I'm a tall leader (192 cm). I feel best in relatively slow, vast, relaxed movements, long steps, out of axis stuff etc. I think I'm also able to find some nice density in my movement, as long as it is slow (like in a dense dramatic tanda). I can't however properly get hold of the compact, rhytmic side of tango. I'm somehow unable to find resources in my body to perform short, fast, decisive steps, like in milonguero style. I feel very uncomfortable in d'Arienzo tandas and I skip milonga tandas altogether. I would very much like to change it, but I don't know how. I've asked a few teachers and got some advice, but as of today nothing really works for me. I belive that the fact that I'm tall stands a bit in the way, because I think that my center of mass may be too high for those compact movements? Usually it's the shorter tangueros who seem to feel best in these kind of movements and look really well in them. Any advice for me?

I and my wife dance since 7-8 years together. We followed several courses and we are now at the point with plenty of frustration because we start to realize that none of our maestros ever corrected her basic mistakes. For instance we are now experimenting in volcadas and she is totally unable to manage her free leg. In reality her free leg is never completely free, but she always keeps the muscles a bit contracted, so finally, if I take the volcada as example, the movement of the free leg is not naturally resulting from gravity and inertia, but it is very much controlled. We tried tried tried but found no way for her literally to "let the leg go". I am sure she is not the only one with this issue, is there any specific exercise that she can do to understand how to release the leg?

My wife and I are coming back to tango now that our children are old enough to be safe at home on their own. We’re taking classes and enjoying dancing again, and we were thinking that it would be fun to watch some good movies centered around tango.

I remember watching and enjoying The Tango Lesson (1997) when I first started dancing. I also found a post on this forum from a few months ago about Ariel Back To Buenos Aires (2022), which looks promising.

What are your favorites? If you had to choose one movie — made anywhere in the world, either old or new — that best captures what you love about this dance, what would it be?

EDIT: Thanks for the suggestions! I've gathered them together into an IMDB list.

The list now has 19 movies on it, arranged in chronological order. I'll keep adding to it if there are more comments in this thread.

I've been dancing 9 months and I have someones second hand heels. I had purchased a very bad quality practice shoe which is wearing off now.

Looking to buy new practice shoes. Confused if i should get the split sole keds or the boots. And if the boots, which brand of there is any.

Also. I'm not a fan of dancing in heels but love how it looks. What do I do :( do I still go ahead and buy a pair of heels? (Considering I have my borrowed second hand ones)

I take private classes and go to milongas each weekend, so ~150 EUR/month

Hi all

A slightly philosophical question but I'd like to hear your opinions on whether, in your experience, there is a natural "cap" on how good an average person can get at tango, or whether with enough study and practice anyone can become an advanced dancer? Especially for followers, but I am open to hear from/about leads too.

At the classes I attend I know there are a lot of followers who have a background in dance - usually ballet, or Latin dance - sometimes from a young age. They seem to progress quickly and are very elegant with good dance posture. I tend to assume I could never match their natural talent but of course it might not have been talent but dedication that got them where they are.

So - do you think a level of natural aptitude, perseverance or both have been more significant in your tango journey?

My partner and I have been dancing the tango for a couple of years. We have our wedding next year and we want our first dance to be, you’ve guessed it, a tango.

Now this is where I need a bit of help, if anyone else did this before how did you find a good wedding dress? I don't like the idea of a dress change just for the dance, but I don't really know what styles would work best. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Hey dear community!

I have one very dilettante question, would the wedding fog suit the tango?

Yesterday was what could have been the most horrible time I ever had in a milonga.

Currently I'm feeling a mixture of anger and frustration because in one situation I believe I could've have stood up for myself towards a condescending attitude from person X.

He was not being considerate at all on the dance floor (deviated a lot from the line and would get close a lot) and he bumped into me with his back. I paused in the middle of the dance, waiting for any apology or so much as an eye contact from him, but nothing. Absolutely nothing. That's when I decided that I would pass him.

