Learning to dance in small spaces
Dancing in small spaces can be a blissful or frustrating experience, depending on what kind of skills the dancer developed during his learning process. Skills to navigate the complex world of crowded dance floors are often regarded as a sign of experience and high status among social tangeros. In this article I will give you a list of some of the benefits you can have from learning how to dance on crowded dance floors. I believe that these are the most important ones, but other dancers can list more. If you have one, I would be happy to read them…
The flavors of tango: motion vs emotion
Technique is overrated. I often say this when I want to illustrate how little tango dancers pay attention on the cultivation of the emotional side of their dance. The secret of tango is not in the motion: it is in the emotion. In this article I will try to identify some of the key differences between motion and emotion in tango. I will also try to give you some entry level advice on how to cultivate the emotion in your dance. “I saw you dancing with her. You finally succeed! No more chasing her, we can go home now”, my…
How to rekindle your passion for tango?
It is always interesting to see the enthusiasm when people first start dancing tango. Discovering that secret world for them is something which sparkles great passion for everything connected to the dance. What they often don’t tell us when we start is that the passion will eventually fade away. Some might think that there is nothing you can do; that it might be natural, but I disagree. You can just wait for the passion to (or not to) return, or, you can do something about it. I believe that waiting is not always the smarter option – this is what…
Top 10 tango skills that men often neglect
There are many skills that are required for a man to become a good tango dancer. Depending on their approach, teachers will always have different views about priorities, but I believe that there are some core values and skills that any man should learn if he wants to have a good time in milongas. Unfortunately, many of these core skills are almost completely absent from the program of tango schools. People would rather learn how to do volcadas and sacadas than basic floor craft; they would rather spend time practicing ganchos than making their embrace more comfortable. But that backfires…
Is tango your language?
photo by Sergio Scandiuzzi © Tango is a language. If you don’t have time, just read that first sentence and leave this article – but if you decide to read the whole blog post you will find out why. I promise you, some of the reasons might challenge some of the widespread beliefs about tango. Some may even change the way you think about your dancing. I first started comparing tango to language to help my students understand what and, more important, why they do what they do. I believe that the best way to teach…