Argentine tango dancers usually like two other related dances: Vals (waltz) and Milonga.
Music for the Vals is in 3/4 time but otherwise vastly analogous to tango music. Tango dancers dance the Vals much like they do tango only with a waltz rhythm that has one beat per measure (at a beginner-level). This produces a rather calm, smooth flowing dancing type in contrast to Viennese Waltz where the dancers often take 3 tips per measure and turn almost constantly. Experienced dancers alternate the smooth one-beat-per-measure walk with some double time Tips (often incorrectly called syncopated walks), stepping on one- two- or (rarely) all three beats in a measure. Vals is characterized by its lack of pauses; continual turns (giros) in both directions are not done as in ballroom quick waltz, although turns are sometimes introduced for variety.
Some say that Milonga,(in 2/4 time) is basically tango; the differences lie in the music, which has a strongly accented beat, and an underlying "habanera" rhythm. Dancers avoid pausing, and often introduce double time stages (incorrectly called syncopation and more appropriately called traspies) into their walks and turns. Milonga uses the same essential features as tango, with a strong emphasis on the rhythm, and figures that tend to be less complex than some danced in other varieties of tango. Syncopation is a hotly debated topic among musicians and dancers, since syncopation has a exclusive meaning in music and a various meaning among most dance teachers. Some tango instructors say that tango actions should not be used in milonga and that milonga has its own extra rhythm and stages, which are quite separate from tango.
Milonga is also the name given to tango dance parties. This double meaning of the affirmation milonga can be confusing unless one knows the context in which the affirmation "milonga" is used. People who dance at milongas are known as milongueros.
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