Why You Should Learn Tango

Why You Should Learn Tango

 

  1. Stand Out — Distinctive music, combined with special footwork, makes any dancer stand out on the floor. Staccato footwork along with fluid body movements makes for a powerful dance, and a powerful, confident statement on the dance floor. Even if you are not looking to be noticed, everyone can appreciate good posture.
  2. Musicality — Learning Tango can help you learn about musical phrasing. Have you ever watched a Tango and wondered how they appear to be hitting the accents in the music without knowing the song? Tango trains the ear to understand how music works so you can effortlessly start matching the moves to the music. It will look spontaneous.
  3. Leader’s Role — The Tango is the leader’s dance — leaders develop their leading through their whole body. The dance is structured around a strong, confident lead, so leaders learn exactly how to emulate that.
  4. Follower’s Role — The follower takes on a very responsive position. They learn how to prepare themselves for the leader’s movement while maintaining the iconic Tango leg lines.
  5. Footwork — Tango is all about the fancy footwork! Swivels, fans, gauchos, cortes, Tango really has it all. It is the ultimate way to add drama to your dancing. Pro tip: Variety is the spice of life! Once you understand how they work, try them out in other dances, such as Rumba, Waltz, or Salsa!
  6. Connection — You’ll get to hold her close. Tango has a more compact hold, so that means romance, sexiness, and closeness. You won’t be stepping on any toes, since you will be solidly connected through your frame.
  7. Promenade — Tango will teach you a lot about promenades. (They’re not just about holding the rose in your mouth!) Promenades effectively teach you how to move from open to closed position, and back again.
  8. Again — DRAMA! Tango is not just about the big movements, but also about the subtlety of small movements. It is knowing when to do something grand, or when to keep it intimate with your partner.

About The Dance of Passion: The Tango!

Arthur Murray Dance Center of CranfordRegardless of how much dance knowledge or expertise someone has, almost everyone has heard of the Tango. The very name evokes an image of sensuality and passion no matter how much someone may know about it.

Unlike the two dances covered so far in the Arthur Murray Cranford blogs, the Foxtrot and the Cha Cha, the Tango can trace its roots back to the nineteenth century, and the dance originated much farther south on the globe. It sprung up in the last 1800s along the border of Argentina and Uruguay, evolved from several other dances, such as the Milonga and Waltz. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that the Tango spread to the rest of the world, however, although it soon created quite the craze in Europe and the United States by 1913.

Today, the Tango has many different, distinct forms in the professional dancing world. The two most popular and well-known are the American Tango (seen as the “normal” or default Tango in the States) and the Argentine Tango, both favorite choices taught here at the Arthur Murray Dance Center of Cranford.

The American style of Tango is characterized by strong, decisive movements and staccato footwork. It is the dance of passion incarnate. In contrast, the Argentine Tango is far slower with smoother, more sensual movements. If the American Tango is the fiery, feisty dance, then the Argentine Tango is the sexier one.

Either (or both!) of these styles of dance can add some romance and spice to any dance resume! We can teach anyone who’d like to learn these dances, so Walk In & Dance Out today! You can schedule your first complimentary lesson with us either online or by calling our Cranford studio.