Leader and Follower: Why Those Words Make Us Shrink
Western society’s outlook on conventional gender roles has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years. No longer is it considered socially acceptable to discriminate against those who have deviated from traditional gender norms.
In countries like America, people are generally free to express themselves without limiting their qualities and self-expressions based on what is considered masculine or feminine.
However, not all cultures have a progressive view of gender roles. Many countries still subscribe to the idea that men should embody strength and leadership, while women must be nurturing and obedient.
Many countries still subscribe to the idea that men should embody strength and leadership, while women must be nurturing and obedient.
This is not to say that such a perception is a bad thing in itself, though many who adopt western liberal ideals might consider this anathema to equality. In discussing gender roles, however, one cannot dispense with history and culture. Neither can the collective human experience of a particular group of people be discarded. Precisely because each culture or race has its own set of experiences and beliefs, it stands to reason that those outside of western societal influences might still possess a more conventional view of gender roles.
Take, for example, the Argentinians, who hold in high regard the expression of what is masculine and feminine according to one’s gender. A post from the blog In Search of Tango explains this quite eloquently:
“For Argentinians, male strength and female beauty are positive qualities that the opposite sexes use to allure each other.
Masculinity and femininity are gender traits [that have] resulted from millions of years of evolution, which allows the human species to sustain and flourish.
Opposite, different, mutually attractive, interdependent, and complementary, men and women are created for each other. From their union comes children, family, society, and moral principles that hold the family and society together, such as love, teamwork, role play, agreement, and cooperation.
The sustenance, stability, and harmony of society would not be possible if the two sexes do not attract each other and love each other. Therefore,
gender expression is not a sign of gender inequality or sexist display, as feminists claim. Rather, it is a binding force that unites the two sexes and strengthens the society.”
This cultural perspective is seen even in Argentine tango, wherein it is understood that the men typically assume the leader role, while the women assume the follower role. For those who have made the pilgrimage to Buenos Aires, such traditions can still be seen practiced by old milongueros who refer to leaders and followers as men and women, respectively.
A Brief Cultural and Historical Perspective on Tango Roles and Terminology
A post from Tango Mentor provides a quick background on why the leader and follower roles in tango have become synonymous with the masculine and feminine:
“Historically, tango was created by men who wanted to win the heart of the woman. Buenos Aires, in the beginning of the 20th century, was overpopulated by young men, poor and lonely. Some say that there was just one woman for every 10 men.
They had only two ways to get a woman in their life: to pay for her or to win her with tango.
Those historical circumstances shaped the way the tango is danced — they defined what will be the masculine and the feminine role.”
As a result of this desire to pursue romantic conquests through tango, the dance itself began to embody sensuality. Among the many words that tend to describe tango, "passionate" is often used and is understood within the context of a man and a woman's relationship. Thus, in Buenos Aires,
to display conventional gender roles through tango is generally considered a sublimation of the dance.
A post from the blog In Search of Tango explains:
“[I]n Argentina where men are much more masculine and women are much more feminine, tango is exactly the opposite of a gender-neutral dance.
Argentine tango is a passionate and elaborate display of masculinity and femininity.
It highlights rather than hides the characteristics and the functions of the opposite sexes. It fulfills the need for affinity between the two genders through intimate bodily contact. It is a sensual and seductive dance.”
However, as tango made its way outside of Buenos Aires, what was previously accepted as the dance’s customs had been modified to fit the culture to which it was introduced. While the tango being danced in Buenos Aires continued to practice conventional gender roles, it is interesting to note that the exodus of Argentine tango to France, London, and the United States, among other nations, inspired women from these countries to break away from their own traditional gender roles. As tango became popular among western high societies, women saw it as an opportunity to dress in less restrictive garb and to express themselves more freely through dance.
Over time, as much of western society pushed for reforms that called for gender equality, tango would also undergo modifications following this step towards progressivism.
A Struggle for Power and Perception
Today, most tango circles no longer refer to one partner as either the man or the woman. Rather, the terms “leader” and “follower” have more commonly been used to define the roles in tango. While this is a more inclusive and less gendered way of referring to either partner, it has the potential to encourage passivity among those called followers and put undue pressure on those called leaders. Thus, many tangueros and tangueras have begun to consider alternative terms to define tango roles.
A post from Tango Forge has a succinct but sensible argument:
“The impetus comes from the need to delink gender from lead and follow. But the more I use the term ‘follower’, the more I dislike it. It gives people the wrong idea. It brings out the worst — fear, obedience, and passivity. There are problems with the idea of ‘leading’ as well — he feels too much responsibility to control the outcome.”
