Tango is not just a fascinating dance—it is a rich philosophy, culture, and way of life. The search of tango is the search of connection, love, fellowship, unity, harmony, and beauty—an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us into individuals, but tango brings us together as a team. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, Democrats, or Republicans—we are simply human, intertwined and interdependent. Tango invites us to tear down walls, build bridges, and rediscover our shared humanity through connection, cooperation, accommodation, and compromise. It is a dance that reminds the world how to love.
September 15, 2012
Tango Is a Feeling
Steps are often described as tango’s “vocabulary”—a term that highlights their role as tools, a medium through which music and emotion find expression. At its core, tango is not about the steps themselves; it is about what those steps convey. As someone famously put it, “Tango is a feeling that is danced.”
Defining feelings is no simple task. They span a vast spectrum—emotions, sentiments, moods, daydreams, euphoria, sorrow, excitement, and even the elusive duende. In essence, tango evokes a unique state of mind—one in which we feel most alive: exuberant, creative, fluent, eloquent, and fulfilled. Yet this state is often fleeting and unpredictable. It can arise unbidden—or not at all, even when we long for it. Still, anyone who has truly felt it knows its power. For many of us, that feeling is what makes tango so profoundly addictive (see The Psychology in Tango).
One reason tango can evoke that feeling lies in its music. High-quality tango music is essential for a truly fulfilling experience—it connects us, ignites our imagination, liberates our expression, and fuels creativity on the dance floor. The most compelling music—marked by clear rhythms, evocative melodies, and profound emotional depth—does far more than provide structure. It resonates within us, stirs the soul, shapes our mood, and elevates us into that rare, transformative state of mind.
We dance not merely to execute movements but to share the music and the emotions it evokes with another. When recalling a memorable milonga, it is not the sequence of steps that stays with us, but the profound connection and the imprint of emotion left by the music.
Yet music alone is not enough—the embrace is equally vital. Perhaps more than anything, tango’s essence is found in the embrace (see The Fourteenth Pitfall of a Tanguera). Contrary to what beginners may believe, the embrace is not merely a physical frame or hold; it is the connection that unites us, the communication that links our hearts, the intimacy that soothes our souls, and the physical touch that ignites chemistry.
Tango embrace fulfills a profound human need, providing connection, belonging, and a sense of completeness. It recalls something primal and deeply comforting—the warmth of a mother’s chest, the protection of a father’s arms, the cradle of infancy, the safety of home. Tango reminds us that we are not our best in isolation but in togetherness. In its purest form, tango is a longing for “home,” found in each other as we dance, becoming whole through unity. Without the embrace, tango loses its soul and becomes just another ordinary dance.
If the embrace is essential, so too is the partner. That transcendent feeling remains unreachable when dancing with someone who has not yet learned how to truly embrace (see The Connection between Partners). Unfortunately, a pedagogy focused solely on steps often creates such dancers. They avoid closeness, lean away to create distance, cling mechanically, or remain emotionally absent. These dancers miss the very heart of tango.
Dancing tango is akin to cradling a baby in your arms, singing a lullaby as you gently rock her to sleep, or resting in a parent’s embrace, swayed tenderly by a hymn into a dream. Tango is warmth. It is safety. It is shared. Its music, its embrace, and its rhythmic movement weave a hypnotic spell, transporting us to a place so blissful we hesitate to return when the tanda ends (see The Cradle Effect). Yes, steps are necessary—but only as servants of the embrace, keeping us moving together as one.
Tango mirrors a real-life relationship: rich with challenges yet sustained by unity, support, trust, and love. It demands surrender, devotion, and the courage to remain connected. (see Tango Is a Relationship).
If you embrace tango from this perspective, you will discover an entirely different dance—one that is intimate, romantic, comforting, dreamy, soulful, and profoundly fulfilling (see Tango and Romanticism).
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