Cortina (tango)
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A cortina is a short piece (20-60 seconds) of non-tango music that is played between two sets of tango music (between two tandas) at a tango dance party (a milonga (place)). The cortina lets the dancers know that a new tanda is about to start, which will be a different style of music (tango, vals or milonga) or, if it is a tango tanda, by a different orchestra. When the cortina is heard, the partners thank each other and return to their own table. During the cortina or at the beginning of the new tanda following it, the dancers find a new partner. The purpose of cortinas being to create a partner change break in the music, the songs used for cortinas can be classical, pop, folk, jazz, any genre as long as it is not likely to be mistaken for dance music. Cortinas are used at all the milongas in Buenos Aires but not universally outside Argentina.
