The Ultimate Beginners' Argentine Tango Glossary
Started your Argentine Tango journey but need help understanding its associated vocabulary?
Clear up any confusion and round out your knowledge with this beginners’ tango glossary.
Technical Terms
Figures
Commonly used in dance manuals, figures is a catch-all term for formulaic dance movements and the sequences associated with them. All dances, both choreographed and improvised, are made up of strung-together figures; their visual aesthetics and required techniques, however, differ across styles.
The walk and other fundamentals like ochos, giros, and el cruce, for example, are essential tango figures that all tangeuros use throughout their lifespans.
Axis
Just as the world spins on a fixed, invisible line called an axis, your body does too in Argentine Tango.
Your axis is also important for maintaining the stability and balance required to execute figures without injuring yourself or your partner.
There are three axis positions in tango, but as a beginner, you’ll only use one, the neutral, on-axis position, where your weight is centered on the middle of your feet (as opposed to on the ball or the heel).
Connection
Tango is full of abstract terms and connection is one of them. It seems to mean different things depending on who you ask, but to summarize, connection refers to the physical, non-verbal communication a couple shares while dancing. It’s integral for transmitting and receiving direction, and is established in tango by keeping one’s chest locked on to their partner’s.
Dissociation
Meaning “to separate”, dissociation in Argentine Tango occurs when you position and move your torso and lower body in different, often opposing, directions.
The torso, always kept locked onto your partner’s, is the most important element of dissociation, as it helps maintain the connection required to successfully initiate and receive direction.
Abrazo (Embrace) [ah-brah’-tho]
Tango’s default position, with held hands on one side and arms that wrap around the leader’s upper back and the follower’s waist on the other. There are two types of embrace; open, where a gap exists between the couple, and closed, where the couple’s chests and cheeks make physical contact.
Tango’s embrace is a flexible, living organism; beginners almost always start with the open embrace before progressing into the closed position, and tangueros of all levels are free to open and close the embrace in response to the music, figures, and comfort level.
Unweighted Leg
Also known as the “free leg”, this refers to the leg without body weight. Regardless of the figure, there is always one weighted and one unweighted leg in Argentine Tango.
Embellishments are always created with the unweighted leg.
Adorno (Embellishment) [ah-dor’-no]
Decorations leaders and followers add to tango figures, in accordance with the music and using the feet, legs, arms, hips, and hands.
Though leaders can invite followers to embellish, adornos are often unlead.
For beginners, the hardest aspect of embellishments is incorporating them without going overboard, especially since they’re fun to do. Like icing on a cake, too many andornos overload the eye and the palette. Just enough, however, and you add interest and intrigue.
Weighted Leg
The active leg that bares your body weight. Besides helping you successfully execute figures, the weighted leg provides support for embellishments.
Musical Lingo
Tango composer Carlos di Sarli (center) with singers Alberto Podestá (left) and Roberto Rufino (right).
Orchestra
Another catch-all term for the numerous instrumentalists, singers, and composers who make up the world of Argentine Tango.
Similar to classical music, tango orchestras moved through several distinct periods in the 20th century and beyond. Also like classical music, each tango orchestra possesses a distinct and recognizable compositional style.
Tanda (group) [tanh’-dah]
The music at milongas is arranged by DJs who specialize in Argentine Tango, and the sets they play are divided into groups of three to four songs.
These groups, called tandas, are organized depending on several variables, such as orchestra, era, musical themes, and dancer energy and skill level. The average tanda runs for 10-15 minutes.
Cortina [cor-tee’-nah]
Meaning “curtain”, cortinas are intermission periods between tandas where non-tango music is played, used by DJs to refresh the auditory palette, mark the transition from one completed tanda to another, and signal to dancers that it’s time to leave the floor and search for new partners.
Running for 30 to 90 seconds, DJs also use cortinas to inject their personality into a milonga set.
Understanding Tandas
Music sets at milongas follow a unique pattern.
