Simple Is Beautiful

In societies of scarcity, people are accustomed to simplicity and frugality. In contrast, in societies of abundance like ours, luxury and waste are the norm. Tasks that others complete with a simple kitchen knife, we do with multiple specialized tools: one for chopping eggs, another for cutting meats, another for slicing tomatoes, another for peeling apples, another for shredding cucumbers, and so on. Our kitchens are crammed with clutter. Our houses are increasingly crowded, and the same is true for our shopping malls, governments, and tax codes. Our national debt has surpassed $14 trillion, with $350 billion paid in interest each year, yet we still spend as if there’s no tomorrow. Our commercial culture is obsessed with catching attention, which explains why TV ads are becoming increasingly bizarre. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our young people confuse weirdness with beauty. Just look at the punk hairstyles, tattoos, nose rings, lip and eyelid piercings, and sagging pants - they’re all about grabbing attention rather than conveying genuine beauty.

The way we dance tango reflects this culture. Tango is actually a simple dance, but we insist on making it complex and difficult. In Argentina, tango is danced with natural, normal, simple, and comfortable steps, while our version is cluttered with showy, gaudy, exaggerated, and awkward movements. Simplicity and naturalness are an acquired taste we often lack. We regard complexity and oddity as beautiful. In Argentina, tango focuses on music, feeling, harmony, and physical pleasure, whereas our tango emphasizes fancy footwork, showy figures, dramatic performances, revealing costumes, luxurious hotels, and costly festivals. We’re too focused on superficiality.

Let me champion an aesthetic that values simplicity and naturalness. Nature is simple and beautiful. Light makeup is more comfortable than heavy, unnatural makeup. A house decorated simply is more pleasant than one cluttered with ostentatious ornaments. Concise writing is superior to redundant expression. Simple movements look more elegant than intricate steps. Empty space adds design and depth to a painting. Silence often says more than words. Too much can be worse than not enough. A kung fu master practices his skill with great ease; the best way is often the simplest (see The Advantages of Simplicity versus Flashy Movements).

Artistic simplicity is a key principle in aesthetics, capable of achieving unexpected, often superior, results. The video below, in which dance recreates a classic Chinese painting, is a prime example.

The same principle applies to tango. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - a quality those who focus only on the surface lack. Tango is not an extravagant luxury; it is a simple pleasure and a personal experience that shouldn’t cost an absurd amount of money to enjoy. As tango dancers, we must keep ourselves free from the commercialism and frivolous customs of our time. We must turn our attention from the superficial to the internal. An ordinary-looking woman with refined inner qualities is much more attractive than a pretty woman without them. Tango is the same. It is for feeling, not for show. When tango stops being a performance, it will be simpler, deeper, better, and more enjoyable (see The Conceptional Beauty of Tango).