Never Forget Why We Started

As our second anniversary approaches, we have much to be proud of. Over the past two years, our numbers have steadily grown, our dance skills have improved significantly, and we now host our own milonga on a regular basis. When we go out to dance as a group, we leave a positive impression. Bit by bit, we’re beginning to make our mark on the tango community in this city.

Yet, we must guard against complacency. We are still far from realizing our full vision. Our group remains small, our skills are still evolving, and our presence in the local scene is modest. The broader community continues to be shaped by Nuevo tango, and there is still a great deal of work ahead—both in our personal development and in building the kind of community we envision.

Some members, having grown more confident, feel ready to step out on their own. They want to showcase their skills, meet new people, and participate in events outside the group. As a result, some classes have been missed due to scheduling conflicts. A few feel they’ve outgrown the group or no longer need it—and some have already moved on.

While it’s natural and even healthy to explore beyond our circle, we must not lose sight of our original purpose. This group was not founded for individual advancement alone. We are bound by a shared mission: to promote the milonguero style of tango, to foster a vibrant tango community, to transform the tango culture in this city, and to bring more people into our cause (see Champaign Milongueros Group Charter).

Fulfilling that mission demands teamwork, commitment, discipline, responsibility, perseverance, and personal sacrifice. If we prioritize self-interest over our shared goals, we risk repeating the same mistakes that others have made—drifting for years without finding a place to truly belong. Individuals seeking independence will eventually realize that they need a home base: a place to learn, to grow, and to fully enjoy tango.

Creating a group of like-minded dancers is essential—because tango cannot be fully enjoyed with just anyone. True connection happens only when we share the same philosophy, embrace the same style, master the same technique, and reach a shared level of proficiency. Tango is not a solo journey; it’s the collective work of a group of like-minded, committed, and educated dancers. That’s why we must set aside individual egos, lift each other up, and work side by side to build a strong, united team, without whom one alone cannot enjoy tango no matter how good their dance skills are.

Of course, this is easier said than done. People learn at different speeds. Some dancers progress more quickly than others. It takes time and patience for everyone to reach the same level of skill. In the meantime, those who advance faster may feel tempted to seek out more experienced partners. But when we place personal ambition above our collective mission, the group suffers—and ultimately, everyone loses.

If we stay united, support each other, and keep the long-term vision in mind, the group will grow stronger, and everyone will benefit. It takes dedicated individuals to create a strong group, and a strong group to make a lasting impact. Until we reach that point, we cannot persuade others to join us or bring about meaningful change. Therefore, our priority must not be to flaunt our achievements but to focus on continuous self-improvement as a group. History is written by those who stay the course, work together, and never give up (see Tango in Small Cities).

Learning Tango: Two Perspectives

Certain behaviors are common among tango beginners: (1) They are eager to learn steps but often overlook foundational skills. (2) They mimic movements without attention to technical details. (3) They focus on themselves rather than on connecting with their partner. (4) They lean back to avoid close physical contact. (5) They lead or follow using their arms and hands. (6) They hold on to their partner to help themselves move. (7) They fail to truly listen to and follow the music (see Imitating Steps vs. Developing Skills).

All of these tendencies stem from a single misconception: they see tango solely as a series of steps. For them, learning tango means memorizing and reproducing steps, assuming that if they can perform the steps, they can dance tango. This step-centric perspective leads them to overlook many other essential elements of the dance.

It's crucial to understand that in tango, what we dance is not the steps, but the music and the emotions the music inspires. Tango is a feeling—expressed through movement. Steps are merely the tools we use to interpret the music and convey emotion. Among all the elements that define tango, music and the feelings it evokes are paramount. Without them, tango becomes little more than a set of acrobatic exercises (see Tango Is a Feeling).

Of course, steps are necessary—you need them to dance. But knowing steps alone doesn’t mean you can dance musically or in harmony with a partner. Tango is a collaborative act, where the partners interact through the connection of their bodies. The woman’s role is not to perform her steps independently but to respond to the lead. When she concentrates on executing the steps on her own, it disrupts the connection. That’s why dancing with a beginner often feels stiff or disconnected.

The man’s lead is guided by the music. When the music is sharp, his lead is sharp. When the music softens, so does his lead. The same step can—and should—be danced differently, depending on the mood of the music. Instead of focusing on her own execution, the woman should focus on sensing the lead and expressing the music through her movements.

Each lead communicates something specific. For example, when the man's right chest pushes while his left chest pulls, it signals the woman to swivel her hips to his right. If his left chest pushes and the right pulls, it asks her to swivel left. Often, these signals are so subtle that they can only be felt, not seen. Tango is a sophisticated form of body language. Learning tango is less about mastering steps and more about learning that body language—learning to sense, respond, communicate, and merge with your partner through your body (see Tango Is a Language (I)).

