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Tango dancing figures (and related terms)

Gerneral Tango Terms

Longer definitions and explanation of "Tango Terms"

Last edited Aug. 1999

Tango dancing figures (and related terms)

Terms	Translation		Short Definitions
	English	German
abrazo	embrace, dance hold	Umarmung, Tanzhaltung	some articles about the dancing frame
amague
arrastre	arrastrar = to drag
barrida	a sweep		as in sweep with a broom :-)
base	basic pattern	Grundschritt	There are several basic patterns, all called "base".
boleo
calecita			merry go round, happens at the quebrada
cadena	chain	Kette
cafe con leche			;-) Something you take for breakfast, perhaps together with a medialuna
caminada	caminar = walk	gehen
celesita
corrida	correr = to run		run, implies a short sequence of forward steps, rather than a basic
corte	cut	(Ein)schnitt
cruzada	cruzar=to cross	kreuzen
enrosque	corkscrew	Korkenzieher
entrada	entrance	eintreten, Eingang
firulete	embellishment, ornament	Verziehrung
freno	brake	Bremse
gancho	a hook	Haken
giro	a turn	Drehung
lapiz	pencil	Bleistift
llevar	to lead, to carry	führen, tragen
llevada			a carry, happens when the leader uses the upper thigh to "carry" the follower's leg top the next step, needs illustration to understand!
llevada	marcar
media vuelta	half turn	halbe Umdrehung
Milonga			dance, mother of tango also: an 'event' where you dance tango (let's go to the milonga tonight)
			dancing hall, where tango is danced
molinete	molino = mill, as in windmill molinete = grapevine	Mühle	a dance move, in A. Tango this is typically in a circle around the leader
mordida (=sandwich)	morder = to bite	beißen	The foot of one partner is "trapped" between the two feet of the other partner. If the legs of this other partner are crossed, then it is a reverse mordida.
ocho	eight	acht	very basic figure, the feet of the follower mark an 8 on the floor
ocho cortado	cut eight		happens when an molinete or an ocho-like movement is stopped and sent back upon itself. Typical in club style where many such brakes are used to avoid collisions! Needs a teachers explanation, since I am unclear on all the different movements in this category.
parada	a stop	Halt
quebrada	break	Bruch	a position where the woman stands on one foot, the other one hanging relaxed behind the standing foot, often seen with the woman hanging with all her weight against the man
resolucion natural		natürlicher Abschluß
reverse mordida			see mordida
rondo
sacada
salida	exit, go out	Ausgang	first steps of dancing tango, derived from: "Salimos a bailar" = Shall we (go out to the dance floor and) dance?
sentada	sentar = to sit	(hin)setzten

Gerneral Tango Terms

Canyengue	Arrabalero, of low social status.
	A way of interpreting or dancing tango
	A reunion (party) where the people from the arrabal (the slums) dance.
	The sound obtained from the double bass when the strings are hit rhytmically with the hand and the bow.
Candombe	A type of dance danced by (originally) the descendants of black slaves in the Rio de la Plata region.
	A type of african-origin music with a marked rhythm played on a "tamboril" (kind of drum).
	The place where the blacks congregated to dance.
Tango	Popular music from the Rio de la Plata region dating back to the middle of the XIX century. It was defined by a 2 x 4 beat until the decade of the '20s in the XX century, and a 4 x 8 beat thereafter.
	A type of african-origin music with a marked rhythm played on a "tamboril" (kind of drum). dance where an embraced couple perform a series of (sometimes intricate) patterns primarily with their legs, to the rhythm of tango m
	Direct descendant of the Candombe, Habanera, Milonga, and (by some tango scholars) the Tango Andaluz.
	The place where the blacks congregated to dance to the rhythm of drums.
	(Note: entire books and lives have been dedicated to the search for the ultimate definition or origin of the word "tango", i.e., this is only a minimal subset of the available definitions.)
Milonguero	A man who likes to attend the milongas.
	A person whose life revolves around dancing tango and the philosophy of tango.
	Payador pueblero (traveling folk-music singer.)
	A title given by other tango dancers to a man who has mastered the tango dance and embodies the essence of the tango.
Milonguera	Female dancer (for hire) of the early dance halls, cabarets, and nightclubs.
	A woman who likes to attend the milongas.
	A woman whose life revolves around dancing tango and the philosophy of tango.
	A title given by other tango dancers to a woman who has mastered the tango dance and embodies the essence of the tango.
	Milonguita: A woman of loose morals, often times a prostitute.
Tango Liso	A way of dancing tango characterized by its lack of fancy figures or patterns. Only the most "basic" tango steps and figures are utilized, e.g., caminadas, ochos, molinetes, etc. Ganchos, sacadas, boleos and other fancy moves (such as leaps, sentadas, and all acrobatics in general) are not done.
Tango de Salon	A way of dancing tango characterized by slow measured moves. It includes all of the "basic" tango steps and figures plus some sacadas, giros, and low boleos. The emphasis is on precision. The dancing couple remains at a "proper" distance from each other, i.e., their bodies are *not* in a close embrace. This is what happened to the tango when the French and the English got a hold of it in the early part of the century (pre-World War I) :^) This is the style of dance that most people who run milongas wish people did, and the style most dancers wish the *other* dancers did... :^)
	the terms 'Tango de Salon' and 'Tango Milonguero' seem to be interpreted differently by different dancers and teacher, so one should be aware that other people might think of something different when they talk about 'Tango de Salon'
Tango Danza	Tango dance (in Spanish).
Tango for Export	A way of dancing tango much derided by the milongueros of Buenos Aires. It's a tango without soul. This is a tango that plays well in the cabarets of Paris, New York, Berlin, or Tokyo because most of what made it a Porte~no dance (one that spoke directly to the soul of the Argentino) has been stripped away, leaving only the fancy moves and pseudo passion for the enjoyment of an exotic- loving public.
Tango Fantasia	This a hybrid tango. An amalgam of traditional tango steps and ballet, ballroom, gymnastics, ice-skating figures, etc. This is what most people see when they buy tickets for a tango show. The moves include all of the basic tango moves plus, ganchos, sacadas, boleos of every kind, sentadas, kicks, leaps, spins, and anything else that the choreographer and the performers think they can get away with. The music played might not even be a "real" tango, i.e., it can be Jazz, a bastardized classical piece, etc. Alas, this is the style of dancing most prevalent at the milongas outside of the Rio de la Plata region. Usually badly performed by ill-behaved tango dancers and frustrated tango performers who insist in getting their money's worth at the milonga even if they have to kick, step, bump into, or trip every other dancer on the floor.
Tango Orillero	Orillero means "of the outskirts". Thus, this was a style of dancing tango that was "outside" of the prevalent way of dancing. Nowadays, is more defined by its quick moves, kicks, and acrobatics. See "Juan Bruno" for more details.... ;-)
So far, the definitions for these general Tango terms are from Caran Fanfunfa (Thanks for your work!) You are all invited to add further definitions to this list.