Floorcraft, Choreography and Hastiness

We dance tango in a counter-clockwise direction around the line of dance, but our dance route is not a straight line. Rather, it is a random course with alternate right and left moves, forward and backward steps, and various turns. If our legs were like brushes, they would leave complex marks on the floor - neat or messy, beautiful or ugly, interesting or boring - just like a piece of calligraphy. This work of calligraphy is not merely two-dimensional, consisting of steps in different directions; it also has a time dimension, involving steps of varying speeds and rhythms.

Students may think of floorcraft as navigation rules, such as traveling on their own lane, avoiding frequent lane changes, not dancing against traffic, maintaining a proper distance from the couple dancing in front, refraining from spot dancing that may hold up traffic, and avoiding dangerous steps. But floorcraft is more than just a safety protocol. It is an integral part of choreography, which is an art in itself. Dancers may be skillful in dance techniques, but their choreography can still lack artistry. The following is an example.

These students are skilled dancers. Their embrace, posture, footwork, and techniques all look good. However, they danced hastily, chasing the beat without paying attention to the mood and structure of the music. There is hardly any phrasing, slow motion, pause, suspension, subtlety, or emotional expression in their dance.

Dancing tango means dancing to the music, not just executing steps. The latter is only an expression of the former. Tango music has its own structure, and expressing it requires following its inherent arrangement rather than stepping on every beat at a mono-speed. Dance, like any other form of composition, requires balance. In writing, you need punctuation; in painting, you need empty space; in calligraphy, you need margins; and in dance, you need phrasing and pause. Silence is also an expression, which sometimes is more powerful than words. Pause, slow motion, and pose must all be part of your tango vocabulary.

When it comes to musicality, the time dimension of choreography, we have much to learn from the milongueros.

As you can see, the milongueros danced at a much slower pace. Instead of chasing the beat, they incorporated slow motion and pauses into their dance. Their focus was on the music and emotions rather than the steps, making their performances far more expressive, engaging, and meaningful.

It is worth mentioning that plotting the dance is the role of the man. The woman's role is to synchronize with the man and beautify the dance, but she cannot change the choreography - that responsibility lies with the leader. Too often, the leader is so focused on leading the steps that he forgets to make the choreography interesting. Of course, this does not mean that the woman has no influence on the choreography. Sometimes the couple rush because the woman dances hastily, leaving the man little choice but to rush with her (see Steps, Musicality and Choreoraphy).