3 Ways to Dance the Tango

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Learning to dance tango is not easy at all and you need to find the right instructor. But its fundamentals can be learned on your own and you can start learning them on your own. If you are ready to start, you will soon be able to take the first steps of this sensual, romantic and elegant dance.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Learn the Fundamentals

Step 1. Listen to the music

The essence of tango is a sensation to be experienced, not something to be performed. Any expert in this art will tell you that only when you start feeling the music flowing inside you can you get closer to tango. Then start listening! Listen to music in the car, while you wash the dishes, look for a way to internalize it, then when you start dancing there will be some nice surprises!

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Step 2. Begin to become familiar with the hug

This is the first thing to do when it comes to tango. The hug is practically easy to perform, but remember that it must be sensual, loose but firm at the same time, and must maintain a specific posture. In short, each will become the mirror of the other.

Partner A (usually the man, although we will try to get away from the clichets as much as possible) raises his left hand (and will have to remain raised for a long time) while wrapping his right arm around the partner's body, putting his hand on his back, in the center, slightly below the shoulder blades. Partner B joins his right hand to that of Partner A and wraps his left arm around Partner A, always behind his back

Step 3. Maintain perfect posture

This culture was born in the poorest neighborhoods of Argentina, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't evolved over time. If you want to tango with the emphasis it deserves you need to maintain the correct posture. So keep your head up, keep your back straight, your body stiff and your chest lifted, your body language should express confidence.

If you assume the wrong posture, not only will it look a little ridiculous, but it could also hurt your partner. Imagine yourself about to slump over the other dancer, forcing yourself to arch your back unnaturally and tiptoe steps as if you were walking on eggs. This would be a quick way to get rid of any potential partner

Step 4. First, practice only the basic step

Before starting to dance with a partner, especially if you are leading the dance, it is important to know the basic step. Imagine going to the gym in a miniskirt and heels. No thanks! You must first be prepared for this kind of thing.

• Both dancers must remember this sequence: slow, slow, fast, fast, slow. For the person leading these are the five steps:

  • Step forward with your left foot
  • Forward with the right
  • Go ahead with the left
  • Step to the right with your right foot
  • Put your feet together. Move your left until you reach the right. Done! Repeat the sequence!

• For the partner being guided (remember to follow the other's movements as if you were his mirror):

  • Back with your right foot
  • Back with the left
  • Back with the right
  • Step to the left with your left foot
  • Bring your feet together, move your right foot until you reach the left. Ta-da! Repeat the sequence!

  

  Step 5. When you feel ready, try the steps with your partner

  There is obviously a lot more than just slow, slow, fast, fast, slow, but that's just the basic concept. Once you have learned this and are able to perform the step counter-clockwise, find someone to try it out with. Whether you are leading or following the dance, begin to feel the presence of the other and let yourself go. Otherwise you will only be dancing in front of each other and not together.

  Try with different partners. With someone you will feel more comfortable and it will be easier to learn. Some combinations are more compatible. And of course, if you find someone more experienced than you, try to learn from him / her

  Method 2 of 3: Enhance the Style of Your Steps

  

  Step 1. Try gradual swings

  In American tango, gradual swings are the moment in which, rather than taking an actual step, you quickly move your body weight from one foot to the other. In the case of the basic step that we explained earlier, instead of the fast-fast sequence, and then two steps in the same direction, we will have a single step and then we will move the weight of the body forward. Clear as coal, huh?

  If you are driving, you will have two steps, fast, fast, forward. Instead, step back and then shift your body weight onto the back foot (without moving it). If you are following: take a quick step back and as a second step lean your body weight forward

  

  Step 2. Corté

  By combining the gradual swings and the corté you will have two moves in one. The corté works in the same way as the oscillations but is done in the first two steps (slow, slow). To give it more emphasis, make your movements long and smooth.

  

  Step 3. Add rotations and turns

  Now, both you and your partner are facing sideways, and this is called the promenade step. Instead of thinking about going forwards or backwards you have to think about whether to go right or left. Here you can add turns or rotations. In most cases, in the tango it is the person who follows (usually the woman) who does the hardest work, but the man has to do his part too!

