Have you ever asked yourself how hard the Tango is? Tango is a complicated dance to master, but it’s one that you’ll enjoy once you’ve learned it. In addition, it can help beginners improve their communication skills, fitness, and body language.
If you’re interested but need to know where to start, this post should help fill in some of the spaces by covering the basics of Argentinian dance.
Is Tango Hard to Lean?
Learning to perfect the Tango is a complex task. Mastering the Argentine dance and the equilibrium skills required to execute it takes time. You’ll need to work on your coordination and balance to learn this dance. In addition, because of its complicated rhythmic patterns and footwork, this dance style calls for specialized tango education to help you improve your poise and grace on the dance floor.
If you’re new to Tango, here’s what you can expect!
1. Partner Dances
In its essence, Tango is a dance for two people.
One of the most well-known couple dances, Tango is characterized by its partner’s close embrace and emphasis on close connection, playfulness, and expressive expressions.
Additionally, the Tango relies on an exchange of leads. It follows, with the leader showing the follower where to go through their embrace.
One can perform Tango in various musical genres, such as:
- Traditional
- Nuevo
- Alternative
With enough space, one can Tango in a counterclockwise circle around the dance floor’s perimeter.
2. Difficult Dance to Master
Tango is not an easy dance to master.
Moving around the dance floor is a constant requirement when tangoing. If one couple doesn’t move, they’ll attempt to turn, making a mess of the dance floor. Moreover, the most challenging part of dancing in an embrace is keeping your upper body still while moving your legs.
However, the Tango for beginners is a breeze. It’s simpler to pick up at your own pace and features several valuable techniques for students. Lastly, your size and weight won’t be an issue.
3. Argentine Tango
Tango has become one of the most well-known and influential dances of the 20th century because of its variety of styles and incredible appeal.
It originated on the sidewalks of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently, these are the most popular types of Tango dances:
- Ballroom tango
- Salon tango
- Argentine Tango
- Tango nuevo
- Finnish Tango
Most Tango tunes are either 16 or 32 beats per measure.
There are also two sorts of embraces between the lead and follow dancers in Tango,
- Open embrace, and
- Close embrace.
4. Equilibrium Skills
Learning how to tango takes a lot of inner balance.
Both dancers must know the center of their bodies and stay on the axis to stand up. Of course, each dancer has their axis, but you must balance each other.
Here are the top three qualities a follower should develop to dance the Tango effectively.
- Axis
- Accuracy
- Presence
Rule of Thumb
In the context of dance, proximity is beneficial. When you’re physically and emotionally close to someone, you learn more about them quickly and easily.
5. Learning Tango
When learning the Tango, you must first know about basic tango instruction and movements.
Tango Basic: It consists of five steps danced to the beat of eight. The tempo varies from slow to quick to slow. Slow steps use two music beats, while rapid steps use one.
Instructions & Diagrams: This one has the most incredible twists and turns compared to other ballroom dances.
There are lots of resources to acquire this. You can choose from the following:
- Online Tango Classes (start from $19/month)
- In-Person Tango Classes (couples at $120/month)
6. Grace And Posture
Several dancers take tango dance lessons to improve their grace and posture.
Along with the music, it acquires a natural flow of ease, grace, naturalness, and elegance.
If you want to feel like you belong to a thriving community and enjoy beautiful and distinctive social interaction, you could learn to tango.
According to research, it has been shown in numerous studies to provide mental and physical benefits.
Lastly, the Tango is an incredible way for couples to bond. Not surprisingly, many tango students use their classes as “dating evenings.”
7. Tango Attire
One of the most significant elements of Tango is the dancers’ attire, which substantially impacts the dance’s aesthetic appeal.
Female dancers perform passionately to emphasize their beauty and sensuality. In addition, they make an effort to dress stylishly without limiting their flexibility.
Women
- Short, asymmetrical hemlines
- Lycra and stretch fabric materials
- High heel tango dance shoes
Men
- Straight-cut trousers
- Shirt
- Good dancing shoes
- Vests, hats, and suspenders
One can purchase them starting from as little as $39 from various online retailers.
8. Tango Coaching
Tango is a lovely hobby that you can pursue as a profession.
It’s not unusual that a lot of people are interested in it.
As instructors, they focus on their students, ensuring they grasp every dance step. For some tango coaches, one of their side gigs is instructing during business trips.
Having a drink and a discussion with new people while dancing and socializing is a fantastic approach to coaching them.
As you learn in your tango lessons, this is a more formal setting with its rules and expectations.
9. Be Comfortable
Ideally, a beginner should spend between 1-2 years learning the basics of Tango before progressing to the intermediate level.
Three to four more years are required to graduate to an expert level, and another five are needed to reach mastery.
Try not to overthink the process of picking up Tango. Just be patient. A lot must occur beforehand to add a new step or modification to your dance.
It may take some mental processing, physical adjustment, the formation of muscle memory, and other factors to become fully accustomed.
To learn more, you can also see our posts on Ballet, Tap, and Zumba.
Conclusion
If you want to learn the Tango, know that it can be an extremely daunting challenge but rewarding beyond words.
It takes a lot of passion and dedication to cultivating the skills needed to learn the dance style.
Ultimately, even though there’s no going back after learning it, don’t be afraid to continue dancing – you may be surprised at what you can.