The Dictionary of Tango
Smaller Follower
There is usually a height difference between the partners, and usually, depending on which country you’re in that height difference is a Smaller Follower to a Taller Lead. See > Smaller Follower – Taller Lead.
Rigidity
Rigid(ity). A very common state of holding one’s hands, arms, torso, and posture to achieve a certain visual line, look, or piece of vocabulary. It is usually brought on by fear, or the insistence to quickly execute technique, or inexperience or a lack of familiarity with Tango Intention. There is
Resistance
Resistance. This employs the use of one’s arms, and hands to indicate a direction (from a leading perspective) or that one is responding to execute a piece of vocabulary (following). Sometimes this is referred to as Resistance Based Dancing, and is the polar opposite of Intention Based Dancing. See the
Pushing
Pushing. It is generally used to either move someone, or initiate, or to receive a movement, such as the erroneous ‘pivot’ idea. Usually initiated by a Follower but also a Lead as well, when the Follower will grab or hold firmly to the Lead’s hand, where the Follower’s shoulders and
Pulling
Pulling. It is generally used to either move someone, or to initiate a movement such as the erroneous ‘pivot’. Usually initiated by a Lead but also a Follower as well, when the Lead will grab or hold firmly to the Lead’s hand, where the Lead’s shoulders and shoulder blade creates
Pretty Knees
When one knee is slightly bent and turned inwards towards the other knee, the opposite hip is raised. This position is generally a Follower thing. It has the tendency to break the line of the couple and the verticle line of the Follower. Is it desirable ? Meaning do you want
Pressure
Pressure. Typically this refers to physiological compression against the dancers back with their partner’s forearm (lead) and/or their hand (follow). Pressure is done by both roles, usually in an unconscious manner to ‘hold’ their partner in place or to keep the partnership together so that they can ‘dance’ with each
Passion
A fallacy that most people have about Argentine Tango as a whole. They see an intimate embrace and then think or believe that there is ‘passion’ there because this is their experience of an embrace that goes on longer than 2 seconds in their understanding. To be fair, there is
Mouth Leading
Mouth Leading. This term refers to a L/lead will verbally tell their Follower how to execute a specific piece of vocabulary while they’re dancing with them. Tango Topics considers this to be poor form and a less than desirable way of dancing and acting in the role of the Lead