Tango is a social partner dance with a rich and complex history that works with many different styles of music. Some people dance it in 'close embrace' whilst others prefer a more open hold; some styles are dramatic and showy whilst others are more sedate and suitable for social dancing. But whatever your preferred style, tango is a great dance for anyone of any age or fitness level.
Unlike most other dance styles tango is not based around learning sequences of steps or repeating figures that you have practised over and over. Instead tango is usually described as 'improvised', but this does not mean that there are no rules. Tango is a well defined dance consisting of actions and reactions expressed through a well-formed lead and the response from the follower to the signals being received.
Tango may have a reputation for being the 'dance of passion', but is this really justified? On screen it is often shown as dramatic and full of sensual tension, but whilst it is possible to dance tango like that, the normal everyday social version is much more sedate. It works with almost any type of music; you can wear whatever makes you feel comfortable; and you don't need any extraordinary flexibility or fitness. Tango is a versatile social dance that you can use anywhere, so if you have ever wondered about learning to dance but have been put off tango because of its reputation, give it a try.
Private tuition available at our studio in Biggin Hill, ideal for absolute beginners.
Tango is a dance with more than a century of history spanning several continents. It first appeared in recognisable form in the River Plate area of Argentina and Uruguay - primarily in the cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo - in the earliest years of the twentieth century, but its influences came from all over the world. South American rhythms merged with African dances and European styling until the dance we know today began to emerge in the hearts of the two cities. The popular music of the time had several distinct rhythmic structures, and tango adopted them all. Some of these have fallen out of fashion, but even today we see several styles that all fall under the same umbrella. Tango is the name that covers all of them, but the tango style itself is also the slower and more flowing of the set. Then there is milonga (confusingly this is also the name given to a tango social dance event) which uses the same steps as tango but faster and more compact. Finally there is Vals (or 'waltz'), a version of tango adapted to the 3/4 time signature of European waltz music.
Many of the moves in tango are given names, such as barrida (sweep), giro (turn), gancho (hook), and ocho (figure-8), however they are not really 'steps' as used in other dance styles. In most ballroom dances and most club or social dances, steps are indivisible units that you perform in a sequence. You can decide the sequence 'on the fly' or by choreography, but either way the steps are performed one after another, with named action following named action and so on until the music ends.
In tango, whilst various moves are given names, this is more for convenience when teaching than anything else. The names describe the action being performed, rather than the step, so for example a 'gancho' might refer to the follower's leg hooking round the leader's leg, but it might equally refer to the leader's leg hooking around the follower's leg, both partners hooking around each other's legs, hooking a leg around your own leg, or even in extreme stage-tango cases a leg hooking around your partner's body! These moves all look completely different but are all called 'gancho'. So why do we bother?
The names refer to the techniques being used rather than being a unique identifier for that particular step. They describe the action in general terms, but it is up to the leader and follower to decide in the moment what form the action will take.
So does this mean that tango is a simple dance? If there are no steps to learn then surely it must be easier than learning one with countless named steps that must be remembered and executed perfectly?
I think of tango as being 'simple' in the same way that the game of darts is 'simple' or playing the piano is 'simple'. With darts you simply pick up a dart and throw it into the right place on a board a short distance in front of you. Playing the piano is even easier, as someone else has written down all the notes on a sheet of paper so all you have to do is hit the keys in the right order. Both of these can certainly be described as 'simple', but neither of them is 'easy'. And tango is not 'easy' either.
It is certainly true that you can grasp the basics of tango very quickly, even at a one-day workshop, and within a very short time you will be able to dance something that looks quite a lot like tango. But if you want to become good at it and learn the skills needed to be able to dance it confidently to different music and with different dance partners then - unfortunately - you will have to put in the hours!
· 
· 