Tango has a language, and the words are the individual movements of the Tango. You can dance to the same piece of music over and over, and never dance it the same way. If you say something different each time you dance the Tango, you will have danced a different Tango each time.
There’s even a sense of humor to the dance, if you know the language. To be able to speak Argentina Tango, or in other words to be able to show the movements correctly, you’ll have to have some dancer intuition already in place. For example, pointed toes, flexed knees, balance tipped slightly forward, and mirroring your partner’s shoulders are all basics that you have to master, like building blocks on which the real Tango language will be constructed.
There’s another language involved, as well: Spanish. As you learn Tango, you will learn the names of the movements, as your instructor, who might be from Argentina, calls them out. They may even be handy as you attempt a bit of traveller’s Spanish while on vacation in Argentina. Here are a few examples:
- ochos, or figures of eight
- el dibujo, or the drawing
- cruzadas, or crosses
- colgadas
- volcadas
- boleos
- ganchos
