Three Theories on Leading

The traditional theory of leading in Argentine tango is the drive theory, which defines the lead as a driving force. According to this theory, the man serves as the "driver," guiding the woman’s movements through his body. This approach reflects traditional gender roles and the macho culture in Argentine tango, with the man holding the woman gently yet firmly, while she leans slightly forward, resting in his embrace with her breasts pressing against his chest and her arm around his shoulder. In this setup, the woman doesn’t need to plan or initiate steps; she simply surrenders and allows him to lead her movements. Through torso-to-torso connection, he can easily guide her: propelling her, turning the torso to make her step to his side, twirling the torso and move it clockwise or counterclockwise to make her revolve around him, swaying her torso to bring her free hip and leg to swing, swiveling her torso to make her do a planeo, or interrupting and reversing the swivel to make her do a boleo, etc. The drive method is popular among feeling-oriented dancers who incline to the coziness of the embrace, the comforting sensation of the two connected bodies moving in sync to music, and the intimate physical interactions and soulful communication of feelings between the partners. For them, tango is a highly synchronized dance. What makes a good leader is his ability to use his body to effect the movement of the woman. What makes a good follower is her ability to synchronize her movement to his. Steps are used to facilitate the embrace so that the two partners may move in sync in the dance. Feeling-oriented dancers use simple steps to avoid complication and distraction. They focus on the music, embrace, connection, feelings, communication, and being one with each other. This theory underlies the milonguero style of tango.
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An alternative theory is la marca theory, which defines the lead as a series of signals or marks. Here, the lead might involve a push on her palm, a pull on her back, a tap on her side, a drag of her hand, a sideways use of strength with his arms, a pressure on her thigh with his thigh, etc. These are used as codes to tell the woman how he wants her to move. According to this theory, “Mastering tango is mastering the making of signals” (Tango, the Art History of Love, by Robert Farris Thompson). One disadvantage of this method, however, is that it encourages leading with arms and hands, deviating from the traditional drive method that uses the torso to lead. Another shortcoming is its lack of uniformity in signaling. Since each dancer may mark steps uniquely, following requires the woman to interpret individualized signals. Because this method is not well defined, it can cause inconsistancy, misleading, coerce, incoherence and discomfort. Nevertheless, this approach has influenced tango’s development. Leading with signals may result in different reactions from different followers, forcing the leader to accommodate. This changed the way how tango is danced and made it a less synchronized dance. The Villa Urquiza style of tango danced in a loose embrace in favor of fancy footwork, hence relies more on the arms and hands to lead, is associated with this theory.

A more unconventional theory on leading is the invitation theory promoted by some people in the West who, under the influence of Western liberal ideologies such as individualism, feminism and political correctness, oppose the traditional gender roles, and advocate for dancing in an open dance hold that allows of more independence and individuality. This theory defines the lead as an invitation. According to this theory the leader's job is to offer proposals, and he must respect the follower's choice on how she takes them. The process is being described as this: “The leader ‘invites’ the lady to enter a room. She accepts the invitation and, in her own time, enters, and he then follows. In a sense, therefore, the leader has become the follower (A Passion for Tango, by David Turner).” This approach leads to significant changes in the way tango is danced. First, it alters the dance frame from an A-shaped frame to an H-shaped one, allowing each partner to be more independent, which reduces the intimacy between them. Second, the absence of torso contact means that dancers must rely on their arms and hands for communication, even though, ideally, arms and hands should remain completely relaxed and uninvolved in leading. Third, it only works if the woman is an experienced dancer who knows how to follow the man’s torso; otherwise he would have to force her with his arms and hands, which not only feels coercive and uncomfortable but also confusing if his arms and hands are inconsistent with his torso (see Men's Common Mistakes in Tango). Finally, even if she knows how to follow his torso, the lack of torso contact makes the lead from his torso less direct, allowing her more freedom to interpret his intentions, and in turn requiring him to adapt to her responses. Consequently, their roles become more fluid, with less emphasis on traditional synchronization and a greater focus on individual expression. This shifts the dance from a feeling-oriented style to a performance-oriented one, transforming tango from an intimate, connected experience into a dance centered on movement and visual flair. (See The Styles of Tango.)