Figures of Argentine tango are elements of Argentine tango.
Introduction and terminology
History On the basis of several instructional tango books published between 1911–1925 early tango figures can be grouped into eight categories: corte, paseo, la marcha, ocho, grapevine, ruedas, media luna, molinette. From that period we still have: ocho, sentada, media luna, molinete, sandwich. NameArgentine tango between 1911–1925Picture Corte (detención, freno, parada) Break and style of dance (bailar con corte, a la quebrada). Quebrada Style of dance (bailar con corte, a la quebrada) (see Rudolf Valentino). Media luna. Half moon. PromenadePopular salida at that time. Rueda Rotation around the follower. Scissors Movement which starts with promenade and is followed by a step; repeated.
In 2010 there exists as many as 200 instructional DVDs discussing elements of Argentine tango dance.Tejastango.com These include titles devoted to tango technique and basics (head, hands, arms, legs, feet, natural step, pivot, ochos, turn, cross, boleo, sacada, barrida, contact, enganche, adorments) (el eje, la intención, el caminar, la contraposición, el abrazo, basico cuadrado y cruzado, primer secuencia caminada, ocho adelante, ocho atrás, combinación del ocho adelante y atrás, medio giro derecha e izquirda) tango nuevo DVD, in Spanish with English subtitles (colgada en línea, colgada circular, colgada en apertura, colgada en apertura con cruce atrás, arrastre con colgada, colgada en cruce atrás, colgada en ocho atrás, colgada en suspensión, ochos atrás bloqueados en volcada, volcada con dibujo círcular de la pierna libre, ocho cortado, secuencias de colgadas & volcadas). DVD, in Spanish with English subtitles (sanguchito colgado, sanguchito colgado y gancho, colgada en apertura, barrida, colgada y gancho, americana, colgada y gancho, boleo, colgada y sacada, colgada en apertura con cruce, volcada y gancho, volcada líneal y circular). (step of Gisela, the stop and pasada, soltada in turn to the right, stop and colgada positions, soltada and back sacada, blockade soltada, linear boleo, linear boleo with enganche, volcadas and colgadas, ela paso básico, salida simple, salida cruzada (salida of 1940's), ocho atrás, ocho adelante), (trap sacadas, wrap sacadas, drags, basic ganchos, 3 ganchos, 4 ganchos, gancho boleo, carried gancho, enganches) milonguero style (also known by estilo del centro in Buenos Aires) (salida in two steps, salida or basic step, cadence with follower's sweep, walking on the edge of the roof, the corkscrew, walk with sacada and boleo (role of the knee), walking on both sides of the follower, cadence with turn, "fan" with barrida sacada and boleo, enrosque with walk). (tent salida, barrida with backwards sandwich, barrida with forward turn, boleo with traspie, back sacada, forward cross, natural cross, enrosque, sacada-sacada, escape with boleos). (waiting, beauty and simplicity, veiled glances, subtle expressions, apíle o carpa, syncopated salida, sandwiches in turn, barrida from position 2, double cross, wheel with sandwich, induced barrida). and various elements of the dance such as giros. (foundation of the circular movement, structure of the twist, double time in turn, showing medio tempo to the follower, twists with entradas (difference between sacada and entrada), twist with entrada to the right, twist with entrada to the left, twist with entrada both ways, exercises for lapiz, turn to the left with lapiz, exercises with the lapiz: follower, turn with entradas and lapiz to the right, turn with enrosques (twists), twist with entradas and sacadas, twist with entradas and sacada behind the leader, La Bordona) There are many guides and dictionaries to tango terminology on the internet. Tejastango.com Tango terminology is described in several books.
includes chapter "New Tango" by Gustavo Naveira
Terminology Alternative names are provided in (braces) but usage of tango related names varies: for example entrada and sacada or voleo and boleo may be used to describe the same steps. The names used here follow many sources including English instructional DVDs (such as Christy Coté and George Garcia DVDs published by Dancevision),Dancevision.com Argentine DVDs which often have English subtitles, internet resources, and published books and glossaries.
Basic concepts: axis, steps, embrace.
Body position and basic steps Effective lead and elegant following depends on proper position of feet, hips, and torso of the leader and the follower. SpanishEnglishDescription – Body position and basic stepsImageImagePie activoActive footThe foot which is about to walk or walking. Pie soporteSupporting footThe foot which carries the weight. Leg projectionOne leg is on-axis and the other is projected, big toe stays on the floor. This element is the basis of many steps. PasoStepSide, forward, back step. See also forward cross step and backward cross step Posición pangetTango close (position 0, collection)Collecting feet at the end of the figure. This is sometimes called position 0 of the eight count basic (basic step). DisociarDissociation (contra body)Position in which there is dissociation between torso and hips. One classic lead with strong dissociation is used during the simple salida (i.e. transition between position 2 and position 3 of the basic step). Cadencia (balanceo) Cadence (weight change) Weight change in place. Used, for example, in Position 8 of the basic step. It is used as subtle lead during breaks or to adjust the follow position. Cunita Rock step (small cradle) Rocking or swaying to side, forward, or back. Comes from rocking a cuna (cradle)
On and off axis Position-related concepts of Argentine tango are axis and off-axis positions. Body position in which legs are approximately perpendicular to the floor is called 'axis' and there are two axis positions associated with one of two legs. Off-axis positions are called apile (apilado, carpa, volcada) or colgada. The center of balance moves outside one's body in case of the off-axis moves.
