Teaching the Essentials of Argentine Tango

by Jenny DeBouzek

Some have an impression that Tango Downtown classes are only for beginners. Yes, a number of people new to tango attend our classes, but we emphasize that our classes are for ALL levels of experience. Rather than offering a series of classes graduated from beginning to intermediate to advanced, we offer an on-going opportunity to focus on what we consider to be the essentials of tango: the physical technique, musical understanding, and social etiquette that every tango dancer, at any level of experience, must master to dance Argentine tango as it is danced socially in the clubs of Buenos Aires.

Physical technique includes developing balance (the ability to move comfortably around one's own axis), maintaining the circle of the embrace (connecting to our partner), and dancing from the center of the body (the torso), rather than from the edges (the legs and arms). Also, because this is social tango (danced with respect to other people also dancing) rather than stage tango (performed for an audience), physical technique includes navigating the floor with patience and grace. In our classes, we emphasize that these skills should be practiced by dancers of all experience levels. Without them, any figures we might execute are useless on the social dance floor, and possibly a source of injury to ourselves, our partners, or the other dancers. Argentine tango is above all a social dance. The ability to move effortlessly in a crowded room comes from managing one's own body in relation to other bodies. This is technique, and we do a lot of it at Tango Downtown; it is the main focus of all our classes.

Musical understanding involves analyzing rhythm, tempo and dynamics and translating these to movement. It also includes being able to distinguish the three types of tango music (tango, vals and milonga), to identify the differences in style between different orchestras, and then be able to tailor one's dancing to the music being played. At Tango Downtown we may begin class with a warm up promenade to the music. Moving single file along the line of dance, we walk to the beat of the music. Each step becomes an opportunity to interpret the music. We emphasize that the music is our partner; it is the music that we move to and that in turn moves us, both physically and emotionally. In this way, musical understanding eventually becomes the basis for discovering and developing personal style. By opening our ears as we dance, we are able to express in movement the feelings that the music evokes in us and to offer something in return.

Finally, social etiquette, those elusive rules of conduct that we adopt to express our respect for our partner and for the other dancers with whom we share the floor. Elusive, because in our desire to uphold the rights of the individual, we may balk at any check to our personal freedom. At Tango Downtown classes, we use the metaphor of driving to illustrate the importance of moving evenly along the line of dance, with equal spacing between couples and no passing or blocking traffic. Sadly, this metaphor may fall short when we think of the mean streets of Albuquerque. Still we strive to model a respect for others in our shared spaces.

Social etiquette is also emphasized within the intimate relationship of the couple, where we encourage each person to work on his or her own dancing first, rather than to correct their partner, even in the guise of being helpful. It is also for this reason that we do not use the terminology of "lead and follow," instead describing the dance as one in which the man invites the woman to create a particular movement and the woman responds to that invitation. Rather than a hierarchy of roles, we create a conversation between two equals. By being supportive of each other's efforts rather than critical of each other's flaws, we work on the dance as a shared project, one that extends from the couple to the group at large. This approach is reinforced at Tango Downtown milongas, which we insist be a time for community enjoyment, rather than breaking apart into individual practice or teaching sessions on the floor. This enjoyment is the key to truly social dancing.

Physical technique, musical understanding, social etiquette. In our attempt to teach these essentials of Argentine tango, we try to put aside distinctions between "'beginning" and "advanced" dancers and focus on the group as a whole. Although this is not always possible, it does create a different kind of learning environment, one in which these labels eventually become irrelevant. After all, we are all in it for basically the same reasons: to find a place where we can be accepted for who we are — unique individuals of all ages, all body types, all levels of experience and ability — and to bring to the moment, to the music, and to the dance the gift of ourselves, and simply enjoy being together.

These are the essentials of Tango Downtown. We invite dancers of all levels to join us in exploring them.