Milongas, or tango dance socials, are multi-hour affairs; to prevent premature physical and emotional exhaustion in attendees, DJs traditionally rotate Argentine Tango’s three main musical styles throughout their sets, namely Tango, Vals, and Milonga.
Tandas at milongas traditionally follow the below pattern:
Tango: Tango: Vals :: Tango: Tango: Milonga
Here’s how to distinguish between the three musical styles:
Tango
A style of music in 2/4 or 4/4 time, notable for its use of a box-shaped instrument called the bandoneon, originating from European immigrants in Argentina, and bearing rhythmic influences from Western Europe and Central Africa (primarily modern-day Angola, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo). There are roughly five periods of tango music: the Pre-Golden Age (20s-30s), the Golden Age (1935-1952), Tango Nuevo (1952-1989), the Tango Rennessiance (90s; exact dates differ depending on who you ask), and Neotango (21st century).
Milonga [ME-LON-GAH]
A playful and fast-paced musical style that incorporates elements of Argentine Tango. Milonga music has a syncopated beat, with eight beats per measure and accents on the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh beats. Out of all three styles, milonga is the most difficult for beginners to learn thanks to its fast movements and lower margin for error.
Vals (waltz) [vahls]
The most recognizable genre of tango music, with ¾ time (three beats per measure), moderate tempo, and clear, easy-to-follow melodies. Within a set, DJs use Vals to dilute emotional tension and intensity so that dancers’ energy reserves can last throughout the night.
Social Codes
The cabeceo, or invitation via eye contact, is a tango trademark.
Práctica (practice) [prahc’-te-cah]
As a mid-point between classes and milongas, practicas are informal supervised tango practice sessions, where teaching is permitted, tandas are omitted, and where tangueros of all levels arrive to hone their fundamentals and perfect new figures. Typically held during afternoons, practicas run for up to three hours and are a great, pressure-free way for Argentine Tango beginners to obtain dancefloor experience.
Practilonga
A milonga/practica hybrid, created by present-day tango instructors to help reduce the jitters beginners experience when they start attending milongas. Typically held in the early evening (no later than 8 PM) for up to three hours, practilongas blend permitted dancefloor instruction with relaxed dress, tandas, refreshments, and codigos.
Milonga [me-lon-gah]
Formal and informal tango socials, traditionally held in the late evening hours (8 PM and later) and featuring DJs, refreshments, and traditional social codes.
While most milongas run for three to four hours, tango socials of six hours or more are commonplace at multi-day festivals and marathons. Since all forms of guided instruction are forbidden at milongas, these events play host to more experienced dancers (intermediate level and above).
Floorcraft
Another catch-all term for dancer skill level, especially as it relates to sharing the floor with other couples. In tango, signs of great floorcraft include lack of collisions, a clear, orderly ronda, where couples are respectful of the space others occupy, and mindful embellishments.
Festival
At two to three days in duration, festivals are special tango events that host world-class instructors, DJs, vendors, and dancers at large cities. Within the US, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, DC are popular tango festival destinations, with Istanbul, Paris, and Berlin as renowned host cities in Europe. Attendee numbers at tango festivals vary depending on the venue; between 100 to 300 tangueros is the norm.
Tango festivals are most ideal for dancers with two years or more of study under their belts.
Marathon
Also at two to three days in duration, tango marathons are the second kind of special tango event, featuring nearly non-stop milongas and a host of skilled dancers and DJs. Since marathons omit classroom sessions, they attract a highly skilled level of dancer (those with 5 years or more of tango study under their belts) and are not recommended for beginners.
To ensure gender balance, tango marathon organizers tend to cap registration at a predetermined number of leaders and followers; due to said registration caps, prospective marathon attendees must obtain their tickets early and quickly.
Código [co’-de-go]
A Spanish umbrella term for the social and behavioral rules associated with milongas, such as how to initiate, receive, and decline invitations to dance, how to indicate romantic interest for another dancer, and attire guidelines. Some milongas are stricter about códigos than others.
