The literal translation of the Spanish word “firulete” is “adornment in bad taste”.   In the context of tango dance, the word refers to an unnecessary, superfluous movement.    In typical fashion, this is turned upside down by the famous tango “El Firulete”, which urges the listener to indulge in his own “firuletes” defiantly in the face of others.

The richness of tango steps, as well as their well known intricacy, make the concept of superfluous moves hard to understand.  How much room is there for improvisation?  Who decides what makes an unexpected flourish unnecessary?  Miles Davis’s famous quote, “there are no wrong notes in jazz”, comes to mind.  

This series of paintings by Guillermo Bublik traces how his own unapologetic tango embellishments.   A brief sample of works from this collection is shown below.