Tango In Gloucester

Some Tango Terminology

The Walk - 'La Caminata'
This is the true basic of the Argentine Tango. The walk is about the gradual weight transference over one leg only, so that the other leg is always free. Each step is important and needs to be executed with smooth precision through the weight transference from one leg to the other. A dancer's stance should be slightly tilted forwards, over the knees, and onto the balls of the feet.

For the man, who is generally walking forward, it helps their thrusting action into the woman's space. For the woman, who is mainly walking backwards, it gives time to receive the forward action of her partner before taking it further, and grounding it into the floor through their own extension of the legs and the weight transference.

The connection between dancers should always be a central one - occurring through the upper body. This frees up the lower body for all that salacious interlacing…

However you look at it, it all boils down to how the dancers show themselves off through walking, as well as how strong a connection they create as a couple through their walking action.

La Salida
The Salida is a basic 'walking' step - there are many different Salidas, but the most popular one was developed in the 1940s, and since then has been taught as the basic step throughout the world.