Every piece in our collection carries the name of a tango figure. These are the movements dancers practise for years, and the words you hear in classes and at milongas. Below is what each one means, together with a design that carries its name.
Tango vocabulary varies a little between teachers and schools, so you may hear slightly different explanations in your own classes.
Abrazo
The embrace. Everything in tango starts here: the close hold between two dancers, through which the lead and the response travel. It is less a pose than a conversation, and it changes with every song.
Caminata
The walk. Walking in time with the music is the foundation of tango, and the figure experienced dancers keep returning to. It looks simple and takes years to refine, because every step is a decision about weight, length and rhythm.
Salida
The exit, or the opening. It is the basic sequence a couple uses to begin dancing together, setting the direction and the mood of what follows. In our collection, Salida is the name of our satin skirt.
Balanceo
A rocking step. The dancers shift their weight gently from one foot to the other without travelling, like a pendulum, to pause, to connect or to prepare the next movement.
Cruzada
The cross. One foot crosses in front of the other, a small moment of tension and release that appears in the basic pattern of the dance. You will also hear it called the cruce, and we use both names for our cross-back designs.
Giro
The turn. A sequence of steps in which the couple rotates, usually with the follower circling around the leader. It is the figure in which a skirt comes most alive.
Molinete
The windmill. A classic turn in which the follower steps around the leader in a pattern of forward, side, back and side steps, so the movement of the couple draws a circle.
Pivot
A rotation on the supporting foot. The dancer turns on the ball of the foot without travelling, changing direction while staying grounded. Pivots link almost every other figure in the dance.
Ocho
The figure eight. The follower pivots from side to side, drawing an eight on the floor with her feet. It is danced forwards and backwards, and it is one of the most recognisable shapes in tango.
Parada
The stop. The leader halts the follower's step, often by placing a foot against hers, so the movement pauses and the music has room to breathe.
Sacada
The displacement. One dancer's leg enters the space of the partner's leg and displaces it, so that one step seems to take the place of the other. Small, precise and dramatic.
Colgada
The hanging. Both dancers lean away from each other, held by the embrace and counter-balanced, so that each seems to hang from the other. It asks for trust and a clear axis.
Enrosque
The twist, or the screw. The leader pivots while the free leg winds around the supporting leg, like a screw turning in, creating a spiral through the body.
Corrida
The run. Quick, short running steps, often in double time, that add playfulness and energy to the dance.
Cambio
Change. The word covers changes of weight, direction or orientation, for example a change of front, where the couple switches the way they face. Small shifts that keep the dance moving.
Lápiz and Traspié
Lápiz means pencil: a foot draws a small circle or line on the floor, as if writing, an elegant embellishment often danced during a pause. Traspié literally means a stumble or trip step: a quick, syncopated change of weight that gives the rhythm a playful hiccup. We named a skirt and a top after them, and they come together in one set.
More tango figures and terms
Tango has hundreds of figures, and their names change a little from school to school. Here are some of the most common ones, including figures and terms that do not appear in our collection.
Basic structure
- Paso básico (basic step): the classic eight-count sequence, usually the first pattern a beginner learns.
- Resolución (resolution): the closing steps of the basic sequence, which bring the movement to a calm point.
- Ronda (line of dance): the flow of couples travelling counter-clockwise around the floor.
Turns and circles
- Calesita (carousel): the leader turns almost on the spot while the follower circles around him.
- Media luna (half moon): a foot draws a half circle on the floor.
- Ocho cortado (cut eight): a shortened, broken version of the ocho, with a quick change of direction.
- Planeo (gliding): the follower turns on one foot while the free leg extends and glides.
Leg play
- Gancho (hook): one leg hooks around the partner's leg.
- Boleo (whip): the leg flicks quickly, carried by the momentum of the body's rotation.
- Voleo: a close relative of the boleo, danced in a rounder, wider arc in some schools.
- Barrida (sweep): one dancer's foot sweeps the partner's foot along the floor.
- Arrastre (drag): the partner's foot or leg is drawn slowly along the floor.
- Lustrada (polish): the follower glides her foot along the leader's leg or shoe, as if polishing it.
- Cuatro (four): a bent leg crosses in front of the other and forms a figure four.
- Mordida (bite, sandwich): one dancer's foot is caught between the partner's feet.
Play and expression
- Amague (feint): a move that begins but is not completed, a playful bluff between partners.
From milonga culture
- Cabeceo: the silent invitation to dance, made with a glance and a nod of the head.
- Tanda: a set of three or four songs by the same orchestra and in the same style. A couple dances together for the whole tanda.
- Cortina: the short non-tango music played between tandas, when couples leave the floor.
Some of these names are explained slightly differently by different teachers, so treat this as a friendly guide rather than a rulebook.
Wear the vocabulary
Each design in our collection carries one of these names. Choose the figure that speaks to your dancing, and tell us your measurements: every piece is made for you.