Is it just me, or you have also known many dancers that think that the more steps they use, the more value they give to their partners? The vast majority of the dancers I know are trying to learn more steps because, deep down, they feel they are not enough.
I think that they’re completely wrong. I’ve seen it many times in my teaching experience – people become better dancers simply by reducing their repertoire.
How does it work? Well, there’s this simple rule called “The Pareto Principle”. You’ve probably heard about it: the idea that 80% of results come from 20% of causes. It was first noticed in economics (80% of sales come from 20% of clients), but then people started noticing that it works in other areas, even in nature itself.
For example we can see this logic works for words usage: some scientists concluded that the 1000 most commonly used words in the English language account for 90% of all writing and speaking.
And this applies to tango as well. If you’ve spent enough time dancing at milongas you’ve probably experienced it without even noticing.
Why it works?
In my opinion, what stops many dancers from becoming good is that they don’t choose intentionally – they simply accumulate steps.
Beginners, and unfortunately often even more advanced dancers, are amazed by the shiny acrobatic moves that performers do in their shows. On top of that, they think the more steps they learn, the better dancers they become.
Stop for a second and think about it: performers do some impressive stuff on stage, and beginners want to copy that. Fine. But, do they have unlimited space, the same partner with whom they practiced, no navigation to worry about? The milonga is completely different environment and it requires different mindset.
My approach is a little different: in my tango journey as a dancer, and latter on as a teacher, I focus on the quality first. Learn a few simple steps – but know them well, and you’ll be able to do miracles on the dance floor. In time, as you conquer these simple steps, something beautiful will emerge.
Reason #1: As you start doing them effortlessly, you’ll begin styling them to reflect your personality. You’ll make them your own. You’ll build your unique style. People don’t have to know it’s you – they just have to glance at you on the dance floor, and they’ll immediately recognize your style of dancing. Because it’s like no one else’s.
Reason #2: As you start using these simple steps in a masterful way, you’ll combine them to create something more complex. Complexity emerges from simplicity. It often happens when I show a sequence to my students, they feel it’s impossibly hard. Than I brake it down to it’s constituent elements, and they realize they already know everything – they just have to combine it in the right way.
My point is: focus on these 20% of the simplest steps and dance with them 80% of your time on the dance floor – and this alone will make you a better dancer. Not just because you’ll do them better, but because you’ll do them in your own way.
How to chose your 20%?
Now, I don’t think this should be a pen-and-paper decision or a great masterplan session – I think it’s enough to approach your 20% with some intentionality. I can’t decide for you, but I can give you my idea of what matters when making this decision – as I would advise my less experienced self. Here are some suggestions:
1) Personality
Don’t try to be a jack of all trades. Choose steps that fit YOU and own them.
One of my idols in the early stages of my tango journey was Pedro “Tete” Rusconi, the milonguero from the Golden Age.
As I watched his interviews and dances, I realized that he wasn’t famous because he was the most technically polished or musically talented dancer, but because he had an unforgettable personality. It came through in every step he did, in every expression on the dance floor.
So, I believe the most important criteria when you chose your core repertoire is to be yourself. Don’t follow trends.
Your 20% should be a self-portrait – that’s what makes you memorable to your partners.
2) Versatility
Since your 20% will be 5-6 key steps, they have to be usable in all tempos and moods: no matter is it slow Pugliese or fast D’Arienzo, weather it’s vals or milonga. Of course, I believe each should be danced with a bit different repertoire, but the connective tissue will always be your core 20%. That is what will become your consistent personal style – one that can be adapted.
3) Ease of use
I admire the old milongueros because their dancing can be so simple and, at the same time, so creative. At first glance, it seems like nothing much is happening. In the beginning I couldn’t even recognize the steps. Yet it looks so natural and effortless.
No step you know will be good if you can’t use it with majority of your partners, so in a practical sense, your 20% should be accessible to most of the beginners you’ll dance with. However, they should also provide enough material for you to create combinations that feel interesting even to the most experienced partners you dance with.
That’s what I call a subtle nuanced dancer. Someone whose simple ocho feels completely different – not because the step changed, but because the quality of the lead.
4) Usability on crowded floors
Social dancing means limited space. No matter how big or empty the floor is, you’ll always risk running out of space if you’re not able to use it well.
Your core repertoire must be floor-friendly and fully controlled. A good dancer controls their movement – a bad one lets movement control them.
So choose something that’s grounded and doesn’t require you to use the inertial momentum; something that gives you enough freedom to change it on the fly, as the environments requires; something that let’s you be flexible, while still giving you range of possibilities.
I strongly believe that becoming a masterful dancer is not about how many steps you know – it’s about how deeply you know the ones that are yours. It goes beyond being practical, it’s something more personal: your 20% is not a shortcut, it’s your signature.
Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.
Michelangelo
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Learning by removing what’s unnecessary leaves space for creativity, your personality to breathe, your hearth to connect with your partner, your being to sync with the music.
If I could, this is what I’ll say to my less experienced self. And I share this with you.
Now, talking about choosing your tango repertoire, think about it as building a stylish wardrobe: it’s mostly basics (your 20%), with a few statement pieces. Disrespecting this approach a dancer might end up looking like a clown… You’ll find more about in my article “The tango clown syndrome”.
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