English/Castellano Tango Vocabulary

The following is a translation of common terms used in the dance community and is compliments of Maggie Cohan-Hughes of the UK - http://www.tangofocus.com

(March 2004)

PARTS OF THE BODY

los	aductores		adductors
el	brazo		arm
la	cabeza		head
la	cadera		hip
la	cintura		waist
el	codo		elbow
el	cuerpo		body
el	dedo		toe
			finger
la	espalda		spine
el	hombro		shoulder
la	mano		hand
el	ojo		eye
el	pecho		chest/breast
el	pie		foot (feet)
la	pierna		leg
la	rodilla		knee
el	taco		heel
el	tobillo		ankle

TIME

a menudo	often		a veces	sometimes
ahora	now
antes	before		despues	after/later
otra vez	again
siempre	always		nunca	never

POSITION

arriba	above		abajo	below
detras/atras	behind /back		adelante	in front/forward/ to the front
cerca	near		away from/far	lejos
adentro	inside		afuera	outside
abierto	open		cerrado	closed
junto	together		separado	apart
aca	here		alla	there
izquierda	left		derecha	right
sobre	over		abajo	under
al otro lado	across/ on the other side
junto a	beside/next to
al lado/al costado	sideways/to the side
diagonal	diagonal
a traves de/por	through
entre	in between
aldredor	around

VERBS 1

ADJECTIVES

suave	soft/ gentle		duro/rigido	hard/rigid
relajado/flojo	relaxed		tenso/rigido	tense/rigid
grande/largo	big/large		pequeno	small/little
			chiquito	tiny
alto	high/tall		bajo	low
pesado	heavy		liviano	light
rapido	quick/fast		despacio/lento	slow
tranquilo	quietly/gently		ruidoso	loud
recto/bloqueado	straight		articulado/flexionado	bent
directo	direct/straight
limpio	clean		sucio	messy(dirty)
fluido	flowing			broken up
diferente	different

MORE WORDS

VERBS 2

ajustar/areglar		adjust
anadir		add
apurarse		hurry
aumentar		increase
concentrar		concentrate
conectar		connect
confundir		confuse
contrar		count
cortar		cut
crecer		grow
cuidar		care
decidir		decide
decir		say
desarollar (se)		develop
esperar		wait
explicar		explain
guiar		guide
inclinar(se)		lean
necesitar		need
oir		hear
permitir		allow/let
poder		can/be able to
respirar		breath
saber		know
ser/estar		be
torcer(se)		twist

Abrazo The embrace; a hug; or dance position.

Abrir To open.

Adelante Forward

Adornos Embellishments.

Al costado To the side.

Amague From amagar. To make a threatening motion as a feint: An amague is used as an embellishment either led or done on one’s own, and may be used before taking a step. An example of an amague may be a beat (frappé) before taking a step. See Cuatro.

Apilado Style See Milonguero Style.

Arrabal The slums.

Arrabalero A person of low social status. A person of simple and direct ways who speaks plainly and uses coarse language.

Arrastre A drag. E.g., to drag your partner's foot with your own.

Arrepentida Repentant; To change one’s mind: A family of steps which allow a couple to back away from a collision or traffic jam in a minimal amount of space and on short notice.

Atrás Backward

Bailar To dance.

Bailarin A professional or very accomplished dancer.

Bailongo A lunfardo word to describe a place where people dance, i.e. a milonga.

Balanceo A deep check and replace. See Cadencia.

Baldosa A walking box figure named after the black & white checkerboard tile floors which are common in Buenos Aires. See Cuadrado.

Barrida (from barrer, To sweep away.) Also called llevada. A sweeping motion. One partner's foot sweeps the other's foot.

Barrio A neighborhood in an Argentine city.

Boleo (from bolear. An ornament. Throwing or swiveling one leg with the knees locked together, usually one behind the other. A boleo may be done with the toe touching the floor or higher. And may be executed either high or low. Keeping knees together, with one leg in back, swivel on the supporting leg.

Los brazos The arms.

Cabeceo From cabeza; head: Traditional technique for selecting dance partners from a distance at the milongas in Buenos Aires by using eye contact and head movements. See also Codigos.

Cadena Chain. A movement of two people across the floor in a circular motion. One partner displaces the other partners leg and rolls across the front of their body. The other partner continues the motion. Must be seen to be appreciated.

Cadencia A deep check and replace usually led by the man as he steps forward left. Useful for avoiding collisions and making direction changes in small spaces. May also refer to a subtle shifting of weight from foot to foot in place and in time with the music done by the man before beginning a dance to give the lady the rhythm he intends to dance and to ensure that she will begin with him on the correct foot. See Balanceo.

Caida Fall: A step in which the man steps backward, sinks on his supporting leg, and crosses his working leg in front without weight while leading the lady to step forward in outside position, sink on her supporting leg and cross her working leg behind without weight. Caida may be done to either side.

Calecita Carousel; the merry-go-round: A figure in which the man places the lady on one foot with a lifting action of his frame and then dances around her while keeping her centered over, and pivoting on, her supporting leg. Sometimes referred to as the Stork.

Caminar To walk.The walk is similar to a natural walking step. The body and leg must move as a unit so that the body is in balance.

Candombe A type of dance done by the descendants of black slaves in Argentina. A type of tango music with a marked rhythm played on a drum. The place where black people went to dance (synonymous with 'milonga').

