Argentine tango is one of the hardest dances…actually, scratch that…HARDEST SKILL activities I’ve ever tried. That’s part of what makes it so addictive. There are so many layers, spiderwebs, and mazes of skillsets you could learn in this dance. In fact, I don’t believe any one person can comprehensively learn it all. It’s like trying to be a master artist of all styles, I don’t believe it’s possible. Anyway, here is what I would recommend for those trying to shortcut their way through the tango world.
1. Take a bunch of classes (different teachers & styles)
Take as many tango classes as you can, and all kinds of classes with every teacher and every tango sub-style (salon, milonguero, nuevo). Will you run into contradictory advice? Absolutely! Will you risk being overwhelmed or burned out? I guarantee it! Will this method drive you into mad? Yup. Hey, you wanted to shortcut, right? Well…that’s kind of how it’s done.
You’re speeding up your learning capacity by increasing your exposure to as many things as possible as soon as possible. Sure, most of the concepts won’t make any damn sense at this moment…but it will in a year or two. And just because you’ve been exposed to it already, you’ll be that much more capable of “getting it” when you’re re-exposed to it again later. Some people say it just isn’t possible to learn tango this way and I completely agree. But then again, you’re asking to do the impossible (which is shorten the time it takes to learn things). And if that’s how you want to do, then I’m gonna have to ask you to be extra smart, multi-task your brain, and figure out a way to overload your mind with as many tango techniques and theories as soon as possible.
2. Dance socially (practicas & milongas)
There’s a common saying by many Argentineans that goes, “the milonga is your best teacher”. And I completely agree! You’ll learn (and understand) things far more deeply when you try it in the real world. Are you really sure you can lead (or follow) ochos? Do it in a social setting then! Do it with a partner that wasn’t pre-conditioned to the move beforehand (like in a class) to a song you’ve never heard before, with the pressure of many strangers watching you.
You know why else social dancing really improves your skills? Because it forces you to really improvise. Your partner is not going to do the move the way you learned it, he or she is gonna do it the way he (or she) learned it! There’s also the uniqueness of everyone’s body type, body movement habit, and personality type. And somewhere in there, you’ll have to adapt. Maybe you’ll have to adjust your arms, or step differently, or bend your knees differently. Anyway, you’ll learn far more from dancing with strangers than anything else. It’s the absolute best exercise for developing true improvisational dancing skills.
3. Practice (by yourself & with a partner)
Oh yeah, private practice really helps! Work on all your tango stuff! Work on everything! Your posture. Embrace. Foot position. Pivots. Embellishments. Boleos. Spinning around on one foot. Dancing alone to different songs. EVERYTHING! All those things your teachers have been yelling at you to do. Do it now! All those drills you learned in class or saw other students do before class, do them yourself. Do good at everything and don’t stop until you can absolutely do them perfectly. Those of you getting bored practicing alone are not trying hard enough.
If you’re lucky enough to have a practice partner, take advantage of it! Work on everything. Leading basic moves. Then harder moves. Dancing to different songs. Dancing to the same songs (but in different ways). The possibilities are endless. And if you CAN’T seem to find a partner, maybe you need more solo practice.
What happens if you run out of ideas of what to practice? Easy…
4. Watch videos
Dare I say it, we are living in the era where you have no excuse but to be amazing dancers. We are living in what the old school dancers call the “Youtube era!” Back in their days, there was no Youtube…and for some of them, there wasn’t even such a thing as tango classes (haha).There was no instant replay, or slow motion. You had to go to the milongas and watch other dancers carefully and figure it out for themselves. They were lucky if they had their father or a friend who could give them tips. They were learning in an era that didn’t have “technique”. They just danced with their expression and each dancer and had to figure out their own technique. There wasn’t a standard system for teaching tango, and there still isn’t one.
You may have had teachers that came before Youtube and at least got to have old VHS tapes. Everyone may have had one or two and just replay the tape to death. Anyway, we are living in the most spoiled of times. You’ve got access to the best dancers at any minute of the day. Just jump on the internet and binge till you pass out. There are thousands if not millions of videos covering many different dancers, their styles, and even their lessons. Anyway, you should be stumbling through these videos and trying everything that you see!
If there’s anything I would say about watching videos online, it’s that many dancers are copying each other. We’re living in a time when everyone is connected and any dancer anywhere in the world can watch a dancer from another part of the world. It’s easy to see and be consciously or even subconsciously inspired to mimic them. So be careful with this and make sure you develop your style as you borrow things from other dancers.
Oh and last but not least, watch videos of yourself! I can’t recommend this enough. It makes a huge difference to be able to see your flaws for yourself. You can pay a professional to see your flaws and try to describe to you what you’re doing, but it’s a million times clearer to witness it with your very own eyes. And thanks to modern technology, you can!
5. Strengthen your mind
Yeah, it takes a lot of mental strength to be a good dancer, keep improving, and stay positive while experiencing pains and hardships in your tango journey. You need to have determination, confidence, positivity, open-mindedness, and also control your ego. This may be easier for some people than others and it makes a huge difference. Your outlook on things greatly affects your personal experience.
I recommend starting with consistency. Always go to class, always go out…even if you don’t feel so good on certain days. Always make that effort. Don’t worry about the results or outcomes, just make the effort. It may feel impossible to get past certain plateaus or skill barriers but you WILL overcome them with constant effort. The confidence is in your effort, not in your results. Keep putting in the time.
Staying positive the entire time is also important. I hear so many dancers put themselves down or talk too much about their hardships. I think it’s a very American thing to not want to brag. It’s funny because our culture is definitely a show-off culture but we’re very against talking like a show-off. Well, I think it’d be great for your self-esteem to talk up your strengths every now and then. Focus on the positive, take note of your recent gains. Keep celebrating your hardwork and you’ll keep improving in record time.
Staying open-minded and being aware of your ego is also important. Be willing to try different theories, things that may even go against your belief system or pre-conceived notions. It’s ok to absolutely hate on a style or technique and have a strong reaction against it. Just don’t let that stop you from absorbing the strengths and advantages of that style. See what is good in it, and then take only the part that you like.
There ARE no shortcuts!
There is only time, and the enjoyment of that time. No matter who you are, and how talented you are, you will have to spend the time to learn what you have to learn. And it will take as long as it takes. You can do it 10 hours in one day, or 10 hours spread across a month. What makes the time go by faster is that you appreciate the process and have fun.
HAVE FUN!