Leviticus II - Three Commandments for Tango Teachers

1. Thou Shalt NOT Teach Patterns

"Many classes are taught by visiting show dancers,who are used to learning very complex choreographed dance sequences. To them it's the most natural thing in the world to learn & teach 'steps.'"₁ But the essence of tango is improvisation, not memorization of patterns.

2. Thou Shalt Teach Small Classes

As with any subject, large class size militates against individual connection between student and teacher, which is essential to learning. Otherwise put your class live online and teach millions at once.

3. Thou Shalt Not Leave Musicality for Later

Any sequence should be designed to the music, and since the music cannot be known in advance, no sequence should be taught at all. Instead, the student, especially the lead, should be given the skills to go where the music takes him and partner.

For more information, Get The Argentine Tango Report.

(1) These "injunctions" and text are based on the blog post: Men's Common Mistakes in Tango by Paul Yang.  For a fuller reading, please see his post.

Leviticus - The Three Commandments of Argentine Tango

1. Thou Shalt Listen To The Music

For some men, failure to lead the woman to dance to the music is because they do not know how to listen to music. For others, it is because they are so focused on leading the steps that they cannot hear the music.... In leading, the man must first pay attention to the music. He must not only think of the steps that he is leading and forget about the music.₁

2. Thou Shalt Lead Simple Steps

Some men like to lead difficult steps that are beyond their abilities. Such steps require so much of their attention that they become heedless of the other aspects of the dance.... Unlike stage tango that emphasizes performance, social tango emphasizes the feelings and communications between the partners. Therefore, simple steps are more suitable for it.₁

3. Thou Shalt Not Lead With Thy Hands

Many men lead with their hands for a number of reasons. First, one's long-standing habit is hard to break. Second, it is easier to do steps with the help of hands. Third, beginners often see tango as steps rather than music interpretation, feeling and relationship, although the opposite is closer to the truth. Fourth, in order to teach steps, many teachers encourage their students to use open embrace, which reinforces the habit of using hands. However, using hands to lead conflicts with the essence of tango, that is, intimacy, sensuality, comfort, oneness and synchronization.... Beginners must overcome the habit of using hands, and develop the ability to lead with the torso.₁

(1) These "injunctions" and text are based on the blog post: Men's Common Mistakes in Tango by Paul Yang.  For a fuller reading, please see his post.

HOMEWORK QUESTION:

What does counter-body movement (related to leading with chest) look like?

To find the answer, create a log-in at my website, then go to the "Principles" page.

Exodus 2

"Tango is improvised. It is improvised all the way. There are no combinations. In tango you can’t be preoccupied with steps. You need to express your feelings while listening to the music" - Miguel Zotto

As taught in the previous installment, to learn Argentine tango, you must give up the concept of learning moves.

The Argentine tango is completely improvisational, but in order to improvise you must know what to do with your feet between steps.  If you don't know, please look at the previous installment: Exodus 1.

HOMEWORK QUESTION:

What are the seven improvisations?

To find the answer, create a log-in at my website, then go to the "Principles" page.

Exodus 1

"The Argentine tango is a celebration of the masculine-feminine dynamic."

To express your masculine freedom in the Argentine tango, you must leave the slavery of learning and knowing "moves", and enter the wilderness of complete improvisation.  Only there will you fully express the creative man that you are, and get the woman to follow you anywhere.

Of course, there are principles to which you both adhere, else chaos would ensue. These principles I teach at Tangomasters.   For example:  lead with your chest.  Use your feet to support your moving body rather than using them as the method or motor of your dancing.

On this blog, you can learn the principles that will help you in the wilderness, by considering the homework questions that are posed.  You will find the answers on my website.

HOMEWORK QUESTION:

What do you do with your feet before you start moving and whenever you momentarily come to rest?

To find the answer, create a log-in at my website, then go to the "Principles" page.

In The Beginning

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; [masculine] and [feminine] he created them."  Genesis 1:27. New International Version

The good news of Argentine tango is that this beautiful dance celebrates this distinction, as well as the dynamic, between masculine and feminine. In fact the dance is beautiful precisely because of the distinction and interplay between these two principles inherent in our humanity: the two move as one.

This blog is mostly about the masculine part: how you can express your masculinity in this dance; why just learning and doing the masculine part well will automatically draw the feminine part to you.  I will be referring to my website often to help you learn some of the principles of this dance, which are surprising simple.

I hope this series of writings finds many, both men and women, who want the good news of a dance that can be learned and enjoyed using mostly what you already have.

Dan