Cangrejo The crab: A repetitive pattern of walking steps and or sacadas in which the man advances turned nearly sideways to his partner.

Canyengue An older style of tango.

Carancanfunfa (also carancanfun) In the lingo of the compadritos, the dance of tango with interruptions (cortes) and also those who dance it that way in a very skillful manner.

Caricias Caresses: A gentle stroking with the leg or shoe against some part of the partner's body. They can be subtle or extravagant. See Adorno, Firulete, and Lustrada.

Carousel: The lead steps in a circle around the follower - keeping them on their own axis.

Carpa The tent: A figure created when the man leads the lady onto one foot as in calecita and then steps back away from her, causing her to lean at an angle from her foot to his frame.

Castigada From castigar: to punish; a punishment: A lofting of the lady's working leg followed by flexing at the knee and caressing the working foot down the outside of the supporting leg. Often done as an adorno prior to stepping forward, as in parada or in ochos.

Chiche (pl. chiches) Small ornamental beats done around the supporting foot with the working foot in time with the music, either in front or in back as desired. See adorno, firulete.

La Cintura The waist.

El compás The beat.

Corrida A running step used in milonga, a series of small steps in double-time.

Corte Cut. Corte means cutting the music either by syncopating or holding several beats, taking something away from the principal move. Opposite of Firuletes.

Cruzada The cross. Crossing one foot in front or in back of the other.

Cruzar To cross.

El cuerpo The body

Los dedos The fingers, toes

Derecha Right.

Derecho Straight.

Despacio Slowly.

Desplazamiento displacement. Displacing a partner's foot or leg using your own foot or leg.

Dibujo A drawing or sketch. A dibujo is done by drawing circles or other small movements on the floor with the toe.

Doble Tiemp Double time.

El eje The axis (of the body).

Enganche Hooking or coupling, wrapping your leg around your partner's leg.

Enrosque From enroscar, to coil, twist, or screw. To spin on one foot while hooking the other foot behind, usually while the woman is executing a molinete.

Escuchar To listen.

Fantasia A style of tango for the stage characterized by large sweeping moves, and often many ganchos. Considered inappropriate in a small club or salon.

Fijarse Pay close attention to.

Gancho A hook. Used primarily on stage, considered inappropriate for salon tango.

Giro Turn. When the woman is doing a molinete, the man walks in a circle to his right or left (can be done either direction), sometimes turning sharply, sometimes slowly. One of the basic walking patterns.

Guiar To guide, also to lead.

Izquierda Left.

Juntos Together. From juntar to join together, as in one's feet or knees.

Lápiz Pencil. A circular figure executed with one foot drawing on the floor.

Llevada From llevarto carry or transport. Similar to a barrida. The man can move the woman's foot with his own, carrying it off the floor or across the floor.

La Marca The lead. From marquar, to lead.

Media vuelta Half turn.Usually done when man's right foot and woman's left foot are free. Man steps forward with his right leading woman to take a back step with her left and then leads her to take two steps while making a half turn.

Milonga 1) The music of a dance that preceeded the tango, usually in 2/4 time, quicker and more upbeat than tango. 2) A dance, where people go to dance tango and milonga.

Milonguero An older tango dancer, one who frequented the milongas during the 1940's and 50's. Also refers to those frequenting the milongas and considered tango enthusiasts. May also describe a style of dancing during that period.

Mirar To look.

Molinete Little windmill. A fan. When the follower moves in a circle around the leader, doing a footwork resembling forward and backward ochos.

Mordida Bite. One partner's foot is sandwiched between the other partner's feet.

Ochos Eights. Pivoting forward or backward with the feet together during the pivot and extended during the step.

Ocho atras: ochos backward

Ocho cortado Cut eight.

Orillero The outskirts of the city, suburban. Orillero style A style of dancing from the suburbs characterized by the man doing many quick, syncopated foot moves.

Parada A stop.

Pasos Steps.

Patada A kick.

El pecho The chest.

El peso The weight.

El piso Floor

La pista Dance floor

Pocket: Anytime the lead walks on outside of partner - either hip.

Preguntar To ask.

Una pregunta, por favor. A question, please.

Las piernas The legs

Quebrada Break. The woman is standing on one foot, often hanging her weight on the man. The other foot is relaxed, often slightly raised with the toe touching the floor.

Rápido Fast. Usually heard "mas rapido."

Resolución Resolution. An ending to a basic pattern.

El Ritmo The rhythm.

Las Rodillas The knees.

Rulo A curl.

Sacada A displacement of the feet.

Salida A start, or a run. The beginning of a pattern.

Salida Cruzada The beginning of a pattern with a cross, stepping side left crossing right foot behind left or side right crossing left foot behind right.

Salón A style of dancing for the milonga or small club, as opposed to stage tango (see Fantasia).

Sandwichito: One partner's foot is sandwiched between the other partner's feet.

Seguir To follow.

Sacada A displacement, to move your partner's leg out of the way gently with your own. See desplazamiento.

Sentada A sitting move, the woman sits on her partner's bent leg or waist.

Trabada Fastened, a lock step. The step that the woman takes when the man steps outisde his partner with his right foot and then straight forward left, together right. At this point the woman crosses and this cross is referred to as a trabada.

Una vez mas One more time.

Vals Waltz, done to tango music in waltz time.