader, creating a shared, off-axis position that appears as a controlled, leaning fall or tilt.