Tango Is a Language (II)

To communicate effectively, you need to speak the same language. If you speak a different dialect, adopt an unfamiliar accent, or use self-invented words, communication becomes difficult. The same issue also poses a challenge to tango. Different leaders often lead the same step differently, and different followers respond in varying ways to the same lead. Leaders complain that followers aren’t following properly, while followers blame unclear signals. These happen often because dancers do not share a common tango language.

Many students fail to appreciate the importance of standardization. They overlook fundamentals, dismiss instructions, and ignore established standards. This tendency is especially pronounced among those who adopt unconventional approaches or seek to dance in ways that diverge from traditional tango. Some teachers also contribute to the confusion by introducing self-invented, nonstandard steps that are ill-suited for social dancing. While such innovations may be effective on stage, where routines are rehearsed with fixed partners, they cause serious problems in the milonga, where partners are randomly paired. In social settings, successful communication and harmonious improvisation hinge on adhering to shared standards. Without these common standards, dancers struggle to achieve coherence, unity, and harmony.

Social media further complicates tango's fragmented language. Many students mistakenly assume that performances they see online represent the standard. Yet most of these exhibitions are theatrical renditions of tango, differing significantly from the tango danced in milongas (see Social Tango and Performance Tango).

The tango most commonly danced in milongas is social tango, particularly the milonguero style. This grassroots form continues to thrive in Buenos Aires, attracting tango enthusiasts from around the world who come to experience tango in its native environment—at over two hundred milongas across the city. Regardless of what tango "language" you speak at home, a visit to Buenos Aires makes one thing clear: theirs is the true language of tango. If social tango is to become an international dance, it must adopt the language of Buenos Aires as its standard.

We can draw insight from the lessons of some other languages. The Chinese language, for instance, evolved into many regional dialects due to geographical separation, making communication challenging between people from different regions. Over the past century, efforts have been made to promote a standard national dialect. This goal has only been partially accomplished in recent decades, thanks to the widespread use of Mandarin in media broadcasting and school education. However, despite progress, many rural areas still speak local dialects that outsiders cannot understand.

If you're studying Chinese, you want to learn Mandarin, not a regional dialect. Similarly, if you're learning tango, you want to study Argentine tango—not Finnish tango or American tango. If your goal is to dance in milongas, you should focus on social tango, particularly the milonguero style danced in Buenos Aires—not a self-invented, localized variation practiced only within a university campus in North America. Some of these campus communities are relatively isolated, rarely interacting with other tango circles or inviting external instructors. As a result, they develop their own tango "dialects" that are unfamiliar to the broader tango community.

Likewise, foreigners visiting Buenos Aires often struggle to dance with locals because the styles they learned at home are different from the locals'. As tango spreads globally, the risk of it fragmenting into multiple "dialects" grows. Without careful attention to a common standard, we risk repeating the story of the Chinese language.

Here is how Argentinians dance tango in their milongas.