It was the beginning of a tanda, so when the first song ended, he ended up in front of me, gave me a look and then eyed behind me. Basically, he was telling me with his eyes that there was space behind me.

Cognitive dissonance here: pissed off and not wanting to make a fuss (or a slight scene) about it since it would be against my best interest because I'm still a beginner in the community and that it wouldn't be classy at all, I decided to take a few steps back and continue along. That's with person X.

Person Y: he just got back with his ex and she happens to be one of the best dancers I love dancing with. And the feeling from her side is mutual. Person Y was not dancing at that time, I was in a tanda with his gf, and at some point, I ended up in front of him. That's when he started praising me as if we're best buddies - I don't know what to call it but it did not feel amicable (as if he was marking his territory or something).

I'm kind of confused about to deal with that. I feel angrily powerless and stuff like that, for me (especially in a small community like this one) is extremely tricky.

Would appreciate your insight on that and sorry for the long post.

Thanks in advance all!

I tend to burn myself out pretty quickly during marathons and I'm curious how other dancers strategically plan their energy. For those who are seasoned marathon-goers, I'd love to hear about your experiences.

Here are a few specific questions I have:

1. How do you manage to rest in between tandas during a tango marathon? Do you have specific techniques or rituals for recharging your energy or soothing your feet?
2. Do you find yourself arriving later to the milongas to conserve energy, or do you prefer to be there from the start?
3. Have you ever left and returned within the same milonga to take a break? If so, how do you balance enjoying the event with giving yourself enough rest?
4. As an introverted follower, how do you navigate the social aspect of marathons while still enjoying the dancing? Do you have any tips for finding moments of solitude or recharge during the event? Or do you just hide in a dark corner and avoid all eye contact? lol

Any insights, tips, or personal anecdotes you can share would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for your responses!

I have experienced tangasm with different leaders while traveling or dancing at a festival. Usually it's an one time thing and I never saw the person again (especially if they come from a different country). I treasure the memories we shared. I always thought that tangasm is like a rare unicorn sight that it would only happen on rare occasions. But recently I started dancing more regularly with the same leader from my local group and almost every single time I experienced something with him. Usually each time the first tanda was the most intense, but it's not always the case. Last night our last tanda together almost made me feel intoxicated/drunk and I had to take a long break afterwards. Have you experienced this kind of connection before?

Last year at the university I worked at I was fortunate enough to take lessons with a couple of amazing instructors. I was both a lead and a follow and I danced with different people and if anything the gender didn't matter and my partners were always okay with switching roles even the instructor herself let me lead and I danced and I still managed to get it right because she's experienced but there was this person that only wanted to lead and I disliked dancing with him and his excuse was that girls don't lead.

Now that I am down the memory lane I kind of want to try it again but I still I am not sure of the tango scene in my city, what if I end up with people that don't wanna switch?. If it's nonexistent, would practicing solo still help me get better? And should I always practice for both so I'll be able to work both styles.

Any tips would be helpful! Thank you.

I am a newer tango dancer;( about a year and just earned bronze level) who has been struggling to perfect the rock step. I feel like my back leg is already extended so when it's time to move forward I am off balance . Should I be taking smaller steps?

By yourself and with a partner? (and are you a leader or a follower or both)

Do you have any memorable compliments you received during a tanda or at the end?

What was it like and how did you feel?

Looking for tango blogs in Spanish as I'm looking for reading material in Spanish as I'm learning the language. Thanks for recommendations.

I was wondering how come there are 2 version of the song? One is 3 mins long(generally speaking) the one I used to listen is 6 mins. Since "Por Una Cabeza" is a well known tango song. I just have to take my chance on this inquiry since I am really curious on this.

