The Four Stages of the Tango Journey

If tango to you is only what your eyes see it, the steps, then you are at the first stage of your tango journey. The intangible part of tango is still beyond your comprehension at this point. But you should not let the step fool you. It is only the tip of the iceberg. Tango is a comprehensive art form. Although you need to use steps to dance tango, there are things more important that you must learn first. At this point you should focus on developing good posture, embrace, connection, balance, stabiliity, lightness, dissociation, pivot, torso leading/following, and walk (see Tango Is a Language (I)). Many students take lessons beyond their level to learn advanced steps when their posture is still ugly, their body is still stiff and heavy, their embrace is still broken, their walk is still clumsy, they still can't lead or follow with the torso, and they still need to hold on to the partner for balance and stability. As a result, the fancy steps that they are learning have little meaning to them, only enhance their bad habits. At this stage you need to overcome your eagerness to achieve quick results, proceed in an orderly and gradual way, and take the time to improve basic skills and lay down the foundation (see Imitating Steps vs. Developing Skills). This approach seems slow, but it will pave the way for your rapid progress later on.

Once you’ve passed the introduction stage and started to dance tango socially, you enter the second stage of your tango journey. At this stage you continue to learn steps, but your focus should be on correcting your bad habits and developing good habits. If your personal praxes do not meet the tango standard, or if you picked wrong habits during the first stage, you need to fix them now. This stage could be long and painful because the wont that you have accumulated in your lifetime is not easy to break. It takes patience and hard work. You need a good teacher to work with you and help you correct your bad habits bit-by-bit. You can practice in front of a mirror, or videotape your dance to analyze your posture, embrace, connection, coordination and movements. You need to constantly make a conscious effort against your old habits until you have habituated yourself to the correct way of dancing tango and internalized the right posture, embrace, connection, movements and techniques that meet the aesthetic standard of tango.

As your dance starts to have that unique tango look, you enter the third stage of your tango journey. At this stage your attention begins to shift from the external to the internal. Once steps are no longer an obstacle, you are able to work on the intangible side of the dance. You need to improve your musicality, familiarize yourself with music of different genres, tempos, rhythms, moods and orchestras, and learn to dance to different pieces differently. You need to learn to express the music and your feelings with your dance, to pause, to adorn your steps, to dance in slow and fast motions and with more advanced techniques aimed not only at the look but also the feel of the dance, such as cadencia and gear effect. You need to work on improving your body's flexibility and coordination, and enhance your ability to communicate with your partner and effect the movement of your partner's body with your body. You also need to go beyond the technical level and become a socially acceptable dancer. For that you need to learn the philosophy, culture and etiquette of tango. As your abilities improve and your horizons expand, you will start to see beyond yourself.

The ability to see beyond yourself marks the most significant change in your tango, with which you enter the final stage of your tango journey. At this stage you start to pay full attention to your partner, to feel his/her emotions and feelings, to listen to his/her interpretations of the music, to be adaptive and accommodating to his/her dance, and to be one with him/her. You no longer dance to show off your skills, but to give comfort and pleasure to your partner. Tango to you is no longer steps, but an expression of love. Your lead becomes less difficult and forceful, but gentle, thoughtful and suited to the ability of your partner. You want her to feel free and enjoy the dance. Your follow becomes less bumpy and counteractive, but fitting, smooth, light and in harmony with your leader. You want him to feel comfortable and enjoy you. 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.