Another incident which illustrates why the dance without its culture is reduced to just a series of senseless movements:

Andrea Misse was giving another friend of mine a private lesson and she was explaining a movement call the 'pass-over from a parada'

(To the non tango readers: The man leads a forward step for the woman but puts his foot in the way. Usually he pauses for awhile at this moment, hence the name 'parada' (spanish for 'stop'). The woman has to skip over the man's foot which is in the way, hence the term 'pass-over'.)

"Long time ago, this little movement had lots of hidden meaning loaded in it. At the moment of the 'pass-over', the woman can choose to brush against the man's foot and leg suggestively, which means, 'hey baby let's get it on.' Or the woman can choose to give the man's foot just a light tap which means, 'this is just a dance my friend.' Or the woman can tap her own foot impatiently underneath herself which means, 'this is boring, yawn!'"

"But many women now just do it automatically as part of a memorised choreographed 'embellishment' without understanding the subtleties; the meanings they can convey."

"In other words many embellishments which used to be 'words' of the dancers are now meaningless movements. And men and women who used to communicate with each other through all these movements and gestures are now mute."

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Midsummer Nights' Tango Introduction Series: Part 3

Characteristics of Tango

What makes Argentine Tango, tango? Where does it's magic lie, why is it so addictive? Why is it one of the hardest lead and follow dance? Here might be some reasons why.

Embrace

Imagine embracing the close friend you have not seen for a long time; embracing someone you love. So much emotions and words to tell each other, but conveyed and transmitted to each other in that silent and peaceful embrace.

For tango, you start and end the dance in this embrace. When a man and woman move into each others' arms, they embrace each other with love and gentleness, enjoying the musical and emotional journey as one, as long as the tango lasts.

Connection

Argentine tango is a pure social dance. You do not dance tango for competitions; nor for exams; nor for judges; nor performance. You dance tango for your partner, for yourself, for your own enjoyment.

Like an intimate chat between lovers, looking deep into each others' eyes, talking in a low hushed tone; tango is very private, everything you need to say is only for the two of you to hear. For the 4 minutes, the only person in this world is you and her, totally connected. That's why they say, in tango, you dance as though no one is watching you.

Walk

The language of tango can be simple or complex. But most importantly, tango is elegant, tango is musical, tango is full of subtleties, tango is improvised.

Jean Michel my first tango teacher says, "Tango is about doing one step in hundred ways, not doing hundred steps in one way."

Cacho Dante says, "When I first learned to dance I did ten steps, when I got better I did fifty steps, but when I truly knew how to dance I did five steps; but with real quality."
Tango is one dance where you can express the full emotions of the music just by walking. Because even in the walk, every small little nuance and feeling can be led and followed; even the simple walk there is no choreography.

Music

A lot of social dances the dancer dances a happy, joyful feeling; or a single range of musical feeling. However, in tango there is a full range of emotions and feelings. Sadness, nostalgia, romantic, intense, dramatic, happiness, aggressiveness, sweetness; all these feelings can be felt even in a single piece of music.

In Buenos Aires, you can still see milongueros shed a tear when dancing to their favourite heart wrenching tango tune. And the most amazing thing is, you can share this emotion with anyone from any part of the world, even a complete stranger.