Tango
Social Ballroom · Foundation
- Time signature
- 4/4 or 2/4
Social tempos vary widely; part of the skill is matching the size and style of movement to the music.
Origin
Late-19th-century Buenos Aires and Montevideo — ‘the dance of the immigrants,’ with roots in African Candombe, Cuban Habanera, Polish polka, and German Waltz.
Music
4/4 or 2/4 time, marching and deliberate — no rise and fall.
Character
Staccato, low, and dramatic, with a stealthy cat-like walk.
Figures
- 1
Basic (Straight & Curve)
- 2
Corte
- 3
Promenade Left Turning
- 4
Promenade Right Turning
- 5
Reverse Turn
Elsewhere in Social Ballroom
Want to learn the Tango?
Every figure on this page is taught in the studio, one lesson at a time.