Tango Patada
Decorative kick (patada) in Argentine tango
Tango argentinoLevel: Intermediate2 min read2 citations
In Argentine tango, the patada is a decorative kick — a brief, controlled flick of the free leg that ornaments the walk rather than functioning as a step pattern in its own right. The name is the Rioplatense Spanish word for 'kick', and the figure is counted among the dance's named, embellishing elements.[1]
Like the rest of tango's ornaments, the patada is not a fixed, counted sequence but a piece of improvised vocabulary: dancers combine and decorate it at their own discretion, its placement shaped by the music's phrasing, the connection between partners, and the floor space at hand rather than by any predetermined count.[2]
In execution, one partner's free leg extends in a short, contained kicking motion kept low and close to the floor, sometimes travelling between or beside the partner's legs. It is most often danced by the follower in response to the leader's impulse, though either role may take it. The leader prepares the action by collecting the follower over a single supporting leg and introducing a momentary block or change of direction, then releasing a sharp but restrained impulse that the free leg expresses as the kick before recollecting. Because social tango unfolds within the moving ronda — the line of dance — the figure stays compact and grounded, its height and reach deliberately limited to protect the neighbouring couples.
As with much of tango's technical vocabulary, the term resists local translation: international terminology references list the figure under the same Rioplatense word, so dancers meet 'patada' essentially unchanged from one scene to the next.
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountNo fixed count. The patada is an accent placed in a musical pause or on a quick (síncopa) beat of the 4/4 or 2/4 phrase at the dancers' discretion; tango does not assign it to a numbered beat the way slot salsa fixes a break.
Lead
The leader settles the follower's weight over a single supporting leg, then introduces a brief block or change of direction against her free leg and releases a short, contained downward impulse so that free leg flicks out low and returns. The lead stays small and recollects immediately; alternatively the leader may offer his own foot or lower leg as a playful target for a light tapping kick.
Follow
The follower keeps her weight committed to the supporting leg and lets the free leg stay relaxed and unweighted, allowing the leader's impulse — not her own initiative — to send it in a brief, low kick before returning it to collection. She does not add height, force, or anticipation.
Song timingSuited to the pauses and quick (síncopa) accents of social tango at typical milonga tempos. In slower, lyrical tangos a single held, controlled kick reads cleanly; brighter rhythmic tangos and the faster milonga support lighter, quicker patadas. Crowded floors and quick tempos call for restraint — a small, grounded kick rather than a high or sweeping one.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Secure single-axis balance and clean collection (colección)
- Leg and hip disassociation (disociación) to free the working leg
- Reliable free-leg lead and follow through the embrace
- Floorcraft to keep the kick low and compact within the ronda
Watch out
Common mistakes
- The follower kicks from her own initiative instead of waiting for the leader's impulse, breaking the connection described in the lead.
- Lifting the kick too high or with too much force, turning a controlled low accent into an unsafe gesture on a crowded floor.
- Leaving weight unsettled on the supporting leg, so the free leg cannot release and recollect cleanly.
- The leader giving a vague or overlarge impulse that travels the whole couple rather than producing a crisp, recollected kick.
- Substituting a whip (boleo) or a hook (gancho) where a simple contained kick was intended.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Boleo / voleo — a whipping action of the free leg caused by a sudden change of direction, not a deliberate kick.
- Gancho — a hooking of the leg around the partner's leg; a wrap, not a strike.
- Sacada — a displacement that steps into the space of the partner's leg; no kicking gesture.
- Barrida / arrastre — a foot sweep or drag along the floor, kept in contact rather than airborne.
- Amague — a feint or decoy movement that may resemble a small kick but is a fake step, not the patada itself.
- Generic theatrical or competitive-ballroom 'kicks' (cancan-style high kicks) — unrelated to the led, contained social-tango patada.
Around the world
Other names
Buenos Aires / Río de la Plata (Argentina and Uruguay)
patada
the standard Rioplatense term; 'patada' is Spanish for 'kick'
International tango scene (Europe, North America, East Asia)
patada
the Buenos Aires Spanish vocabulary is retained unchanged in instruction worldwide; scenes do not substitute an English name
Light / playful usage
patadita
diminutive used for a small, quick version of the kick — a usage variant rather than a distinct figure
References
- 1.Figures of Argentine tango - Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
- 2.Figures of Argentine tango - Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Tango Patada. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/tango-patada
Bailar Editorial Team. “Tango Patada.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, bailar.site/biblioteca/move/tango-patada. Accessed 29 June 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Tango Patada.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed June 29, 2026. https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/tango-patada.
@misc{bailar-move-tango-patada, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Tango Patada}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/tango-patada}, note = {Accessed: 2026-06-29} }
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