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.



March 7, 2013

The Four Stages of the Tango Journey


If tango to you is merely what the eyes can see—the steps—then you are at the earliest stage of your tango journey. At this stage, the intangible dimensions of tango remain elusive. However, steps are only the tip of the iceberg. Tango is a rich, multifaceted art form. While learning steps is necessary, there are things more essential. At this stage, you should focus on developing foundational skills: correct embrace, good posture, strong connection, balance, stability, dissociation, pivoting, the ability to use the torso to lead or follow, and a grounded, elegant walk (see Tango Is a Language (I)). You should use the opportunity of learning steps to hone these essential skills. Many students attempt to learn advanced steps when their posture is still awkward, their body is still stiff and heavy, their embrace is still broken, their walk is still clumsy, they still can't lead or follow through the torso, and they still need to hold on to the partner for balance and stability. Consequently, any advanced steps they learn are superficial and only reinforce poor habits. At this stage, it is vital to resist the temptation for quick results. Instead, adopt a structured and gradual approach, dedicating time to mastering essential skills and building a strong foundation (see Imitating Steps vs. Developing Skills). This approach may feel slow at first, but it lays the groundwork for faster progress in the long run.

Once you’ve moved beyond the introduction phase and begun dancing socially, you enter the second stage of your tango journey. At this stage, you continue to learn steps, but your main focus should now shift to correcting bad habits and cultivating good ones. If your personal practices do not align with tango standards, or if you picked up poor habits during the first stage, now is the time to address them. This stage can be long and demanding because habits formed over a lifetime are not easily changed. It requires patience and persistent work. You need a skilled teacher to guide you and help you correct issues step by step. Practicing in front of a mirror or reviewing video recordings of your dancing can help you evaluate your posture, embrace, connection, movement, and coordination. You must make constant, conscious efforts to overcome your old habits until you have ingrained the correct way of dancing tango and internalized the proper posture, embrace, connection, movements, and techniques that adhere to the aesthetic standards of tango.

As your dance begins to reflect the distinctive tango aesthetic, you enter the third stage of your tango journey. At this stage, your attention starts to shift from the external to the internal. Once steps are no longer an obstacle, you can focus on the intangible aspects of the dance. At this level, musicality becomes central. You must deepen your understanding of tango music—its many genres, tempos, rhythms, moods, and orchestras—and learn to interpret and dance to each piece uniquely. You need to improve your ability to express the music with your movement—using pauses, slow motion, embellishments, and advanced techniques that prioritize not only the visual appeal but also the feeling of the dance, such as cadencia, the gear effect and the cradle effect. Additionally, you need to work on improving flexibility, coordination, and body awareness, refining your connection and communication with your partner, and enhancing your ability to influence the movement of your partner's body with your body. You also need to go beyond the technical aspects and become a socially adept dancer. This involves learning the philosophy, culture and etiquette of tango. As your skills and experiences expand, so will your perspectives, and you will begin to see beyond yourself.

The ability to see beyond yourself marks the most significant transformation, signaling your entry into the final stage of the tango journey. At this stage, you begin to pay attention to your partner, to feel their emotions and feelings, to interprete their musical expression, to adapt and accommodate their dance, and to be one with them. You no longer dance to showcase your skills, but to provide comfort, joy, and contentment to your partner. Tango is no longer just steps; it becomes an expression of love. Your lead becomes less difficult and forceful, but gentle, responsive, and attuned to the ability of your partner. You want her to feel free, supported, and delighted in dancing with you. Your follow becomes less bumpy and counteractive, but fitting, smooth, light and in harmony with your leader. You want him to feel confident, comfortable, and enjoy your presence. You start to understand the essence of tango and see tango as what the milongueros see it. Now, you are at the top of the game.



4 comments:

  1. Hi Paul,

    This one was very interesting. As I read it, I think back at the last four years since I started Tango. The four stages are exactly as it happened to me. I feel I am at stage four, at the top of my game (but still have so much to learn and improve). My partner is all that matters to me now. Listening to every thing she has to say with out speaking a word and adjusting as needed. I have so much more fun at Milongas now than ever before. I may not dance much but when I do, it is a wonderful experience (most of the time). I focus more on the quality and not quantity of the dance.

    I do have one question for you. Do you think that some people get stuck in one of those early stages? The reason I ask is because I know some people that have been dancing much longer then I have, yet they seem to dance the same way every time. Some will explain or teach their partner during a tanda because they are trying to do some fancy complicated steps that their partners are not familiar with.

    Thanks for posting. I always learn some thing when I read your blog.

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  2. Dear Anonymous,

    Thank you very much for the comment! You are fortunate to have discovered what took me much longer to discover—the joy of dancing for my partner. I do agree with you that some people seem get stuck in themselves. That’s why I want them to see beyond. In fact we can’t draw a clean line between the stages. People who find the joy in dancing for others may still need to improve their skills in order to truly be able to dance for others, or dance better for others. Our tango journey will never end. Your experience is an encouraging example. Thank you for sharing!

    Paul

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  3. Hi Paul,

    Thanks for the reply. Well, I have to tell you that it was your blog that help me discover the fourth stage. I was stuck some where in the early stages before reading your blog. I have read every one of your post, some of them numerous times. I had to reevaluate what I wanted out of Tango after reading your post. The funny thing is, I have stopped going to all the Tango workshops. I really never got much out of them or at least any thing useful for a social Milonga. I only take private lessons from two teachers from Buenos Aires. One is a man that helps me from the leader’s perspective and the other is a lady that helps me from the follower’s perspective. The advantage of taking private lessons is that I have control over what I want them to teach me. I tell them what I want to learn or work on. Where as in a workshop, they teach what ever they think students want or need to know. The other interesting thing is that I found my self going back to the basics. I work a lot on the basics such as walking, cadence, embrace and a few other things.

    Sorry for the long reply. Please keep sharing your thoughts, knowledge and experience with us.

    Take care,

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  4. Sadly, I approached tango in a different way, through musicality and respect for partner, and I had no idea about steps. After two years, I really wanted to learn how to stop. I got a break through when I saw an old guy I respected dance, it was almost the complete opposite of what I had been doing.

    The reason why i say sadly is because I haven't been able to progress sequentially. I am not confident. I can dance with a woman now and feel like a complete klutz. Why? Because I have always followed the follower. And if that follower tries to lead, I am done for. If they are generous enough to simply keep following, then there is a chance we achieve tango.

    You have progressed in a method which is solid and dependable. Sometimes I yearn for that. But it has not been my way. I respect your method, but my life would be easier if people recognised it was not the only method, and may forgive my... more unorthodox approach to each and every dance.

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