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Castigada

Argentine tango front-boleo action

Tango argentinoLevel: Intermediate1 min read3 citations

In Argentine tango, the castigada is a compact led action in which the follower’s free leg is sent forward and then recalled, usually with the knee bending and the free foot tracing close to the supporting leg rather than kicking outward.[1] It is often taught as equivalent to, or overlapping with, the front boleo/bolleo front family of actions in English-language tango vocabulary.[2] Mechanically, the leader creates a contained interruption or rebound in the follower’s step path through the torso and shared axis; the follower keeps balance on the standing leg, lets the free leg respond, and replaces or continues only when the next step is led.[1] The figure has no fixed ballroom count: it is fitted to tango phrasing as a suspension, accent, or delayed continuation before a forward step, inside ochos, or in more elaborate combinations.[1] Its vocabulary belongs to Argentine tango, whose broader social-dance lineage is associated with the late-nineteenth-century Río de la Plata milieu of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.[3]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountNo fixed 8-count. Commonly phrased as a compact accent over one to two beats: preparation or step intention, rebound/projection, recoil/suspension, then exit on the next led beat or phrase point.

Lead

From a stable embrace, mark the follower's step intention and interrupt or rebound it through the torso before weight transfers too far. Keep the lead compact: create the forward free-leg response, wait through the suspension, then clearly offer the exit step.

Follow

Stay on the standing axis and allow the free leg to respond to the interruption. The free leg projects forward, folds back with the knees close, and remains available until the next led placement or continuation.

Song timingBest at moderate tango tempos where the leader can suspend and release the rebound cleanly; at faster milonga-like pacing, the action is usually reduced or omitted for floorcraft.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Argentine tango walking in embrace
  • Follower axis and free-leg release
  • Leader torso lead without arm force
  • Forward ochos
  • Musical suspension and delayed exit

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Leader pulls with the arms or hooks the follower's leg instead of marking the rebound through the torso.
  • Follower actively kicks rather than allowing a contained free-leg response.
  • Free leg opens away from the body, creating unsafe floor space.
  • Follower transfers weight before the leader gives the exit.
  • Leader holds the interruption too long for the music or the social floor.

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • back boleo
  • gancho
  • front sacada
  • lapiz
  • unled follower adorno

Around the world

Other names

  • Argentine tango, general Spanish terminology

    castigada

    Canonical Spanish-derived figure name for this card.

  • English-language Argentine tango instruction

    front boleo

    Often taught as synonymous or substantially overlapping with castigada.

  • English-language Argentine tango instruction

    bolleo front

    Attested alternate wording/spelling in the supplied source; less standard than front boleo.

  • Río de la Plata / Buenos Aires social tango

    castigada

    Use of a distinct local synonym is not supported by the available sources.

  • North American Argentine tango scenes

    front boleo

    English teaching vocabulary commonly frames the action as a front boleo.

References

  1. 1.argentinetangolab.com
  2. 2.reddit.com
  3. 3.tango.org

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Castigada. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/tango-castigada

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Castigada.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/tango-castigada. Accessed 4 July 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Castigada.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 4, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/tango-castigada.

BibTeX

@misc{bailar-move-tango-castigada, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Castigada}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/tango-castigada}, note = {Accessed: 2026-07-04} }

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