This feeling-centric perspective shifts the dancer’s focus from steps to body, embrace, connection, communication, music, and the emotions it stirs. It’s about using your body to sense, to share your feeling with your partner, to express and exchange emotions through direct physical interaction, to move your body in harmony with your partner's body, and ultimately, to bring pleasure to your partner with your body.

Tango is not just any dance—it’s an intimate physical and emotional exchange between two people. Instead of merely imitating steps, let your goal be to make dancing with you a joy for your partner. Let that be the true focus of your learning and practice.

The transformation from a step-oriented, self-centered, single-focused beginner to a feeling-oriented, partner-centered, multitasking team player is a lengthy process. Beginners cannot fully grasp the essence of tango until they have acquired sufficient understanding, skills, and experience. However, adopting the right perspective from the very beginning can set you on the correct path—and significantly shorten your journey toward becoming a proficient tango dancer (see The Four Stages of the Tango Journey).

How to Dance Milonga

Milonga music is written in 2/4 time. There are two quarter notes in each measure, with each quarter note receiving one beat. The rhythm is counted as 1+, 2+ (where 1 is the downbeat, 2 is the upbeat, and + represents the subdivision). This rhythm is twice as fast as tango (see Tango Music and Its Danceability). How well one dances milonga depends on their ability to handle its fast pace.

There are three primary techniques for dancing milonga:

Milonga Lisa
The first technique is called milonga Lisa, where the dancer steps only on the downbeat of each measure, ignoring the upbeat and subdivisions:

• Right foot on 1 of the first measure.
• Left foot on 1 of the second measure.
• Right foot on 1 of the third measure.
• Left foot on 1 of the fourth measure...

The steps are executed evenly and at a consistent speed.

Milonga Lisa is the simplest way to dance milonga. While it may feel slow and monotonous, it works well with very fast music.

Dynamic Timing
The second technique is using dynamic timing, where the dancer steps randomly on any or all beats and subdivisions at varying speeds. For example:

• Step on 1 of the first measure, then on both 1 and 2 of the second measure (slow,            quick-quick).
• Step on both 1 and 2 of the first measure, then on 1 of the second measure (quick-          quick, slow).
• Step on all the downbeats and upbeats (quick-quick, quick-quick).

You can also incorporate subdivisions alongside beats:

• Left foot on 1, right foot on +, left foot on 2 (quick-quick, slow).
• Left foot on 1, right foot on 2, left foot on + (slow, quick-quick).
• Left foot on 1, right foot on +, left foot on 2, right foot on + (quick-quick, quick-quick).

Pauses and slow motions may also be employed for variety.

Dancing milonga with dynamic timing is more interesting, but due to frequent weight changes, it feels busy and could be tedious if the whole tanda is danced in this way. It fits nicely when music is slower.

Milonga Traspie
The third and more sophisticated technique is milonga traspie. Meaning stumble, traspie refers to pseudo-steps designed to reduce weight changes, thus make the fast-paced milonga more manageable.

When the leg encounters an obstacle, it may either cross over or rebound. Correspondingly, there are two types of traspie:

Double-Step Traspie In this type, the dancer steps twice with the same leg on two consecutive downbeats in slow-slow timing.

• The first step mimics the leg encountering an obstacle. It is not an actual step but            only a tap, carrying 50% of the body weight.
• The second step mimics the leg crossing over. It is a real step, carrying 100% of the          body weight to free the standing leg.

Executing double-step traspie, the left leg steps in line with the partner's leg, the right leg steps outside of the partner's leg, often in a pattern of two traspies forward and two traspies backward.

With its slow-slow timing, double-step traspie helps reduce movement speed when the music is very fast.

Rock Traspie This type mirrors a rebound motion. The dancer transfers weight back and forth three times in quick-quick-slow timing:

• Extend one leg forward, backward, or to the side, transferring 50% of body weight to       it on 1 (quick).
• Push with that leg to transfer weight back to the standing leg on + (quick).
• Push with the standing leg, transferring all weight back to the extended leg on 2 to          free the standing leg (slow).

Rock traspie is favored by milongueros for its plainness, compactness, and understated elegance.

By using these feigned steps, whether taps or rocks, traspie enables dancers to align their body movements with the music's rhythm without full weight changes on every beat, making the dance more manageable.

Due to the subtlety of its lead, traspie is best executed in close embrace with good physical connection between partners. Since it involves pseudo-steps rather than true steps, beginners accustomed to full weight changes may need to break old habits to master it.

