About
Argentine Tango
Etiquette
To experienced dancers, the following guidelines
of Tango dance protocol and etiquette are usually well known,
but not often discussed. Also following these guidelines sets
a good example for other dancers. For new dancers, it's good
to know what's what to help avoid embarrassing, awkward, or
unsafe situations. In any case, following these guidelines
can help to maximize your Tango dance experience.
1. At a Tango milonga (a Tango dance party), couples dance
Tango in a "line-of-dance" fashion, counter-clockwise
around the dance floor. The faster "lanes" are those
toward the outside of the counter-clockwise line-of-dance.
The slower "lanes" are toward the center. As you
dance, refrain from cutting across these lanes, cutting through
the center, and dancing backward to the line-of-dance especially
on a crowded dance floor.
2. If you are not dancing, show respect to those who are by
not walking through the busy dance floor and by staying clear
of the dance space. For example, while others are dancing,
do not stand in the dance lanes and talk. On the dance floor,
real estate is always in demand. First priority goes to the
dance and the dancers. Give them room.
3. If you are trying to show your partner a new step, move
to a distant corner or non-dance area for your demonstration
and discussion. It is the mark of an inexperienced or inconsiderate
dancer to stop and attempt to teach a partner a new step at
a milonga during a dance on the dance floor. Avoid doing this.
Save your instruction for a "Practica", that is,
a dance practice session.
4. The safety of your partner, yourself, and the surrounding
dancers is your first concern. Both leader and follower should
always be alert to the presence of other dancers in front,
to the sides, and in back to help avoid collisions. If a collision
occurs, try to soften the collision by bringing your arms
in and stopping movement. Afterwards be polite and friendly,
make eye contact and acknowledge the collision even if it
was not your fault. To a large extent, dancing on a crowded
Tango dance floor is an exercise in avoiding collisions in
a safe, creative, and fun fashion. One other point that often
goes unmentioned, it may sound and feel very poetic to dance
in the "Tango Trance" with your eyes closed, but
at a crowed milonga avoid doing this. Keep yours eyes open
and be alert to the safety of your partner and other dancers.
As a dancer at a social event this is part of your responsibility.
5. No one likes being kicked, run into, or stepped on, so
on a crowded dance floor, avoid aggressive movements, high
boleos, hard-hitting ganchos, and leg extensions. If you feel
you are about to step on someone, hopefully not your partner,
try to not follow through with the stepping action to soften
the blow of your foot landing on another's. Also, leaders
keep your left arm down and about shoulder height with your
left elbow down and fairly close to your side. It's not fun
on a crowded dance floor having to duck when another dancer
swings around with their partner and the leads left hand is
three feet in the air and three inches from your nose.
6. On a crowded dance floor, stopping in the outer lane to
do a dance pattern is frowned on since it usually stops the
forward progress of the dancers coming from behind and many
times it usually involves steps that are not safe to the surrounding
dancers. Remember, it's not the Olympics or "show time",
it's a social dance, so relax and have fun. If you feel the
need to stop forward movement to do a couple of patterns,
move to the center of the floor where you can stop and do,
for example, foot stops, multiple ochos or molinetes and not
stop forward line-of-dance movement.
7. For the leaders, if you absolutely must step backwards
to the line-of-dance, look back first. For the followers,
as a dance pattern unfolds, be alert to dancers potentially
in the way and let the leader know of a possible collision
verbally, pressing your left hand to the leader's back, by
a hand squeeze, or by pulling your partner closer, or all
of these, especially on a crowded dance floor.
8. If a dance couple in front of you stops, then either dance
around them, mark time or use a Tango side-rocking step, for
example, to continue dancing until they move.
9. Followers, do not backlead. Not only does it make leading
more difficult, but it also makes it more difficult for the
leader to avoid collisions.
10. It's ok to smile and have fun on the Tango dance floor.
The Tango police have stopped giving citations for this, at
least in the San Francisco Bay Area.
11. For more experienced dancers, set a good example for beginners:
be patient, polite and sensitive. It is acceptable to give
advice, provided it is asked for first, or provided you first
ask permission to make an "observation" or a "comment".
Remember you where once a beginner. A harsh or insensitive,
but well intended "comment" can still ruin someone's
evening.
12. Last but not least, Argentine Tango is an intimate and
elegant dance. For a pleasant experience, good hygiene is
essential; bathe before lessons or dancing and use deodorant.
Use breath fresheners frequently. No or minimal talking while
dancing; focus on dancing and floor traffic. Hold off on the
aftershave and perfume. Some people are sensitive to them.
If you perspire, use a towel or handkerchief often. People
as a rule don't like dance partners that are walking wet towels
(in the literal sense.) So men, if you perspire heavily, use
a towel, take a break and cool down, bring an extra shirt,
and change into it at halftime. This is social dance, go to
the track if you want an aerobic workout. If you wear glasses,
consider contact lenses or removing your glasses while dancing
unless you can't see where you're dancing. Getting whacked
in the head with someone glasses as they turn their head is
not pleasant. One last thing, PLEASE, no jeans, sweat shirts,
tennis shoes, or other similar causal attire when you take
lessons or go to a dance. Tango is an elegant dance, respect
it and other dancers, dress up.
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