Tango is not only a fascinating dance but also a fascinating philosophy, culture and lifestyle. The search of tango is the search of connection, love, fellowship, unity, harmony and beauty, i.e., an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us into individuals, but tango unites us into a team, community and species. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, Democrats, Republicans, etc., but interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. Tango calls us to tear down the walls, to build bridges, and to regain humanity through affinity, altruism, cooperation, and accommodation. It is a dance that teaches the world to love.



March 30, 2022

Two Tangos, Different Charms


We describe Latin dances such as rumba, cha-cha and samba as passionate, hot and sexy, but we no longer describe tango in that way. Rather, we use elegant, graceful and soulful to describe this dance that once belonged to the Latin dance family. In other words, in its development tango has been gradually refined and gentrified, evolving from the dance of brothel to Tango de Salon.




But once upon a time, tango was a hot, sexy, passionate Latin dance.






Comparing the two kind of tangos, we can see the following differences.

1. Tango de Salon is danced at a slower pace. Earlier tango is danced at a faster pace.

2. In Tango de Salon the steps are larger. In earlier tango the steps are smaller.

3. In Tango de Salon the woman's hip movement is moderate, remaining relatively paralell to the man's hips, while in earlier tango the hip movement of the woman is quite large, perpendicular to the man's hips.

4. Tango de Salon highlights elegance and harmony. Earlier tango highlights hot gender identity and gender expression.

5. Tango de Salon focuses on subtle, inward feelings. Earlier tango focuses on exaggerated visual impression.

Both tangos have their merits, one shows maturity and elegance, the other shows vigor and passion.

The fact that earlier tango is no longer seen is more or less a shame to me because I believe it still has an aesthetic value, and its techniques, as the couple in the video below tried to reproduce, are worth studying. The evolution of human aesthetics, however, has its own logic that is beyond anyone’s personal preference. As a general trend perhaps, that "Elegance is the only beauty that never fades." - said Audrey Hepburn, is the underlying logic of human aesthetics and tango. Vigor loses with time, but elegance remains.






February 22, 2022

Steps and Choreography


Many leaders focus only on the steps and don't pay enough attention to the choreography when they lead the dance. In fact, the quality of a tango is determined more by choreography than steps.

To explain this, let's take a closer look at how the milongueros dance tango.












In the dance of the milongueros, the most impressive thing is not their steps, but their dance arrangement or choreography, which has the following common characteristics.

1. They dance at a slower pace, allowing the woman to follow in a restful, comfortable, and elegant manner.

2. Every step is well thought out and clearly led, focusing on expressing feelings, not on impression.

3. There is a pause after each phrase, just like there is a punctuation mark after each sentence.

4. The pause is not completely still, but in subtle motion to give the woman a chance to do embellishments.

5. The steps are simple, small, but pulsating, like surging waves rather than flowing water.

6. Between two steps is a soft transition, often in the form of a slow turn, preparing the next surge in a different direction.

7. Surging step, pause, soft transition, and another surging step constitute the basic rhythm of the dance. This arrangement can better reflect the music, sentiment and feelings that characterize social tango.

The dance of the milongueros is in sharp contrast to our tango, which tends to be busy, hasty and beat-chasing, prioritizing steps rather than feelings. If their tango is art, then ours is more like gymnastics. We tend to step on every beat and dance at a hurried, monotonous pace, leaving little room for the woman to do decorations. There is a lack of pause, slow motion, subtlety, depth and emotional expressions in our tango. The following is an example.




These are not novices but fairly skilled dancers. In fact, the quality of their dance is better than most such scenes found online. I chose this clip to illustrate that dance techniques and choreography are two seperate skills. What most dancers need more is the latter. (See Floorcraft, Choreography and Hastiness.)

Of course, there's a learning curve. In the following video, I saw some progress.




Some dnacers in this video seem to have learned the style of the milongueros. One shining example is the man in the hat appeared in 3:10-3:50, who used a lot of pauses and slow motions. As you can see, by adopting the choreography of the milongueros, the dance becomes deeper, tastier, more musical and less gymnastic.

Pause and slow motion are to dance what punctuation is to writing, making it more expressive, artistic and meaningful. The following is another good example.





January 7, 2022

Tango in Small Cities


There are numerous teahouses in the streets and alleys of Chengdu, China, and every one of them is booming with business. Chengdu people like to spend time with friends in teahouses, drinking tea while chatting, reading, playing chess, listening to local operas, etc. This leisurely pleasure has become an indispensable part of Chengdu people’s daily lives.


What the teahouse is to Chengdu is like what the milonga is to Buenos Aires. There are numerous milongas in the streets of Buenos Aires. The Portenos like to pass time there, meeting friends, drinking coffee, listening to music, and dancing tango. Over time, they became skilled dancers, and tango became an integral part of their daily lives. For many Portenos, a day without tango is like a day without food.




Tango dancers in small cities where their number is small and milongas are rare don't have that luxury. That’s why I used to drive to nearby big cities to dance tango. For a three-hour milonga, the round trip took me five to six hours. In addition to fatigue and sleepless nights, the cost adds up to a considerable amount annually. In the end I couldn't take it any more and had to accept the reality to dance locally.

Dancing locally may not be as gratifying as dancing in big cities, but it is convenient, time-saving, and affordable. It's okay to go out to dance occasionally, but to enjoy tango on a regular and sustainable base, you have to do it locally. Tango aficionados in small cities must face this reality. In big cities there are established tango groups and milongas readily available. But in small cities we have no choice but to make our own. Creating a tango community isn't easy, but if we don't do that and choose to travel long distances, then we'll have to say goodbye to tango when we are tired of travel. Would it not be better if we put that energy in building our own tango community, so that we can enjoy tango just like people in big cities?

Tango dancers in small cities have to have a strategic vision. We can't expect other people to plant trees for us to enjoy the shade. We have to plant our own trees and enjoy our own fruit. Building a tango community requires dedication and a lot of work. Despite the difficulties, we should not exchange that vision for immediate pleasure. We must invest for the future, so that when we cannot travel around, we will still have a place to dance tango. Don't be intimidated by starting small and slow. So long as we stick to the cause, the community will grow. Right now we are still in the start-up stage, but that stage will pass. What we ought to think is how to make our community bigger, stronger and better, not to leave the community and dance elsewhere.

The importance of building a local tango group cannot be overstated. It is where we improve our dance skills and enjoy tango on a daily base. Tango is teamwork. Without a team there cannot be tango. You go out to dance tango because there is a better team out there. So why not spend time on improving our own team? As tango dancers we can't only think about the present but not the long-term, focus only on personal improvement but ignore team building, enjoy without contributing, and take without giving back. I have provided you with a place to dance tango, and I do it willingly as my contribution to the group. I expect every one of you to make your own contributions, not as a way to return the favor, but as a way to strengthen the group and make it better and more united. Do not come just to have a good time. Ask yourself at least once a month, "Have I done anything for the group this month?" If everyone can do their part, then our group will grow faster, so that tango can become an indispensable part of our daily lives, too. (See Never Forget Why We Started.)