To more traditional tango dancers, this may seem like a trifle, but it is important to remember that terminology has a significant effect on one's understanding of certain concepts. Moreover,
the terms "leader" and "follower" can also be viewed as an extension or subtle reinforcement of conventional gender norms in that leader roles are still commonly assumed by men, and follower roles assumed by women.
A post from Tangonline asserts:
“[E]ven though the roles may no longer be necessarily identified with gender, we still see a big majority of women dancing in the role of ‘followers’ and of men dancing in the role of ‘leaders.’ And despite [the] fact that it's slowly changing, it is still an uncontroversial fact and, therefore, ‘following’ ends up being more identified with the role of women than with the one of men.”
Words have power to shape self-perception This concept cannot entirely be ignored in tango as having a clear grasp of one’s role in the partnership is what ultimately leads to a beautiful dance. According to Juliet McMains, author of the Troubling Effects of Leader/Follower Terminology:
“A series of psychological experiments have revealed that people view characteristics described with a noun (e.g., Heidi is an intellectual) as more enduring and central to identity than descriptions conveyed with an adjective (e.g., Heidi is intellectual). Not only do such subtle linguistic distinctions affect how we view others, but they affect self-perception.
In other words, dancers who are consistently referred to as followers will begin to view this as an essential and stable feature of their personalities.”
On the other hand,
when it comes to the leader, using this term to define this particular role in tango is often confused for authority.
Sometimes, even when employing alternative terminology such as “mark” to refer to the leader or “revel” to refer to the follower (as suggested by Tango Forge), or “proposer” (leader) and “interpreter” (follower), there are lasting effects of the leader/follower terminology that can manifest in situations wherein one party is seen as deviating from their role.
An excerpt from Argentine Tango and Contact Improvisation, published by the University of Wollongong, gives an example of these lasting effects:
“Although traditional tango rhetoric attests that some leaders enjoy the follower taking initiative on occasion or refusing the lead’s ‘proposal,’ in the experience of several dancers, if the follower does not do what is expected of them, it is usually an unwelcome transgression. For example, Saraza notes:
“I have many times heard teachers and dancers say things like ‘I don't lead, I propose’ or even ‘It's interesting to me when she does something different than I was intending.’ I think this is horse shit. I don't think any mark enjoys when the revel does something else, and these guys are lying to themselves and their students. The reason I think it is horse shit is that on the rare occasions that I misinterpret my mark, I can feel his displeasure clearly. And many of these are people who claim to enjoy interpretive revelling (Saraza 2014b).
“It is clear that the signs of a leader’s discomfort are always evident — sometimes in words, but also through tactile/kinaesthetic responses which can be read through the embrace. Such dynamics may allow a kind of ‘symbolic violence,’ or even actual verbal violence, to enter into the partnership, as if both have accepted as legitimate the leader’s right to show anger or deflect blame in order to maintain his authority.”
Though the intention of using “leader” and “follower” is to embrace all those who wish to dance tango without limiting them to gender roles, it is clear that these terms may not have been the best to use.
This is because they can be misinterpreted to mean something entirely different from what is expected of a dancer assuming either role. This, as explained by a post from the 22Tango Show, results in a power struggle between the partners:
“The power struggle results from this misunderstanding of leading as having power over or being in the position of power.
If the belief or the understanding or misunderstanding is that to be a leader means to have the power or to have a position of power, or to be in the position of power, then it is going to often see some resistance against that lack of proper understanding or that misunderstanding.”
What’s in a Name?
What then are the terms that can be used to adequately define the roles in tango? While "leader" and "follower" continue to be employed, there have been suggestions for alternatives.
According to the Troubling Effects of Leader/Follower Terminology:
“Perhaps ‘proposers’ and ‘interpreters’ better describe the two roles. One individual proposes a movement and the other interprets that proposition, decoding subtle physical cues and translating them into overturned ochos, playful sacadas and spirited boleos.”
On the other hand, Tango Forge suggests
“mark” and “revel,” inspired by the Argentenian terms “marcar” (to mark) and “revelar” (to illuminate or develop).
Eric Dinzel, son of the famed Los Dinzel and who has continued research for Studio Dinzel, has also mentioned “axis” and “orbite” as alternatives. Axis — not to be confused with the bodily axis — is the reference point of the “orbit,” who travels around the axis.
In light of all this discussion, one might ask, is it really necessary to change the terminology for man and woman, or leader and follower in tango? A post from Tangonline has perhaps the most insightful explanation that can help one decide:
“Words have meanings. They have literal meanings, they have philosophies around those meanings and they have indirect and underlying ideas that, in the long run, may produce an even stronger impact.