Codigos

The Codigos or protocols are an important subject but a little time well spent on them will pay dividends. The Codigos evolved as a way of ensuring not only civility and respect in the dance environment but also the means to minimise any embarrassment to either party.

Cabeceo – The Dance Invitation

This is one of the most important of the Codigos. If you dance with someone, you will be expected to continue dancing with them until the end of the tanda or set. Therefore, be careful whom you invite, or accept, and when.

The word Cabeceo comes from Cabeza or head. A slight gesture of the head may imply an invitation, or its acceptance, to Tango. It is a process of invitation in which, overtly, no one asks and no one is refused, but they do dance!

People wishing to dance will cast their eyes around those also available for a dance. People chatting or otherwise occupied are not thought to be available. People actively looking around are considered to be available. If eye contact is made and maintained for a moment, a slight nod, a smile, a raised eyebrow or other gesture will confirm acceptance. The cabeceo can be initiated equally by either a man or a woman but it is the man who must then walk over to present himself to the woman. Eye contact is maintained throughout. The woman remains seated until the man arrives. All this ensures that the woman is not mistaken and that the man’s intended target is not actually the woman sitting behind the presumptive target partner. The man escorts the woman onto the floor and the dance begins. Care should be taken when going onto the floor and especially so if the dance has already started.

It is normal for the couple to remain dancing together for the entire tanda. At the end of the dance, the couple remains on the floor. Between dances, the couple will chat and exchange pleasantries. When the next piece of music starts, it would be natural to assume that the couple would start dancing but this is not the case. The couple continue to chat for some moments more and often until the beginning of the next musical phrase (the start of the next verse or chorus). The purpose of this chat gap may be social but it does give newcomers the opportunity to come onto the floor without distracting other dancers and it also gives those dancers not dancing the chance to listen to the piece of music before choosing their preferred partner for that style of music. Importantly, it also gives the dancers the chance to mentally and emotionally adjust to the new piece of music.

The end of the tanda is marked by a short piece of interlude music of a very different style. This short interlude between tandas is called a Cortina, and at this point, everyone should leave the floor, gentlemen escorting their partner back to their partner’s seat.

Other simple codigos:

It is best to wait until the start of a dance to join the floor. Otherwise, take extreme care to avoid any disruption when joining the flow of dancers.

Do not walk backwards onto the dance floor. Many men do so while paying attention to their partners, but not to the other dancers already on the floor.

Do not walk across the floor when a dance is in progress and never carrying drinks.

When dancing, avoid crossing the centre line of the floor.

Avoid dancing against or across the flow. Tango dancers should keep an eye on the couple in front of them and select moves to take into account the rate of travel and position of the couple ahead. Dancers should also remain “in lane” and avoid veering across several lanes of dance. For inexperienced dancers, the outside lane next to the edge of the dance floor is the easiest lane to dance in.

Moves that stop, such as paradas, that will impede other dancers in the natural circulation around the floor should be reserved for corners or the middle of the floor, out of the flow. Excessive or gratuitous adornments can also cause the same problems for other dancers.

If you inadvertently make contact with another couple on the dance floor, be the first to apologise.