Experienced dancers combine these techniques to make their milonga more varied and enjoyable. Here are a few additional examples.

Imitating Steps vs. Developing Skills

Many beginners believe that mastering steps is the key to dancing tango. As a result, they focus solely on imitating movements, memorizing one move after another without paying attention to technical details. They assume that by doing so, they will learn faster and start dancing sooner.

What they fail to realize is that becoming a skilled tango dancer is not about the number of steps one knows but rather the mastery of the fundamental skills that underpin those steps. These essential skills include musicality, embrace, posture, connection, flexibility, lightness, balance, stability, dissociation at the hips, pivot, cadencia, the ability to use the torso to lead/follow, switch between parallel system and cross system, the ability to return to the home position in a timely manner, walk, salida, resolution, cross, ocho, molinete, rock, traspie, synchronization, slow motion, and the gear effect. These are the building blocks of all tango movements. A dancer with a solid grasp of these fundamentals can create beauty with just a few simple steps. In contrast, those who neglect these skills often appear awkward and disconnected in dancing, even though they may know many fancy figures.

The primary purpose of teaching steps in tango is not simply to learn the steps themselves but to develop the underlying skills. For instance, when a teacher instructs students to use dissociation in an ocho, it is because dissociation is a fundamental technique—essential not just for ochos but for many other movements in tango. However, students often miss this point. They imitate the figure superficially by merely crossing one leg in front of the other without rotating their hips. Instead of putting in the effort to develop the underlying skill, they take shortcuts to achieve quick results. Consequently, while they may have memorized many steps, their fundamental skills remain underdeveloped.

Another reason for teaching steps is to help students unlearn bad habits: bending forward, leaning back, bowing the head, keeping the knees perpetually bent, breaking the embrace, leading with arms and hands, or gripping their partner to execute movements. Until they replace these habits with correct posture, alignment, and technique, their dancing will not truly reflect the unique beauty and essence of tango. Unfortunately, many students remain fixated on copying steps without addressing these issues. As a result, even after learning numerous figures, their dancing still lacks polish and coherence.

The desire for rapid progress can often be a dancer’s greatest obstacle. Students must understand that the quality of their dance is not determined by how many steps they know but by the strength of their foundational skills and habits. Rather than rushing to collect more steps, they should focus on building a solid base, ensuring that each movement reinforces their overall technique. By progressing systematically—practicing basic skills diligently, refining technical details, committing to drills, and internalizing good habits—they will achieve twice the results with half the effort. This is the only true path to becoming a confident tango dancer.

Rock Steps and Variations of Ocho Cortado

Rock refers to shifting your weight to one leg and then to the other when the legs are apart. It is typically done in quick-quick-slow timing: (1) stretching one leg forward or backward and transferring 50 percent of the body weight to it (quick), (2) pushing with that leg to transfer weight back to the standing leg (quick), and (3) collecting the acting leg and shifting weight to it to free the standing leg (slow). Rock can be executed in various patterns: forward and backward, right and left, forward and side, with or without a pivot, etc. Since the position of the standing leg can be adjusted in step (2), and the position of the acting leg can be altered in step (3), the rock step can be used to change the direction of travel. The following video demonstrates this technique:

This video includes three parts.

The first part demonstrates the basic forward-back-collecting rock pattern. For clarity, I will primarily describe this from the leader's perspective: (1) He steps forward with his left leg (quick). (2) He pushes with his left leg to transfer weight back to his right leg (quick). (3) He collects his left leg and shifts weight to it, freeing the right leg (slow).

The pattern then repeats starting with the other leg. This sequence can also be performed diagonally to the left or right. The woman mirrors the man’s movements. Note that she does not collect her acting leg when her weight is transferred back to her standing leg. Instead, she keeps her legs spread apart, with the heel of her acting leg remaining on the floor, tilting the foot upward for a more stylish appearance.

In the second part, the man demonstrates the forward-back-side rock pattern: (1) He steps forward with his left leg (quick). (2) He pushes with his left leg to transfer weight back to his right leg (quick). (3) He steps to the side with his left leg and shifts weight to it, freeing the right leg (slow).

This pattern is repeated with the other leg. Note that he makes a 90-degree turn when rocking to either side. The woman mirrors his movements, swiveling her back leg to the right and left while keeping her front leg in place.

In the third part, the man demonstrates how to change the direction of travel at the cruzada using two sets of rock patterns. After leading the woman to the cross, he first employs the forward-back-side rock pattern, starting with his left leg: (1) He steps forward with his left leg to make her step back with her right leg. (2) He pushes with his left leg to transfer weight back to his right leg, prompting her to shift weight forward to her left leg. (3) He steps to the side with his left leg, causing her to pivot 90 degrees and step on his left with her right leg.

