Tango steps

Visit Tango Buenos Aires

While Argentine tango does not teach amalgamations of steps like swing, salsa, or ballroom dances do, there are some recurring figures that are taught. Here is a fairly typical order of steps that may be taught in a beginner classes.

• Walks - a couple, in embrace, walks in unison

• Salida Simple, or "eight-count basic" - salida as "the way out" onto the dance floor

• Cruzada - (from cruzar - to cross) Action of the follower crossing her left foot over her right at certain points in the dance

• Ocho - a figure-8 traced by the follower's feet when moving forward or backward.

• Media Luna - a half giro.

• Lapiz - "the pencil" - curved figures traced by the toe as an adornment

• Molinete - "windmill" a turning figure of the follower around the leader (synonym for Giro)

• Giro - a turn (in either direction)

• Sacada - one partner displaces the other's unweighted leg

• Gancho - one dancer hooks their leg around their partner's leg.

• Barrida - one partner sweeps the others foot, displacing it along the floor

• Arrastre - (= drag) synonym for "barrida"

• Volcada - rotating the woman around her axis, while her axis is tilted toward the man, causes her to "capsize" making the free leg "spill" tracing a figure on the floor.