How To Dance The Tango

The tango is about the music and romance. You want to choose music that possesses a strong one-two-three-four beat, putting strong emphasis on beats one and three. You want to be relaxed and feel the music, as it is the basis of the whole movement.

There are different variations of the tango, but the three that I will mention briefly are the Argentine, Uruguayan, and Ballroom tango. Argentine and Uruguayan tango is similar in that it is centered around the body, with the feet playing a supporting role. In Ballroom tango, the movement is centered in the hips, knees, and ankles, while waiting for the feet to catch up. There is one thing in all the variations of the tango that doesn't change, the male is the lead.

It is very important that the female partner pays close attention to his movements as you perform this dance. First and foremost, this dance requires that you have good posture well before getting into position. By good posture, you want to keep your back straight and your chest out. Your foot work is another key component in performing this dance as well.
Facing one another, the male will place his right hand on the upper-middle part of his partner's back, around her ribs, with your elbow upward and bent. The female will then place her left hand on his shoulder, applying tension. This will help you to feel his movement better. Having his right arm up, it will support her left arm. Then you will take her right hand with his left. Your spacing is just as important. You want to make sure that there is enough room into between your bodies to move freely, as you will be pivoting frequently.

The next step is for the male to make a slight left turn with his hips, feet, and head. Your female partner will do likewise, but to her right. This will put you both facing in the same direction. You would probably have noticed when watching television, the female will have a long stemmed rose in her teeth when performing this dance. This is optional, but we'll leave that to your discretion.

Next will be taking your first steps in this dance. When doing so, you always want to take these steps landing on the balls of your feet. The male will take a step out with his left foot, and the same with his right foot. The female will take a step out with her right foot, then left, making sure that your left foot touches the right. The female wants to keep all her weight on her right foot. When taking the step, you want to make sure that you pivot your left foot to the left, keeping the rest of you body facing him. The male wants to make sure that when he brings his right foot out to meet his left, they touch, keeping all his weight on his left foot. Remember... stay on the balls of your feet.

What you probably don't know is along with learning a new dance, you're also increasing your heart rate, boosting your metabolism, which leads to weight loss, and an improvement in your memory and balance. So have fun!