Next, he uses the forward-back-turn rock pattern with his right leg: (1) He steps forward with his right leg to make her step back with her left leg. (2) He transfers weight back to his left leg after adjusting its position, prompting her to shift forward to her right leg. (3) He pivots to the left, prompting her to step forward with her left leg and pivot 180 degrees to face him, while he shifts weight to his right leg. These two patterns combine to form a variation of the ocho cortado, executed on his left side instead of his right, as is customary.

This version of ocho cortado can also be executed in the cross system, as demonstrated in the video at 0:33–0:44:

After leading her into the cross system, the man first uses a forward-back-turn rock pattern executed counterclockwise, starting with his right leg: (1) He steps forward with his right leg, prompting her to step back with her right leg. (2) He twists 90 degrees to the left with his right leg and steps back with his left leg, causing her to shift her weight forward to her left leg. (3) He continues the left turn with his left leg, prompting her right leg to swivel counterclockwise and land on his left, as he simultaneously shifts his weight to his right leg.

He then transitions to a forward-turn-side rock pattern with his left leg: (1) He steps to her right side with his left leg, prompting her to step back with her left leg. (2) He shifts his weight to his right leg after turning it 90 degrees to the left, prompting her to transfer her weight forward to her right leg. (3) He steps to the side with his left leg, causing her left leg to swivel 90 degrees counterclockwise and land on her back.

Next, he steps forward with his right leg, twisting it to make her left leg swivel counterclockwise into a back-cross, while he collects his left leg. (This is performed in slow-slow timing.) He then steps back with his right leg, prompting her to complete a standard ocho cortado.

Other rock patterns could also be applied at the cruzada, as shown in the following clip:

After leading the woman to the cross, the man first performs a forward-turn-turn rock pattern: (1) He steps forward with his left leg, prompting her to step back with her right leg. (2) He pivots 90 degrees to the right with both legs and shifts weight to his right leg, prompting her to transfer weight forward to her left leg. (3) He pivots another 90 degrees to the right with his right leg, prompting her to step forward with her right leg, while he shifts weight to his left leg.

On her part, the woman executes a back-forward-forward rock pattern: (1) She steps back with her right leg without collecting her left leg. (2) She pushes with her right leg to transfer weight forward to her left leg. (3) She steps forward with her right leg, freeing her left leg. Note that as she shifts weight back to her right leg in step (1), she tilts her left foot upward for a more stylish appearance.

The man then transitions to a right-left-turn rock pattern using the other leg: (1) He steps to the right with his right leg, prompting her to pivot 180 degrees with her right leg to face him, while her left leg steps on his right. (2) He pushes with his right leg to transfer weight back to his left leg, prompting her to transfer weight to her right leg. (3) He pivots 180 degrees to the left with his left leg, prompting her to step forward with her left leg and pivot 180 degrees to face him, while he shifts weight to his right leg.

On her part, the woman executes a turn-right-forward rock pattern: (1) She pivots 180 degrees with her right leg to face him and steps on his right with her left leg. (2) She pushes with her left leg to transfer weight to her right leg. (3) She steps forward with her left leg and pivots 180 degrees counterclockwise to face him. Note the dissociation at her hips when she steps to and fro on his side. This entire sequence represents another creative variation of the ocho cortado.

The couple continue to exploit rock patterns in another video:

This time, the man begins with a forward-back-back rock pattern executed clockwise. After leading the woman to the cross: (1) He steps forward with his left leg in a clockwise arc, prompting her to step back with her right leg in a clockwise arc. (2) He twists 90 degrees to the right with his left leg and steps back with his right leg, prompting her to transfer weight forward to her left leg. (3) He steps back with his left leg, prompting her to step forward with her right leg toward his right.

Next, he transitions to a back-side-turn rock pattern with the other leg: (1) He steps back with his right leg, prompting her to step to his right with her left leg. (2) He steps to the side with his left leg, prompting her to step to his left with her right leg. (3) He turns 90 degrees to the left, prompting her to step to his left with her left leg and pivot 180 degrees to face him, while he collects and shifts weight to his right leg. The result is a clockwise semicircular variation of the ocho cortado.

You might consider revising this version by using the same sequence but continuously turning to the left instead of turning to the right, creating a counterclockwise circular variation of the ocho cortado.

The rock step is the most iconic step of the milonguero style of tango, which embodies simplicity, compactness, rhythm, and elegance. The patterns described above represent only a fraction of the variety of rock patterns available. Familiarizing yourself with these patterns will enrich your dance vocabulary and enhance your tango.