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

Beginners often think that if they can master the steps, they can dance tango. This mindset leads many to focus solely on imitating steps. As soon as they memorize one step, they move on to copying another. They believe that by doing so, they can learn faster and start dancing tango sooner.

What they don’t realize is that becoming a qualified tango dancer isn’t about how many steps you know, but rather the foundational skills that underpin those steps. These essential skills include musicality, embrace, posture, connection, 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, flexibility, lightness, balance, stability, walk, salida, resolution, cross, pivot, dissociation, ocho, molinete, gear effect, cadencia, rock, traspie, synchronization, and slow motion. These are the building blocks of all tango movements. Dancers who have a solid grounding in these basics can perform beautifully with just a few simple steps. In contrast, those who lack these fundamental skills often appear incoherent and awkward in the dance, even if they know many fancy steps.

The purpose of teaching steps in tango is not merely to teach the steps themselves, but more importantly, to develop fundamental skills. For instance, when a teacher instructs students to use dissociation in an ocho, it’s because dissociation is a vital skill—not only for performing ochos but also for mastering many other tango movements. However, students may not grasp this point. They often imitate the motion of an ocho by simply crossing one leg in front of the other, neglecting the crucial work of swiveling their hips. Instead of putting in the effort to develop the underlying skill, they take shortcuts to achieve quick results. As a consequence, while they may have tried many steps, their fundamental skills remain underdeveloped.

Another purpose of teaching steps is to help students overcome bad habits, such as bending over, leaning back, bowing their heads, keeping their knees bent, breaking the embrace, using their arms and hands to lead or follow, or grasping their partner to perform steps. Until students break these bad habits and develop good habits that align with the requirements of tango, they cannot dance it well. However, students often fail to realize this. They focus on imitating steps and pay little attention to correcting their bad habits. As a result, even though they may have attempted many steps, their old habits persist, and their dancing still falls short of the standards of tango.

The eagerness to succeed can often become a major obstacle to learning. Students must recognize that the quality of their dance is not determined by the number of steps they know but by the fundamental skills and good habits they develop. Instead of focusing on merely copying steps, they should concentrate on building a solid foundation, ensuring that each step they learn serves as a building block for the next. By advancing in an orderly and gradual manner, diligently practicing basic skills, carefully following instructions, paying attention to technical details, committing to drills, and establishing a strong foundation, students can achieve twice the results with half the effort. This is the only path to becoming a skilled and competent tango dancer.