Tango Culture vs Tango Cult

 One of the things I love about Tango how it is infused with the culture that produced it. But in some Tango groups, appreciation of culture has crossed into slavish devotion to a cult.

 What do I mean by "a cult"? Well, in a cult there is a series of authoritarian rules. And members of the cult derive much of their identity from  unquestioningly following the rules of the cult.  Cult members dress alike, talk alike, act alike. Those who do not adhere strictly to these rules are excluded from the cult.

So when does Tango culture cross over into Tango Cult?  Here are a few examples.

 I have 3 pairs of Tango shoes. One very flashy "brand name" with 3-inch heels, and 2 much simpler, lower-heeled generic pairs. And I occasionally dance in low-heeled Ballroom shoes. Or jazz sneakers. Or moccasins. They all work. But there are communities where, if I do not wear my one pair of Comme Il Fauts, I get asked to dance less, and people assume I am a beginner. That is the sign of a Tango cult.

 I know the Spanish names for all the Tango figures. But I am just as likely to use the English names. English is my native language, after all, and I live in an English-speaking country. But in some communities people will correct me if I use English terms, even though they know exactly what I mean. That is the sign of a Tango cult.

 Tango Culture includes the unspoken invitation to dance - mirada and cabeseo. Tango Cult will not accept a polite verbal request for a dance.

 Tango culture recognizes that there are many ways to dance Tango. Tango Cult says there is only one true way to dance Tango - usually the style of the local Tango guru. Cults have gurus.

 Sharing Tango Culture should be an act of inclusion, not an initiation into an exclusionary club. Cults are exclusionary. I want my Tango community to be warmly inviting.

Not a cult.

You Don't Learn To Dance in Class

I had just finished teaching a drop-in beginner class to a group of 14 students. The music for the milonga was playing, and  one couple from the class started to change their shoes. I encouraged them to stay a bit and dance. One of them replied "We want to get good first".

This reflects a major fallacy among a lot of tango students - that they can learn to dance in a class.

You cannot learn to dance in a class. Classes give you tools for dancing - tools that you can then use to learn to actually dance. But classes do not teach you to dance. Neither, in spite of what many dance teachers tell you, do private lessons.

You learn to dance by getting out on the dance floor and putting to use all those tools and concepts you have been learning in classes and private lessons. Until you do that, you have not begun to learn to dance.

This is even more true for Tango than for most partner dances, given the improvisational nature of the dance. Almost anyone can learn choreography in a class. But improvisation can only be learned on the dance floor.

Beginners who start dancing socially from day one become good dancers much more quickly than those who wait. Don't be afraid of developing bad habits. Bad habits can be corrected.  And don't be afraid of what other people think. The ones who matter will respect your determination to learn.

So get out on the floor and dance - it really is the only way to learn.

A brief note to experienced members of a tango community. Encourage your beginners! A tango community that does not grow eventually dies.

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