All You Need to Know Before Starting Your Beginner Argentine Tango Lessons
There’s always something inherently exciting about trying out a beginner course, and tango lessons are no exception. Many aspiring tangueros and tangueras would rush to tango classes with little to no knowledge about what to expect. On the one hand, this kind of attitude keeps one’s excitement intact, especially for those who are rather fond of surprises. On the other hand, not knowing anything about Argentine tango before taking beginner tango lessons may lead to some measure of disappointment in the long run.
Walking is 90% of Tango. Prepare for a lot of walking. Especially when you are starting your Beginner Tango journey. But - the skill is not lost. Isn’t walking something we need every day!
When one discovers that authentic tango is quite different from what one expects (or has been conditioned to expect by popular media), one may be inclined to seek out other dances instead.
The disappointment is two-sided - the teachers and higher-level students usually pour heart and soul into the newcomers trying to help them out.
Make no mistake that Argentine tango is every bit as sensual and passionate as it is often depicted. However, unlike other dances, there are some aspects of tango that an aspiring tanguero or tanguera must first understand before they can fully appreciate the experience, especially if they want to take up lessons.
To dispel some myths and set one’s expectations straight, here are some things that one must know before joining an Argentine tango lesson.
Practice hold or practice embrace allows slowly by slowly allow the new partner into your personal space. You also learn about connection, improvisation and lead and follow. Plus - yes - good catch - the Follower pretty much always walks backwards - and that’s not an easy switch.
Tango Isn’t as Dramatic as You Think
Tango is sensual and passionate, yes, but keep in mind that movies tend to exaggerate for the sake of cinematography. So if one is rushing to join tango classes because of the supposed drama one would like to participate in, understand that authentic Argentine tango is not as dramatic as one might expect.
A post from Moon Emissary explains this point best:
“Chances are you’ve encountered Argentine Tango before. And chances are it was the version popularized through movies, the one with roses between the teeth and weaponized leg raises. Show tango undoubtedly captures your attention (and compels you to seek out the nearest dance studio), but the real deal is a lot less… well… showy. And while show tango makes occasional appearances in real life, such as at festivals and competitions, know that authentic Argentine Tango is all about connection, between yourself and your partner.”
“Socially danced Argentine Tango is all about connection, between yourself and your partner.”
This means that one is not required to be an acrobat, a gymnast, or even extremely physically fit to dance the Argentine tango. In fact, real tango is all about walking, which leads us to our next point.
Beginner Students (after 4 or 8 weeks Beginner Argentine Tango Course) performing in front of their friends, guests, teachers, and higher-level students.
Tango Is 90% Walking
TV dance shows have given the impression that Argentine tango necessitates a lot of “kicks” and “flicks” or twists and turns. A post from Regina Hofmanova aptly reminds one to “curb your enthusiasm” as “all tango steps are derived from the walk and walking, often backward, forms the basis of tango figures. Learn to place your feet on the floor, transfer your weight, maintain your balance, and collect your feet properly and you will be in a good position to move onto ochos, boleos, and barridas. The more you practice earlier on, the sooner you will be in a position to develop good technique. Remember, shedding bad habits later on, is more difficult than getting it right in the first place.”
Believe it or not, being able to walk properly is what separates the masterful milonguero from the novice dancer.
As MIT Tango Notes rightly capture “Argentine tango is basically a walking dance. Argentineans say if you can learn to walk, the rest is easy. They also say you have to ‘walk your miles’ to learn to dance tango.”
Thus, in tango lessons, don’t be surprised if a lot of time is spent on perfecting one’s tango walk. After all, it is the foundation of the dance itself, and one will find it impossible to progress to adornos or other steps if one does not even know how to walk.
Then comes: walking in a couple, walking to the music, walking outside partner, walking in cross-system. Lots and lots of walking.
Tango students resting during workshops with Cesar Coehlo at Ultimate Tango School of Dance.
Tango Is Improvisation
Aside from walking, tango is also a dance of improvisation. Larry E. Carroll explains it ‘his’ way: “In the Argentine tango, you do not do standard step patterns in standard sequences to a set rhythm. Instead, you create new step patterns and combine them in ways new to you. Creativity and improvisation are valued more than correctness by the best tango dancers. When beginning to study tango, only the leaders improvise; but as you become more advanced, followers also become able to do it.”
Unlike other partner dances, authentic Argentine tango does not derive its beauty and elegance from memorized or choreographed steps. Instead, the beauty of tango lies in the dancers’ freedom to improvise and translate tango’s musicality into physical steps that best manifest the song’s passionate qualities.
