Quebrada (the Break)

In this section of Tango Terms we explore the Quebrada (the break).

First the term redefined:

Quebrada break [kay-brah’-dah]

A variation of the corte: a sudden turn in direction, generally done by holding the follower for several beats (or syncopating) and bending her at the waist - often in a back-and-forth action to double time.

Like the corte, the quebrada derives from the African candombe, wherein people would dance rhythmically and all of a sudden everyone would stop in the current position for a beat or two and then continue.

Videos of the Quebrada

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Quebrada - Gonzalo and Solange (workshop in Netherlands 2007)

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Quebrada - Gustavo Naveira and Giselle Anne

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Quebrada - Horacio Godoy & Cecilia Garcia

Quote of the Day

The tango is really a combination of many cultures, though it eventually became the national music of Argentina. -Yo-Yo Ma

Today in Tango

Quebrada (the Break)

Videos of the Quebrada

1903, April 8 – BIRTH OF DANIEL LOPEZ BARRETO

2006, April 7 – PREMIERE OF “TAKE THE LEAD”

1956, April 06 – FIRST RECORDED “MADRE”

1933, April 5 – PREMIERE OF “MELODIA DE ARRABAL”

2000, April 4 – PUBLISHED “SEVENTH GRADE TANGO”

1916, April 3 – BIRTH OF MARUJA PACHECO HUERGO

1928, April2 – BIRTH OF LUIS CORREA

1946, April 1 – DEBUT OF “GLOSTORA TANGO CLUB”

2010, March 31 – PREMIERE OF “THE TANGO SINGER”

1920, March 30 – BIRTH OF RAUL BERON