The Dictionary of Tango
Cross
Put simply this is the only piece of social dancing vocabulary where the Follower is being led to cross their feet and they’re doing so because they want to, not because they have to. It’s a willful cross. There are many versions of a cross in Argentine Tango: Back Cross.
Colgada
A Colgada, from the root Spanish word, “Colgar” which means, when translated to English, “To Hang”. The ‘ada’ ending is akin to ‘ed’ in English, or the past tense. Or in this case it means ‘Hung’. A Colgada is a very advanced construct and should not be attempted by beginners,
Close Embrace Molinete
Close Embrace Molinete. This is a Molinete done in ‘Close Embrace’ format. There are a few differences of a Close Embrace Molinete versus its Open Embrace cousin. The first and probably the most obvious one is that there is a lot less space to function with. Secondly, we need
Close Embrace
Close Embrace. This is an iconic look of Tango that has many variations and is usually the common visual of what you see people dancing with on a social dance floor. Close Embrace can be, but is not limited to Vee, Berlin, Pseudo, or even what you might think of
Circular Ocho
Circular Ochos are an Ocho construct that is used from a stationary position (for the the Lead). It’s where the Follower is being led to semi-circular steps that employ applied disassociation at the semi-circular opposition points. The size of of the semi-circule can be anywhere from 60, 90, to 120 degree arc.
Calesita
Calesita. Probably the easiest way to describe this is to call it nothing more than a forward (or backwards) walk around the Lead (or the Follower) in either Open or Close Embrace. See Calesitas for more information.
Cabeceo
Cabeceo. The preferred way to ask a Follower to dance a Tanda with the Lead that has asked. The Spanish word “Cabeceo” comes from the root Spanish -ar verb “Cabecear” which means to ‘nod’. In the noun form of the word, it means ‘head’ which is “Cabeza”. From an Argentine
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires. Birthplace of Argentine Tango. However, you should really check out the related links for Salon Canning, La Viruta, Castellano, and tool that you really need to see: Preparing for Buenos Aires
Berlin
Berlin. City of amazing wonders. Including, Tango. You’d think that Berlin is not a hotbed of Tango. And you’d be very wrong. It is the hotbed of Tango in Europe at the time of this writing. That may change with time. However, over the last 5 to 10 years it has
Armpit
The Armpit Dancer, so named because the dancers are literally and factually in each other’s armpits, and spend their entire dance in each other’s armpits! They start out in front of each other (sometimes, which is where it is most advantageous for each partner to be) but then for a
Apilado
Apilado (pron: Ahh-Pee-Lah-Do), sometimes you will see this word spelled as ‘Apillado‘ and pronounced as Ahhh-Pee-Sha-Do. They mean the same things. The latter is a bastardized – ahem, Argentine version of the word. In short, this word is the past participle of the verb ‘Apilar’ which means ‘to pile up’ or ‘to put in