New to Argentine Tango?
A lot of people in Australia associate tango with ballroom dancing or Hollywood movies portraying couples doing overt gestures with rose between the teeth. This popular misconception probably comes from the tango having been often taken very much out of its rich cultural context. (Read more about it in this article by Daniel Trenner, a renowned tango teacher. More about the roots of tango can be found at this National Geographic Tango page.)

In reality the tango as a social dance works as a way of communicating to another person through the music. It's not a competition and there are no defined levels to attain. It's danced not for an audience but for oneself and the partner. Hence it's an activity based very much on participation, just as conversations are. And just as the best conversations allow us to relate to another person, and it is a feeling not just a collection of words, tango dancing works this way with our bodies. To reduce tango to a set of steps is like reducing music playing to a set of fingerings.

Learning Tango
Tango is danced all around the world by people of all ages. Because it is based simply on walking, anyone can learn to tango. People with no previous dance experience whatsoever with 'two left feet' can end up great dancers. This is probably because we can all learn new movements through sheer repetitions (which come with practice and social dancing).

One of the most interesting aspects of tango is that learning it never stops. It is a journey that we can all enjoy, in this modern world where instant gratifications are the norm, and where we don't seem to have time any more to learn activities that may take years to master.

Here are some good links about learning tango:
Tango Dancing FAQ at Tango Cambridge: including common hang-ups by leaders and followers we can all identify with.
Discussions at Tango-L: just about every topic is covered in this newsgroup.

Go to our Links page to read up more on tango.