Tango vocabulary

Nedan finns också "General Tango Terms". (Se också, med glimten i ögat, Tangoportalens text "liten parlör för noviser" .)

Tango dancing figures (and related terms)

Terms, Translation and Short Definitions
Swedish and English

Abrazo:
kram, fattning
Embrace, dance, hold. Some articles about the dancing frame

Amague:
Skensteg
Fake. Not completed step, just showing the intention

Arrastre:
Släpa
Arrastrar = to drag

Barrida:
Svepa
A sweep. As in sweep with a broom :-)

Base:
Grundsteg
Basic pattern. There are several basic patterns, all called "base"

Boleo:
lower leg moves and makes a little kick in the air in some changes of direction

Calesita:
karusell
Merry go round. Merry go round, happens at the quebrada, if the man goes in a circle, see molinete

Cadena:
kedja
Chain. Repeating certain steps

Caminada:
Promenad,gå
Caminar, Walk

Corrida:
Löpning
Correr = to run
Run, implies a short sequence of forward steps, rather than a basic

Corte:
Avskuren
cut

Cruzada:
korsning
Cruzar=to cross korsning

Cunita:
Vaggan
Cradle

Enrosque:
Korkskruv, vridning
Corkscrew, twist

Entrada:
Entrén
Entrance

Firulete:
Utsmyckning
Ornament, embellishment

Freno:
Broms
Brake

Gancho:
krok
A hook

Giro:
Sväng
A turn

Lapiz/ planeo:
Pennan
Pencil

Llevar:
Föra
To lead, to carry

Llevada:
Att Föra
A carry, happens when the leader uses the upper thigh to "carry" the follower's leg to the next step, needs illustration to understand!

Llevada :
Markera
Marcar

Media vuelta:
Halv snurr
Half turn

Milonga:
1) A dance , tangos older sister
2) dancing hall, where tango is danced

Molinete:
Mölla, väderkvarn
Molino = mill, as in windmill molinete = grapevine
A dance move, is typically dancing in a circle around the leader

Mordida, Sandguche:
Bita, sandwich
Morder = to bite, sandwich
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 :
åtta
Eight
Painting an 8 on the floor with (normally the woman's) feet either moving the feet either backwards or forwards, note the possibility of making an eight forward backward and an eight backward forward since the direction in the room is not the same as the direction of the feet!

Ocho cortado :
Avskuren åtta happens
Cut eight
when for example an ocho-like movement is stopped and sent back upon itself. Typical in club style where many such brakes are used to avoid collisions!

Parada :
Stopp
A stop
many different ways to stop dancing för a little while

Quebrada :
Lutning
Break
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

Reverse mordida :
Omvänd sandwich
Reverse sandwich
Making a sandwich crossing your feet

Rulo:
Cirkelrörelse med foten
Curl

Sacada:
Bortflyttning av fot
A displacement of the feet

Salida:
Utgång,ett grundsteg
Exit, basic walking pattern
First steps of dancing tango, derived from:"Salimos a bailar" = Shall we (go out to the dance floor and) dance?

Sentada:
Sitta
Sentar = to sit
The woman more or less sit (on her partner's knee)

 

General Tango Terms

Canyengue:

  1. Arrabalero, of low social status.
  2. A way of interpreting or dancing tango
  3. A reunion (party) where the people from the arrabal (the slums) dance.
  4. The sound obtained from the double bass when the strings are hit rhytmically with the hand and the bow.

Candombe:

  1. A type of dance danced by (originally) the descendants of black slaves in the Rio de la Plata region.
  2. A type of african-origin music with a marked rhythm played on a "tamboril" (kind of drum).
  3. The place where the blacks congregated to dance.

Milonguero:

  1. A man who likes to attend the milongas.
  2. A person whose life revolves around dancing tango and the philosophy of tango.
  3. Payador pueblero (traveling folk-music singer.)
  4. A title given by other tango dancers to a man who has mastered the tango dance and embodies the essence of the tango.

Milonguera:

  1. Female dancer (for hire) of the early dance halls, cabarets, and nightclubs.
  2. A woman who likes to attend the milongas.
  3. A woman whose life revolves around dancing tango and the philosophy of tango.
  4. A title given by other tango dancers to a woman who has mastered the tango dance and embodies the essence of the tango.
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