What is Classic Argentine Tango Dance https://youtu.be/0atvWyQ4rrs Classic Argentine Tango is not a “lead / follow” ballroom dance. Dancing Tango is a shared conversation. The Tango dance cycle is - (M) Propose/invite > (F) Accept > (M) Follow > (M) Propose/invite >. This is a key feature that distinguishes it from other ballroom partner dances of any era, that are essentially mirror dances. The essential objectives of dancing social Tango are sharing and caring. Sharing music, time, space and energy, with a partner in a gentle (but not constraining) embrace, and with other dance c ..read more

There are many opinions on Argentine Tango styles. Whilst Tango "style" is very personal, Tango has spawned "styles" of social dancing that have developed into quite different dances that are not particularly compatible with one another in objective or technique. It includes Classic Tango of the Milongas, Contemporary International Tango (currently the most popular), Ballroom Social Tango (US) and competitive Ballroom Tango (split off in the 1920's), Nuevo Tango and Neo Tango (from 2000). Contemporary International Tango attempts to garner some legitimacy as the dance of the suburban milongas ..read more

There is a lot of bad posture on YouTube video, especially the "sway-back" look amongst young women, held up as "expert" dancers and teachers. Dancers around the world then try to emulate this look, only to finish with painful backs, legs and feet. My Facebook Amigo, Raul Bravo, wrote this excellent post on dance posture. We agree with his comments. We have been teaching and promoting good, natural dance posture for many years. I remember that my mother, when I was a teenager, advised me to walk standing straight, to spruce up my chest, so I wouldn't be twisted in the typical natural posture ..read more

“It was the milongueros who kept tango alive, preventing the total disappearance of tango for almost 25 years (1960-1985). Each one danced differently from the others. But, between these individual styles, they still shared something in common - incredible dancing skills in crowded spaces, lovers of “circular” dancing (both individually and within the room), active observation of strict floor etiquette (Floorcraft; maintaining eye contact with nearby men), experts in musicality, brilliant movement guides. In addition, these milongueros were lovers of the true closed embrace; often with bad po ..read more

Algunos tradicionalistas del tango alrededor del mundo promueven el uso de la clásica invitación no verbal a bailar - el cabceo, y la aceptación - mirada, como una costumbre deseable para las milongas en cualquier lugar. Echemos un vistazo a cómo funciona la invitación y aceptación del contacto visual silencioso en Buenos Aires y en todo el mundo. Hay algunas dinámicas interesantes en esta costumbre (casi) única de Buenos Aires. Sabemos que la comunicación no verbal es más reveladora que las palabras. De alguna manera es una extensión de la comunicación no verbal única de la danza misma. Al ig ..read more

A popular Tango blogger recently referred to the “development” of Tango in the modern world as progress. In an interview with Gustavo Navieira & Gisela (founders of Nuevo Tango with Fabian Salas and Chicho Frumboli), he referred to his method of teaching "a structure" as a natural development of Tango, or progress. It got me thinking. What is progress? - different things to different people. Change and progress are often thought to be synonymous. But they are not. Change, in any cultural context can be easily identified. Progress, or decline, can only be measured by looking back on the ef ..read more

It’s always a pleasant surprise when experiences and ideas come together. We have often discussed how classic Tango is an introverted, introspective dance - a private, silent conversation between two people. At the same time, we are acutely aware of the mysterious energy of the milonga that is a direct result of a large group of people silently communicating in a much larger “dance”. It’s not an uncommon phenomenon. People who have studied recent developments in neurology, ‘flow’ states, and similar phenomena well-knownrecognise and understand it. It is a well known and well-researched experi ..read more

Siempre es una agradable sorpresa cuando las experiencias y las ideas se juntan. A menudo hemos discutido cómo el Tango clásico es un baile introvertido e introspectivo: una conversación privada y silenciosa entre dos personas. Al mismo tiempo, somos muy conscientes de la energía misteriosa de la milonga que es el resultado directo de un gran grupo de personas que se comunican en silencio en un "baile" mucho más grande. No es un fenómeno poco común. Las personas que han estudiado desarrollos recientes en neurología, estados de "flujo" y fenómenos similares bien conocidos, lo reconocen y lo en ..read more

For some, Tango was not just a business; it became not only a way of life, but a philosophy of life, or at least an expression of their philosophy of life that centred around humility, respect, dignity, communication, empathy and caring. Of course, there are those who would describe a Milonguero as a layabout. The story goes, Yvonne Meissner was hosting Cacho Dante on his first visit to Europe and introduced him to a group of students as a milonguero. Cacho interrupted “I am not a milonguero! I have a job!” :-) Here are Cacho Dante's ruminations on what makes a 'milonguero". Chatting the nigh ..read more

Cacho Dante (1939 - 2019) fue otro de los milongueros que bailaban en Buenos Aires hacia el final de "La Edad de Oro del Tango". Tenemos la bendición de que algunas de las historias de estos milongueros hayan sido documentadas en entrevistas y publicaciones de blogs cuando todavía había un recuerdo vivo del tango a medida que se desarrollaba hasta su pico de popularidad y su cenit como baile único y expresión de la emoción humana. Cuando era adolescente, Cacho solo bailaba en su barrio local de Flores (como era habitual en ese momento) cuando su padre lo confrontó: "¿Quieres casarte?" Cacho di ..read more