{"id":144868,"date":"2023-11-28T14:59:47","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T19:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-dance-terms\/"},"modified":"2025-03-10T21:57:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T01:57:53","slug":"spanish-dance-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-dance-terms\/","title":{"rendered":"60+ Spanish Dance Terms and Phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once you dip your foot in learning Latin dances, you’ll quickly find yourself slipping into an addiction to the dance floor.\u00a0Tango, cumbia, merengue, salsa\u2014there’s an entire world of dance to discover.<\/p>\n

Knowing Spanish dance terms is a surefire way to fast-track your learning, and prepare you for a lively trip to Spain or anywhere in Latin America.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Basic Spanish Dance Vocabulary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Paso <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Step<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Paso b\u00e1sico <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Basic step<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Giro <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Turn, spin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vuelta <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Turn, spin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Variantes <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Variations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bailar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To dance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
M\u00fasica <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Music<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ritmo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Rhythm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Movimiento <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Movement<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coreograf\u00eda <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Choreography<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zapatillas de baile <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Dance shoes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Escenario <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Stage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bailar\u00edn <\/a>\n \/ Bailarina <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Dancer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ensayo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Rehearsal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Espect\u00e1culo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Show<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Improvisar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To improvise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saltar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To jump<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00bfSabes bailar? <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Do you know how to dance?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00bfQuieres bailar? <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Do you want to dance?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Escuela de danza <\/a>\n \/ Escuela de baile <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Dance school<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Dance Styles in Spanish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Salsa <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Salsa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Merengue <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Merengue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cumbia <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Cumbia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tango <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Tango<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bachata <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Bachata<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rumba <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Rumba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bolero <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Bolero<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mambo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Mambo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Samba <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Samba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reguet\u00f3n <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Reggaeton<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Tango Vocabulary in Spanish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Figura <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Sequence<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Salida <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\"Way out\" of a Tango step<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ocho adelante <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Eight forward (the woman designs a figure-eight moving forward)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ocho atr\u00e1s <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Figure-eight backwards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cortado <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>A step that's cut off<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Calesita <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The \"carousel\" (The man takes a backwards walk around the woman while holding her, allowing her to turn like a carousel)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Parada <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Stop (when the lead stops the follower by catching her foot)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Paso cruzado <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Crossed step<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Castigada <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>When the woman lifts her leg, bends the knee, and slides it down the supporting leg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eje <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Axis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gancho <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Hook<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sacada <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Extraction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Caminata <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Walk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Molinetes <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Windmill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sentada <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>A woman who is sitting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L\u00e1piz <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The pointed\u00a0form\u00a0of the woman's leg and the way that she traces a pattern on the floor (literally: \"pencil\")<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sal\u00f3n <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Ballroom \/ dance hall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Milonga <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Any tango event as well as the physical location that hosts such events<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Girar en sentido contrario a las agujas del reloj <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>to go around (the dance floor) in a counterclockwise direction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tipos de abrazo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Types of embraces (how the dancers hold each other)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Abrazo abierto <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Open embrace<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Abrazo cerrado <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Closed embrace<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The following video contains 50 basic steps from tango, some with translations in English.<\/p>\n

(Note that these teachers’ pronunciation of Spanish is not so perfect, but the step demonstrations are excellent.)<\/p>\n

These are steps that you have probably learned if you have taken tango classes (or will learn once you do), but you may not have realized what the words really mean.<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

Spanish Vocabulary for a Night Out Dancing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Cabeceo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>A slight nod at a dance partner to invite them to dance from across the room<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fiesta <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Party<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Discoteca <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Nightclub<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
M\u00fasica <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Music<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Baile <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Dance (as a noun)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ritmo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Rhythm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Divertirse <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To have fun<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pista de baile <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Dance floor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DJ <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>DJ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Volumen <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Volume<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Animado <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Lively<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Gender Neutral Spanish Dance Terms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Tango queer <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>A movement to open tango up from the traditional gender roles. Roles can be switched and men and women can dance with the same sex.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intercambio de roles de g\u00e9nero <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Exchanging of gender roles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Danza machista <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Sexist\/chauvinist\/macho dance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Conductor <\/a>\n \/a<\/i><\/td>Lead (in place of \"the man\")<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Conducido <\/a>\n \/a<\/i><\/td>Follower (in place of \"the woman\")<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Here’s an excellent demonstration of “queer tango,” where the traditional gender roles are reversed:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

