How To Dance the Tango

You're probably picturing a rose elegantly clipped on a gentleman's teeth, an outstretched hand and seemingly instantaneous neck-cracking as their heads move from one side to the other. Right on! More or less you get the idea of how the Tango looks.

But before you get carried away in imagining characters from a Zorro movie and begin to think that it would be impossible for you to learn to dance the Tango, keep two things in mind: one, they're probably doing the Flamenco and two, this article was made to make sure that learning at least the basics of tango is not impossible.

You may want to look up our how-tos for Samba, Cha-Cha, Salsa, etc. to take your learning experience to a different level. As we have mentioned in our other articles concerning dancing, you'll be happy to know that most dances are loosely affiliated with each other. Not only in terms of music and grace, but also when it comes to steps, its variations and so on. Also when you try to venture out to different kinds of dance, you may actually mix and match the techniques you learn from them--and mixing and matching is how most dances come to exist.

So how did Tango originate?

The Tango was born in Buenos Aires. Like the Samba, it carries great African influence. Modern-day Tango was actually derived from Candombe ceremonies of the old African slaves. By the 18th century, the Tango has become popular all over the country and eventually made its way to Europe, as performers from Buenos Aires found their way to the continent. After which the Tango spread like wildfire and began acquiring different variations and modifications.

Now for the basic moves in the Tango:

1. Music is of the essence. Every kind of dance holds a story of its own. It will more or less give you the "feel" of the dance even before you do it. You can derive your pace and timing with the clues from the music. This principle also applies to the Tango. Your local music store will be able to aid you greatly in finding which Tango songs will best suit your needs. The usual Tango music has 4/4 time signature, consists of about 120-128 BPM (beats per minute) and follows the rhythmic counting quick-quick-slow.

2. Basic Steps. Unlike Waltz, the rise and fall movement does not exist in this dance. When you step, you do not glide but lift your feet. And place your feet back to the ground. This time instead of assuming the usual "waltz hold" with your partner, the man extends his left hand while holding the woman's right hand and then he places his other hand on the small of his partner's back and vice-versa.

a. STEP 1.

i. MALES. Facing your partner, bring your right foot back

ii. FEMALES. Bring your left foot forward

b. STEP 2. Note that once you step your foot to a certain side, you should begin walking forward towards that direction.

i. MALES. Bring your left foot to the side, after that step your right foot forward followed by the left.

ii. FEMALES. Bring your right foot to the side and step your left foot backward followed by the right

c. STEP 3.

i. MALES AND FEMALES. Bring your feet together. Then Males take a step forward with your left, while the ladies take a step backward with your right

d. STEP 4.

i. MALES. Pivot your right foot to the left then bring your feet together.

ii. FEMALES. Pivot your left foot towards the left. After which bring your feet together.



That is one sequence. Notice how the women mirror the men's movements? These steps are versatile and can be interchangeable. If you get more comfortable doing these basic steps, you may try performing the famous dip--this is when the women tilt their body backwards, away from their partner, while the male supports his partner's back. And that's how you do the Tango. Enjoy!

Source: Tematco.com