Tango Is a Language (I)

Tango may not immediately seem like a language, but it undeniably is. Like any form of communication, it can be taught, learned, and mastered to express intention, emotion, musical interpretation, and the nuanced qualities of movement—such as type, size, direction, speed, and variation. Those fluent in this language converse effortlessly on the dance floor, attuned to their partner’s subtle cues and responding in perfect synchrony. Those who have yet to develop this fluency often find themselves struggling to express their intent or interpret their partner’s movements, leading to awkward and frustrating experiences.

Tango, much like any language, possesses its own alphabet, vocabulary, grammar, and composition. The body's parts—head, arms, hands, torso, waist, hips, legs, and feet—serve as its alphabet. With these, dancers construct steps, forming the vocabulary. Musicality and communication act as the grammar, shaping how movements are combined into an expressive, improvised dialogue. Choreography, which arranges these elements into a cohesive artistic performance, completes the composition.

As with any language, learning tango should begin with its alphabet and grammar. Without the alphabet, words cannot be formed. Without grammar, words cannot be used. A common issue in tango education is the disproportionate focus on vocabulary—memorizing steps—while neglecting foundational elements. We fail to embrace correctly, misunderstand the roles of various body parts, and use them awkwardly or inefficiently (see The Functions of Various Body Parts in Tango). Poor posture weakens our connection. Stiffness, heaviness, and inflexibility hinder fluidity. We struggle to dissociate the upper and lower body, leading to imbalanced and unstable movement. We neglect the music, failing to step on the beat or reflect its mood and sentiment. Communication falters—our lead is unclear, and our follow, clumsy. As a result, despite knowing many steps, we cannot integrate them into a dance that is meaningful, musical, harmonious, and beautiful.

Tango boasts a vast vocabulary, yet no dancer masters every step—just as no speaker knows every word in a language. Fortunately, fluency doesn’t require exhaustive knowledge. In Chinese, for instance, there are over 60,000 characters. The most comprehensive dictionary, the Kangxi Dictionary, contains 47,000, while the widely used Xinhua Dictionary lists about 8,500. Yet, a mere 950 characters account for 90% of everyday writing, and adding another 2,800 covers 99.9%. Most characters are seldom used.

Tango operates much like a language, with a core set of essential steps for social dancing. Fundamental movements—such as walking, salida, resolution, switching between parallel and cross systems, cruzada, pivot, dissociation, cadencia, front ocho, back ocho, molinete, giro, rock, and traspie—make up about 90% of what’s used on the dance floor. More intricate steps—like ocho cortado, sandwich, boleo, sacada, parada, barrida, corrida, carpa, planeo, lapiz, enganche, volcada, americana, media vuelta, media luna, arrastrar, and zarandeo—comprise the remaining 9%, serving as optional embellishments rather than necessities in social tango.

Then there are some steps that are rarely used in social dancing, such as giro–enrosque–lapiz combinations, calesita, castigadas, back sacadas, ganchos, high boleos, colgadas, single-axis turns, soltadas, patadas, sentadas, kicks, and lifts. These movements are designed primarily for professional performance, where they add dramatic flair. However, they lack the ease and accessibility of social tango steps. Many are difficult, uncomfortable, or dangerous to execute in a crowded milonga. Others demand excessive space, making them impractical for social dancing (see Social Tango and Performance Tango).

It’s unwise to focus on what is rarely used while neglecting the fundamentals that truly matter. Yet many tango students do exactly that. A better approach is to focus on tango’s alphabet, grammar, and core vocabulary instead of jumping into big fancy words without a solid foundation. Frankly, for most people, the basics are all they need to enjoy social tango. Once you understand that, tango becomes a simple and accessible dance. Those with special talent and interest in performance can pursue that path—but only after mastering the fundamentals, and certainly not at a milonga, where even professionals dance socially and respectfully. (See Tango Is a Language (II).)