Learning Spanish from Dance Songs<\/h2>\n

Here are a couple of lovely dance songs\u2014specifically, tango songs\u2014with quite simple Spanish to learn from.<\/p>\n

Carlos Gardel \u2014 “Volver”<\/em> (to come back)
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

Here’s a key line:<\/p>\n

\n

Vivir<\/em>
\ncon el alma aferrada<\/em>
\na un dulce recuerdo<\/em>
\nque lloro otra vez.<\/em><\/p>\n

To live
\nwith the soul held fast
\nto a sweet memory
\nthat I cry over again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He also says<\/a> that veinte a\u00f1os no es nada<\/em> (twenty years is nothing), which I find to be the most tragic line of the song.<\/p>\n

How difficult it is to get over that first love. You can spend the rest of your life longing for that evil, lovely creature.<\/p>\n

By the way, el alma aferrada<\/em> is not a mistake.<\/p>\n

Alma<\/em> is feminine and so the adjective aferrada<\/em> takes an -a<\/em> ending, but words beginning with a stressed a<\/em> get preceded by the article el<\/em> instead of la<\/em>. For the same reason, you say el agua fr\u00eda<\/em> (the cold water).<\/p>\n

Soha \u2014 “Mil Pasos”<\/em> (Thousand Steps)
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

This absolutely gorgeous song has a woman singing about going away<\/a>, and the male voice joins in the chorus to ask \u00bfy cu\u00e1ndo volver\u00e1s?<\/em> (and when will you come back?).<\/p>\n

Don’t worry if you don’t understand her response in the chorus\u2014it’s in French\u2014suffice it to say, it just makes you want to cry even more.<\/p>\n

In the opening verses, she sings:<\/p>\n

\n

Un paso, me voy para siempre<\/em>
\nUn paso fuerte<\/em>
\nUn paso hacia adelante<\/em>
\nDos pasos, me voy sin mirarte<\/em>
\nTan lejos pis\u00e9<\/em>
\nDos pasos ya te olvid\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n

A step, I’m getting out of here forever
\nA strong step
\nA step forward
\nTwo steps, I’m going without looking at you
\nI stepped so far
\nTwo steps and I already forgot you<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you’ve properly learned your Spanish numbers<\/a>, in later verses you will understand that she is certainly not getting any closer.<\/p>\n

If you like learning Spanish through song lyrics like these, you might want to consider learning with an online program like FluentU.\u00a0

FluentU lets you turn authentic media into personalized language lessons, so you can learn Spanish exactly the way native speakers use it.<\/a><\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\tWith FluentU\u2019s Chrome extension, you can use our interactive learning tools with any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix<\/strong>. You can even import your favorite YouTube videos directly into your FluentU account for customized learning!<\/p>

\r\n\t\"learn-spanish-with-fluentu-chrome-extension\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU also gives you access to a huge library of real-world Spanish videos<\/strong>\u2014movie trailers, news clips, music videos, and more\u2014all organized by topic and level.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"learn-spanish-with-videos\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nNo more stopping to look up words or struggling to keep up with fast speech. While you watch, FluentU\u2019s interactive captions<\/strong> let you tap on any word for an instant definition, audio, image, and example sentences.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-spanish-with-fluentu\"<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nWorried you\u2019ll forget all those new words from the videos? We\u2019ve got you! Our fun, adaptive quizzes<\/strong> reinforce what you\u2019ve learned and even give you extra practice with words you find difficult, making sure they stick for the long run.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\t\"practice-spanish-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nReady to make every video a language lesson? Start using FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the FluentU app from the App Store or Google Play. Click here to take advantage of our current sale!<\/a>\r\n<\/p><\/span><\/p>\n

Tips for Learning Spanish with Dancing
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n