Look for the floor - floor is your best friend! Here - workshops with Cesar Coehlo at Ultimate Tango School of Dance.
It is, as explained by a post from TehasTango, “an improvisational dance based on the four building blocks of walking, turning, stopping, and embellishments. The dance is like a puzzle that gets put together differently each time. Women and men bring their own styles and embellishments to the dance which contribute significantly to the excitement and unpredictability of the experience. Even though dancers follow certain conventions, they never quite know how someone will construct a dance, add an embellishment or interpret the music.”
“The surprises possible within the dance are what makes the dance so addicting. It really does take two to tango, because the dance isn't just about the man leading and the woman following. Both partners have important things to contribute — like all good conversations.”
Of course, many beginner dancers might find improvisation difficult, especially when there’s the application of music. It is not at all uncommon for beginners to feel lost at first, especially if there’s some resistance in connecting and communicating with their partners.
However, transmitting and receiving subtle cues becomes easier when one becomes not only in tune with their partner but also with themselves. For this, connection and communication are important.
You can choose to stay with your partner or change partners during the Tango lesson. We strongly recommend changing partners as you will progress much faster if you are able to experience the sensation of connection from various people.
Fewer Steps, More Connections
Further to the point above, tango is more about connecting with oneself, one’s partner, the music, and the world around them. As mentioned, the focus is less on steps and more on the sense of partnership and connection fostered within the dance.
Without this partnership, one would find it difficult to fully appreciate what makes the Argentine tango a physical, emotional, and even spiritual experience.
Of course, there are still the technical aspects of tango, such as the figures, embellishments, the steadiness of the embrace, etc. But all these are simply vehicles in manifesting the connection that marks the partnership between two dancers.
A post from Vio from Tango Forge describes this partnership as such: “Beyond the sense of community, what is enriching and satisfying about tango is the experience of partnership.”
“Partnership is personal. It’s about knowing, seeing, and valuing, paying close attention, listening, appreciating, and desiring one another. We are ‘in it’ together and we share the responsibility for what we do. “”
“We trust the partner and entrust ourselves to the partnership. We give mutual concentration to one thing. (This gets us to Flow.) We are committed over time. We experience shared accomplishment. It’s possible to have this experience within a tanda, or even within a single song, or over years.”
Sometimes we propose change of roles to find out what the other person feels. Once the sensation is recognized you are able to look for it on your own. - Here Musicality workshop with Joaquin Amenabar
You Don’t Change Partners After One Song
Even outside of beginner tango classes, the connection between dancers is valued. In fact, in a milonga, or a tango social dance event, one is expected to complete a tanda with a partner. A tanda is a set of three or four songs, which is considered a long enough time to forge a connection with one’s partner while on the dance floor.
As per the codigos or code of etiquette in tango, LA Tango Academy explains: “When you stand up to dance with someone, the understanding is that you dance with them until the end of the tanda. If you only want to dance two songs with them, you have to wait until the tanda is two songs from the end to invite them to dance.
The alternative, known as ‘breaking the tanda,’ is considered extremely rude. You should only leave the dance floor in the middle of a tanda if you are in pain, your mother is dying, or if your partner has overstepped the rules of common decency.
You should not do this if you decide you just don’t really like the way your partner dances or for any other non-threatening situation, because breaking a tanda reflects very badly on the person whom you’ve left, suggesting that they have somehow behaved wrongly. These rules seem fairly extreme and a bit ridiculous, but they actually serve a very useful purpose; if someone hurt you or behaved inappropriately, you can call them out on it and subtly warn others from dancing with him or her.”
While tango classes are not milongas, it is still important to keep this in mind since milongas are where authentic Argentine tango is danced outside of practicas or tango classes. If one is the type to become easily uncomfortable with a partner for reasons that do not fall into those mentioned above, then Argentine tango might not be the dance to take up.
Learning about connection, communication and body language during Beginner Argentine Tango Course requires allowing the other person into your personal space.
It takes time to accomplish that - but our teachers will hep you and will always be there for you.
Don’t Sweat It
It’s reasonable to feel both nervous and excited when one wishes to start taking Argentine tango lessons. However, one should not expect authentic tango to play out like those dances depicted in movies and TV dance shows.
If anything, tango isn’t as dramatic, and no one is required to be an acrobat just to accomplish its steps. Among other characteristics, tango is all about connection, improvisation, and, surprisingly, being able to walk properly.
Before attending beginner tango lessons, one would be served well by doing a bit of research on what Argentine tango truly is to set one’s expectations straight. More than just the technicalities and steps, dancing the Argentine tango should be a transcendent experience for everyone who wishes to study it.
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