No matter if you are just one of many beginners or have somewhat experience, you should not neglect what is important in your dancing. Getting back to the basics is always a good idea. In this article I will try to summarize the four most important things you should focus on – they are derived from my own experience and from the experience of other experienced dancers. “It was you who get me continue dancing. Without your help I could never get where I am now.”, she said after our last dance, which surprised me. I didn’t do anything special… at least it felt this way because for me it was not an effort. But, for her, as a beginner, it was a huge support. But what I did? Basically I placed … [Read more...] about Beginners no quitting guide to tango
Darth Vader and Cinderella on the floor
There is a difference between men and women. That is true for life and that should be true for tango as well. There are some who try to blur the line and to mix up the roles, but this will fail, as the nuevo tango project failed. In the best case, those people will create something new, some new dance or cultural expression, but it will for sure not be tango. Yes, I know, many will disagree with me and that is their right. I decided to write this post just to show some of the arguments I have for these statements. But, lets go step by step... I studied literature, but to be honest I never enjoyed reading novels or stories. Poetry and non-fiction was always my thing. I love condensed forms. … [Read more...] about Darth Vader and Cinderella on the floor
Dance with your heart, not with your feet
Do you dance with your heart? The question might be simple, but the answer is more complicated than you think. My mission with Tango Mentor is to get more people feel what dancing with your heart means. I mean, real dancing with your heart. Metaphorically and physically. I am not talking here about feeling the music and entering in the state of flow – it is physically dancing with your heart. Not long ago, one of my most dedicated students wrote me an interesting message where he shared his observation about the tango learning process. “Why is there no structure? Beginners often get a pile of techniques and steps… knowledge which is unconnected in a logical way. It doesn’t follow … [Read more...] about Dance with your heart, not with your feet
Tango isn’t for you
Tango isn’t for you, it's for the one you dance with. I strongly believe that tango makes sense only if you are able to dance FOR your partner. No, I don’t even accept dancing WITH your partner as many dancers believe it should be. In this article I will explain why I think this by explaining the stages of development of every dancer. For many, those stages are not actually stages – they just start randomly choosing one, depending on their character. But, be sure, tango is personal and it deeply reflects who you are as a person. I believe that good dancers respect the process: they go through all those stages and this provides them with the necessary skills to become great. I … [Read more...] about Tango isn’t for you
How men choose partners
The answer to the question “How men choose partners?” goes far beyond the idea that men tend to dance with beautiful girls first. If that was the (only) criteria tango would have become a sad story of games and intrigues. Of course, it is always preferable to dance with someone that is good looking and smells nice, but that is not exclusive for male or female dancers – that is general tendency… and it is not that important if the person we dance to can give us something much deeper and more valuable than looks. https://tangomentor.com/how-ladies-choose-partners/ Last week when I wrote the article about how ladies choose dancing partners in milonga where they don’t know anyone, many … [Read more...] about How men choose partners
Juan D’Arienzo: cracking the code
Do you like Juan D’Arienzo? What kind of question is this? Of course, everyone does. No matter if it's a tango, milonga or a vals – dancing to D’Arienzo is considered the high point in any milonga. Why is D’Arienzo’s music is so popular? Why the DJ can forget to play music of tango giants like Troilo or Pugliese, but if he forgets D’Arienzo he/she will forever burn in the tango hell? Let me tell you a tango DJ’s joke… well, it's not a joke, I would say – it's more of a trick. “What is the easiest way for a DJ to get applause from the dancers in a milonga?” “Play them a few veeeeryyy slooooow tandas and then D’Arienzo tanda starting with ‘Mandria’!” They will be happy to … [Read more...] about Juan D’Arienzo: cracking the code
