Tango dance glossary: milonga, tanda, cabeceo and more

Tango has its own vocabulary, almost all of it Spanish and some of it from Buenos Aires slang. This glossary explains the words you will hear at a milonga or in a class. For street slang in tango lyrics, see the Lunfardo dictionary.

Jump to: At the milonga · Embrace and walk · Figures · Styles · Music

At the milonga

Term	Meaning
Milonga	A social tango dance event, and the venue where it takes place. Also a musical genre (see Music).
Milonguero / milonguera	A regular dancer at milongas, especially an experienced one who knows its customs.
Práctica	An informal session to practise, try out figures and ask for advice. More relaxed than a milonga.
Tanda	A set of usually three or four pieces of the same type (tango, vals or milonga), often by the same orchestra. Partners normally dance the whole tanda together.
Cortina	“Curtain”: a short piece of non-tango music between tandas. The floor clears and dancers look for a new partner.
Cabeceo	The traditional way of inviting someone to dance: eye contact (mirada) across the room, then a small nod. Accepting is a nod back; looking away is a polite no.
Mirada	The look that comes before the cabeceo.
Ronda / línea de baile	The line of dance: couples move counter-clockwise around the floor in lanes and do not overtake.
Pista	The dance floor.
Códigos	The unwritten rules of the milonga: cabeceo, respecting the ronda, not teaching on the floor, finishing the tanda with the same partner.
Musicalizador	The tango DJ, who chooses tandas and cortinas.
Encuentro / marathon	Multi-day tango events focused on social dancing, often with long milongas into the morning.

Embrace and walk

Term	Meaning
Abrazo	The embrace, the basis of every movement. In close embrace (abrazo cerrado) the partners’ chests touch; in open embrace (abrazo abierto) there is space between them.
Eje	The axis: a dancer’s balance over one leg. Good tango depends on both partners keeping their own axis.
Caminata	The tango walk, the most important element of the dance.
Marca	The lead: the signal, through the embrace and the body, for the next movement.
Salida	The opening steps of a figure; the “basic eight”. See Basic tango steps.
Cruzada / cruce	The follower’s cross, left foot in front of right, as in step 5 of the salida.
Paso básico	The basic step, usually the eight-count salida.
Cadencia	A rocking weight change in place, used to wait for space or mark the music.
Retroceso	A backward step, used to avoid an obstacle on the floor.
Pausa	A deliberate pause on the music, part of the dance rather than a break in it.

Figures

Term	Meaning
Ocho	“Eight”: the follower pivots and crosses, drawing a figure eight on the floor, forward (ocho adelante) or backward (ocho atrás).
Media luna	“Half moon”: one of the earliest figures, drawing a half circle.
Giro	A turn, with the follower walking around the leader.
Molinete	“Windmill”: the follower’s grapevine around the leader (forward step, side step, back step, side step).
Enrosque	The leader’s screw-like pivot while the follower turns around him.
Sacada	A displacement: one partner steps into the space the other has just left, appearing to move their leg out of the way.
Parada	A stop: the leader halts the follower’s movement, often with his foot against hers.
Barrida	A sweep: one partner’s foot moves the other’s foot along the floor.
Boleo	A whip-like swing of the free leg, produced by a sudden change of direction.
Gancho	A hook: one partner’s leg hooks briefly around the other’s leg.
Calesita	“Merry-go-round”: the leader walks around the follower while she pivots on one foot.
Volcada	The leader tilts the follower off her axis so that her free leg draws a curve on the floor.
Colgada	Both partners lean outward, counterbalancing each other.
Corte y quebrada	A sudden stop and a twist of the body; the expression comes from the earliest tango and is used to describe its style.
Adorno / embellecimiento	Decorations, small leg and foot movements added within the lead.

Styles

Term	Meaning
Canyengue	An early style danced in close embrace, with bent knees and short steps.
Orillero	“From the edges”: the style of the city outskirts, playful and full of figures.
Tango de salón	Salon tango: upright and elegant, with a clear walk, as danced in the halls from the 1910s on.
Estilo milonguero	Close-embrace style of the crowded downtown milongas, with small steps and few figures.
Tango nuevo	A style developed in the 1990s that analyses tango’s movement mechanics and often uses open embrace and new figures.
Tango escenario / fantasía	Stage tango: choreographed for shows, with lifts and large movements not used on a social floor.

Music

Term	Meaning
Tango	The main rhythm, usually in 4/4 time, danced with a walking feel.
Vals (vals criollo)	Argentine waltz in 3/4 time, danced with tango steps but more circular and flowing.
Milonga	A faster, playful rhythm in 2/4 time, danced with simpler, quicker steps; milonga traspié uses quick double steps.
Compás	The beat. Dancing al compás means stepping on the beat.
Orquesta típica	The classic tango orchestra with bandoneons, violins, piano and double bass.