Here is the 3 mins one. Covered by Layers Classic

https://youtu.be/HIf19aClyvo?si=BA94yVe1CwINyZJs

The one from Carlos Gardel's channel

https://youtu.be/Dp5xM_rM1yU?si=7GVKVMPdiYkuDMsU

Edit: added the links

I stopped dancing because of Covid lockdowns. Yesterday I felt the tango embrace after years at a drop-in class. I'm wondering whether to get back to tango given these factors:

(1) I live on the outskirts of my city now, far from classes. So I can realistically only dance once a week for 1-2 hours at a class/milonga/practica. Do you think that's enough to rebuild and maintain competence as a leader? For reference - I was previously a fairly modest beginner, although I had many, many great dance experiences with friends.

(2) It seems to me that there's a culture of "gate-keeping" tango tradition, at least in my city in India. Especially with regards to the music. I yearn to feel different types of music through tango. Sadly, tango nuevo is a dirty word in our community. When I mentioned it yesterday at the drop in class, I was told that beginners should "master classic tango before speaking of dancing other styles". This seems fairly rigid and restrictive. It sounds analogous to: "If you want to play rock music, then you must master Chicago blues" (not true at all).

Do you think I should just shaddup and dance to whatever classic tango music they play?

Interested in what folks here think. I really just want to experience joy through dance for a few hours a week. Several tango dancers I have met, though, are super-serious about it, even to the point of making themselves unhappy.

Do you think I should forget tango and choose some other dance form to enjoy and explore? or go back to the class next week?

thank you, and no offence was intended by any of the comments above :)

EDIT: Thanks to all for the kind suggestions and insights. I'm heading back to tango this weekend onwards :)

I started going to a local tango class, which is really enjoyable, but I keep wearing the wrong type of shoes, which is very frustrating.

I tried my regular trainers, but they're really bad for turning/pivoting, there's something about the sole that is too 'grippy' and doesn't allow for easy turning. I then bought some smart, black shoes, but got told off by someone at the class because they have a rubber sole, and I need a leather sole for tango (and they were right, I still couldn't pivot easily in them). I've been trying to find something with a leather sole for ages, but keep coming up short.

I don't wear heels, but can't shop in the men's section because their shoes don't go that small (I am a size EU 37/UK 4.5). I just want to find something whose sole would work well with turns/pivots. I'd say my budget is mid-range.

I haven't been to a tango class in months because I'm too anxious about not having the right type of shoe that's both comfortable & tango-friendly. Would appreciate any advice. (I live in London, UK, so could potentially go in person to some stores to try shoes on - but I first need to know what I'm looking for. Thanks.)

Hi all.

As you know many of the tango recordings have a lot of noise and crakling and hissing.

I would like to ask you if you recomend any Ai tools in order to make the recordings more enjoyable.

Thank you for your time.

Not sure if discussion on this is allowed here, I'll try to keep it light and I guess we'll see. So I'm a woman in my early 20s, which as most of us here will know is quite young for the tango community. I only follow for now, though I'm planning on learning to lead in the future as well. Anyway, I've had a couple of male leads make inappropriate comments towards me. I don't mind compliments if they're about my dancing, hell they can even be about my clothes or makeup or hair if they don't cross a line. But having men more than twice my age make remarks on my body makes me uncomfortable. I'm interested in hearing if anyone has had similar experiences, and if so, how you deal with it and what your thoughts are on it. I'm coming at this from the perspective of a feminine-presenting woman, but I'd be happy to hear from anyone of any gender or presentation.

(Translating as best I can, one man called me a gazelle today at a practica lmao. Which is just bizarre. Like, looking past my discomfort, is it even a compliment??)

EDIT: I wasn't sure what the reception of this post was going to be, but I'm glad I made it after all. It looks like this is something that needs to be addressed by the tango community. I hope we can all do our part to make this space welcoming and safe for everyone.

Hello everyone !

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Title says it all. I've been learning tango in Uni with a friend [F] of mine, she's following, greatly with everyone, and I'm leading, mostly badly with everyone.

I know it's a skilll issue and I'll work on it, no worries, but I'd also like to expend my vocabulay as a follower to *get* the feeling, you could say.

Although it's easy to change roles during courses and pratices, I never saw that during the milongas, how can I invite/get invited someone to lead me ?

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(or maybe it's just not a thing amongst stranger in a milonga ?)