  • Let's take an example: partner B takes two steps to the left (slow, slow), just after completing the second step (and before the third) moves his torso to the left. And then go back to the starting point. Here is the rotation!
  • For turns, the one who leads turns to his partner 180 degrees at the first quick step and the person who follows takes a step between the other's feet. Now we are adding panache!

  

  Step 4. If your role is to lead the dance, plan ahead

  Driving might seem easy (being able to read someone else's mind is no small feat at all), but driving has its risks too. Each time you will think about which step to take and decide where the dance should lead you. While you are busy dancing, think about and choose your future steps.

  

  Step 5. If your role is to follow the dance, get in tune with your partner

  You are calm because you just have to follow the steps, but following can also be problematic if there is no complete trust. Feel fully what is happening, where your partner will take you and what happens in between. Support the balance between the movements and you will be involved.

  

  Step 6. Keep in mind that simplicity is beauty

  You can try your hand at all the creative movements you want, but if you are not in sync, if you are not involved with each other as the tango requires, then all your efforts are worth little. Don't feel obligated to add too many details, do what you feel. Stick to simplicity, become an expert, then the rest will come by itself.

  Have you ever seen an elderly couple dancing together? Even in a simple dance have you noticed how deeply they feel what they are doing? Here, this is what you have to aim for

  Method 3 of 3: Take Lessons and Dance as a Group

  

  Step 1. Find a master who is experienced in teaching the technique, who does not focus only on memorizing steps and patterns

  The teacher must be good at both leading and following the dance, so that he can explain how to do it but also make you feel what your partner is feeling. Look for a class that has no more than a dozen students, so you will have different people to talk to but you can also be followed individually.

  There are three types of tango: Argentine, smooth and hall. Argentine tango has become quite famous for its spontaneity, passion, and because the focus is more on the woman. There are many enthusiast groups engaged in teaching and promoting this art form

  

  Step 2. Performances in a circle

  Whether in class or at a party, tango dancers usually perform in a circular fashion. There are a couple of things you need to know:

  • It works counterclockwise. You don't have to worry about any particular spins, rotations or styles, just check that you are going in the right direction.
  • Generally the best tango dancers take longer steps and cover more space. The less experienced dancers end up being relegated to the margins because the center is occupied by the most skilled. Don't let that happen to you!

  

  Step 3. Attend Milongas or Tango Dancers Parties for more opportunities to show off your talent

  If you go alone, look for a partner with whom to share a "cabeceo". And anyway, never ask directly, make eye contact and if the eyes meet smile or nod. If the gazes don't meet, move on. This less invasive method keeps the partner from feeling compelled to accept.

  Generally a round of tango, or "tanda", is made up of 4 dances. So if you are not convinced that you are sharing 4 consecutive dances with the same person, ask them to dance to the second or third

  

  Step 4. Be patient

  Tango requires balance and a great desire to learn. At first the performances may be disappointing, but slowly the right steps will come. You may step on someone's fingers, but they will heal. If this is clear to you from the beginning, over time you can only improve.

  Tango is not a dance that can be learned in one evening or with a lesson. And it's also its complexity that makes it so special! There is so much to learn that it could take a lifetime to fully explore it. But don't be discouraged, let its charm win you over. When you learn to find out, you will become an expert in a real art

  Advice

  • Learn from different instructors. Don't limit yourself to one person's point of view. Test a teacher before making concrete commitments with him. You may find that you don't like her personality or way of teaching at all.
  • Choose masters who teach in pairs. They will be able to better satisfy every need. A man may be able to guide you, but only a woman can tell you how to become an excellent dancer, and vice versa.
  • Make sure you always wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move freely.
  • If you decide to go for Argentine tango, learn the difference between Apilado, Salon and Fantasia / stage tango.
  • Your teacher must be well versed in all major Argentine tango styles: Salon, Apilado (or Milongero) and Tango Nuevo. If they dance in one style, just look for other instructors. Why let them decide which style to follow before even knowing them all?