Literally it means ‘Half moon’ or semicircle. In tango dancing, a semicircle or half giro. Often starting with a ‘back’ step, followed by a ‘side’ step, then a ‘forward’ step; which can easily be ‘resolved’ or finished with a second half to that last ‘forward Ocho’.
milonga
Noun f, has two meanings in Argentine tango: a) It is the word given to an Argentinean Tango dance function. As in ‘We are going to a milonga’. b) Tango is often considered to have three strands: Tango, Tango Vals, and Milonga. Milonga music and dance is generally faster, more rhythmic, and simpler than Tango. It is syncopated and often uses ‘habanera’ style rhythms. As a style, Milonga became recognisably different to Salon Tango in the mid 1920s, although it owes a lot to the habanera rhythms of early tangos. Milonga dancing is characterised by faster and more rhythmic responses to the music, and fewer large dramatic moves.
Molinete
Molinete – means little mill in Spanish in tango it means to dance an action created by acting like a mill. See also ‘Calesita’.