Walk

Traditional tango pedagogy places great emphasis on the walk. In earlier times, tango masters would dedicate extensive time to teaching students how to walk before progressing to any figures—and with good reason. First, tango is fundamentally a walking dance. No other dance form incorporates walking to the extent that tango does. Second, there is a strong correlation between walking and dancing: the difficulties dancers face in walking often manifest in their dancing. Those who walk well tend to dance well; those who struggle with the walk typically carry those issues into more complex movements. Third, walking is the simplest step in tango, yet it underpins all others. If dancers cannot execute a basic walk correctly, it is unlikely that they will perform advanced steps well, as many problems can often be traced back to a weak walk.

Moreover, because walking is such a straightforward movement, it provides an excellent opportunity to develop other foundational skills, such as posture, embrace, connection, communication, balance, dissociation, and musicality. Beginners cannot effectively focus on all these elements while learning complex movements. They must first master the basics before advancing to intricate steps and figures. To achieve this, exercises need to remain simple, and practicing walking serves as the perfect means to this end.

The subpar quality of our tango can be attributed, in many ways, to insufficient training in walking. American culture tends to promote learning as something that should be fun and easy. Our schools are designed to provide the most entertaining environments with minimal homework. Teachers often avoid boring students with repetitive drills. In the same vein, tango students often want to skip ahead to advanced moves, assuming they already know how to walk.

Nothing could be further from the truth. You might look normal—until people see you learning to walk in tango. In fact, everyone looks clumsy and even amusing during their first tango walk. This is because walking chest-to-chest in close embrace is not something people naturally do. You feel awkward and uncomfortable being in such close proximity to a stranger, leaning into them while stepping backward. Your body feels heavy, stiff, and unbalanced. You struggle to stay on beat, extend your leg far enough backward, or avoid being stepped on by your partner. Your posture is misaligned, with your butt sticking out, knees bending excessively, or bouncing and wobbling as you move. Many also find it difficult to dissociate at the hips while walking alongside their partner, resulting in an unsteady embrace and unintentionally pulling their partner off balance. (See Women's Walk in Tango.)

Until you’re comfortable in the embrace, you're not ready for the next steps. This is why walking is so crucial. It is simple, it keeps you grounded, and it helps you focus on the essentials. In fact, it’s not just about walking—it’s about everything foundational: posture, embrace, balance, connection, musicality, communication, dissociation, lightness, stability, flexibility, elegance, and harmony. Walking forms the bedrock of tango. Everything else builds from there.