Milonguero/Milonguera [me-lon-goo-ay’-ro]
The Spanish word for frequent male and female milonga attendees, fanatics, if you will.
In tango’s Golden Age, this word carried negative implications in Argentina, as the upper echelons of Argentine society associated tango with lower, undesirable social classes and loose sexual mores. Today, this term is a respectful moniker, alluding to someone who has mastered Argentine Tango.
Tanguero/ Tanguera
The Spanish word for male and female practitioners of Argentine Tango. Like milonguero/a, this term once carried negative implications about one’s class and morality.
Cabeceo (Invitation) [cah-bay-thay'-o]
Another Spanish word, born with the advent of milongas in the 20th century. As a non-verbal dance invitation issued via eye contact, the cabeceo was originally developed to shield men from the shame of overt rejection and women from harassment, especially since early Argentine milongas had a surplus of men.
Though tango purists prefer to uphold cabeceo traditions, where dance invitations are only issued by leaders, progressive tango communities encourage followers to exercise agency in selecting dance partners as well.
Mirada
The cabeceo’s receptive, feminine half, occurring when a follower accepts a leader’s non-verbal dance invitation with matching eye contact, a smile, and a nod.
Ronda [ron’-dah]
Translated as “round” in English, ronda is the traditional Argentine term for the dancefloor at milongas, where couples move counterclockwise around the room.
Social Dynamics
Why did I include an image of a dude ironing? Find out below.
Taxi Dancer
As a social tradition that’s more common in Argentina, taxi dancers are hired dance and socialization partners that accompany single tangueros and tangueras to milongas, often where the client is a newcomer. Besides providing friendly company to converse with, taxi dancers are skilled milongueros who help showcase their client’s abilities on the ronda so that they get more dance invitations from strangers throughout the milonga.
Benched Follower Syndrome
Coined by Victoria and Zak at VZtango, a Reno, Nevada-based tango school, this term refers to a negative and dispiriting feedback loop commonly experienced by mature followers in tango communities with a surplus of single women.
In short, to receive frequent cabeceos, followers must frequently be seen in the ronda, but to be seen in the ronda, followers must first appeal to the male gaze and feminine beauty ideals.
More on Benched Follower Syndrome, its causes, and what tango community leadership can do to mitigate it is coming soon in a separate post.
Planchadora [plan-chah-dor'-rah]
Planchadora, meaning “ironing lady” in Spanish, is tango slang that refers to a woman who sits all night at a milonga and never receives an invitation to dance.
Tango Sickness
I recently coined this term; commonly seen in beginners with high levels of intrinsic motivation, Tango Sickness occurs when a dancer over-prioritizes tango study, often to the detriment of their health, non-tango relationships, and work. Symptoms of Tango Sickness include rapid weight loss, physical exhaustion, mental preoccupation with tango outside of classrooms and milongas, and declining performance at work and school.
While Tango Sickness doesn’t harm sufferers in the long run, it puts the body at increased risk for overuse injuries and the mind at increased risk for burnout. Establishing strong boundaries, however, helps alleviate the symptoms of Tango Sickness.
A follow-up article on how to recognize and address Tango Sickness is currently in the works.
Tango Vultures
As another blogger-coined term by Tango Therapist, Tango Vultures refers to predators, narcissists, and other dark triad personality types who use tango to abuse, harass, and harm others, often via covert, underhanded means.
A Tango Vulture’s targets are usually, but not always, beginner single women who are trusting, starry-eyed, and unfamiliar with what constitutes appropriate tango behavior, and Tango Vultures themselves are usually, but not always, experienced single men.
While some tango communities have more Tango Vultures than others, they are more common in scenes with passive leadership and more single women.
More information on how to spot Tango Vultures, what attracts them, and how community leadership can avoid unintentionally enabling them is also coming soon in several separate posts.
Which vocabulary term was most surprising to you?