SpanishEnglishPositionDescription – On and off axisImagePosition normal, el ejeNormal positionOn-axis Body position in which one leg is approximately perpendicular to the floor. Center of weight is within the body. Feet position is with her heels together, and toes pointing slightly out. Her weight is on one leg or nearly so. See also collect. Carpa, Apile, Apilado, VolcadaApile (volcada)Off-axisPosition in which both partners are leaning forward, may vary in degree of the tilt or shape. Many fluid and elegant tango figures can be danced in volcada position. ColgadaColgadaOff-axisPosition in which both partners are leaning back, may vary in degree of the tilt and body shape (see colgada shapes). Many fluid and elegant tango figures can be danced in colgada position.
Embrace and styles Argentine tango dancing consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras and in response to the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. It is danced in an embrace that can vary from very open, in which the dancers connect at arm's length, to very closed, in which the connection is chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between. Styles of dance are not predefined by the embrace itself and many figures of tango salon style are danced in an open embrace, it is also possible to dance tango nuevo in close V-shape embrace. The milonguero (apilado) style is an exception; its close embrace without V-shape and emphasis on maintaining this embrace throughout the dance predetermines range of possible movements and their shape.
Dance embraces SpanishEnglishAssociated stylesDescription – Embrace and stylesImageImageAbrazo cerradoV-shape close embraceSalon and tango nuevoThe dancers' chests are closer to each other than their hips, and often there is contact at about the level of the chest (the contact point differing, depending on the height of the leader and the closeness of the embrace). In close embrace, the leader and the follower's chests are in contact and they are dancing with their heads touching or very near each other. Abrazo abiertoOpen embraceTango nuevo, salonIn open embrace, there can be as much space as desired between the partners, but there should always be complete contact along the embracing arms to give optimum communication. Argentine tango dancers do not hold their upper bodies arched away from each other; each partner is over their own axis. Whether open or closed, a tango embrace is not rigid, but relaxed, like a hug. Apilado (estilo milonguero, estilo del centro [de Buenos Aires])Square close embraceStyle milongueroMilonguero style of embrace is danced in closed position, chest-to-chest, with the partners leaning – or appearing to lean – slightly toward each other to allow space for the feet to move. The follower's left arm position on the leader's shoulder is a style issue. It originates and is used in crowded milongas where there is so much people that you're literally dancing in "square". In those places the lifted arm avoids touching and accidentally hurting other people during turns. Close embrace, no V-shape. Tango al reves, doble frenteReverse embraceTango salon and nuevo Reverse embrace where both partners face the same direction; it is now used only occasionally to perform tango figures (see doble frente).
Practice embraces Embrace hold used during tango practice. One example is when both partners hold hands, the follower holds the leader's shoulders, and variants.
SpanishEnglishDescription – Practice embraceImagePareja tomadaPractice embraceBoth holding arms in practice position. Pareja tomadaPractice embraceShe holds his arms in practice position. Pareja tomadaPractice embraceHolding him in "tea kettle" position. Pareja tomadaPractice embraceHolding each other.
Walk and salidas
Walking systems Walking in a cross system is defined as the couple stepping simultaneously with their two right legs and stepping simultaneously with their two left legs. Walking in a parallel system is defined as the couple stepping simultaneously with the leader's right and follower's left leg, and then with the leader's left and the follower's right leg. When dancers are facing each other, the cross system results in an anti-mirror effect. For this reason, in ballroom tango cross system is never used unless both dancers are facing the same direction. Argentine tango, however, makes extensive use of the cross system with dancers facing each other. In Argentine tango, the leader can change his weight from one foot to another while the follower's weight remains unchanged; this is the simplest method of changing from parallel system to cross system or vice versa. By contrast in ballroom tango, a weight change by one partner leads to an automatic weight change by the other.
The cross system and parallel system walk nomenclature originated with the Naveira/Salas "Investigation Group." Early on, they used 'even/uneven' to describe the arrangement of legs in the walk or turn. By the mid-1990s, they began using 'parallel/crossed' and later 'normal/crossed'. The process of changing from the parallel system to cross system (or vice versa) by having the leader change weight without the follower changing weight (or vice versa) is named contrapaso, or "contra-step". This change can be made off or on the normal beat.