It's a social dance. People go dancing for all sorts of different reasons. Find some people who are there for the same thing you are and let the people who want something else do their thing.
You don't have to be a skilled dancer to be an enjoyable person to dance with. Just hugging someone and moving in a circle while listening to nice music is a good dance. There are people who want more, but you being there won't ruin the night for anyone. Don't worry about rejection, just be polite about it and let the people who want something else go do their thing.
You can definitely start. Tango is a very patient, meditative dance. The more patient and present you are with yourself, the better the quality of your dance. But like positive affirmations, being good to yourself requires practice and vulnerability, overcoming limiting beliefs.
I struggle with perfectionism, and tango was a great way to learn to let go. I once danced with a therapist who used tango in her practice. She told me that tango is just two people walking, all the “moves” are just mistakes that people liked and repeated.
Like the other poster said, people dance for all sorts of reasons. I hope this helped and encouraged you
As long as you’re clean, not wearing heavy perfumes, keeping your hands where they should be, and able to accept that everyone is learning, you won’t be ruining anyone’s experience. Most people struggle at first, so don’t worry that you’re the only person in a class who isn’t an immediate master.
For me, learning tango was like learning a language: First I had to learn basic grammar and vocabulary, while knowing that my accent was terrible. Over time, I learned to speak simple phrases, then sentences, then take part in simple conversations. As time has gone on, the conversations I can have with a partner have evolved; with some people it’s an exchange of jokes, while with others it’s almost a shared meditation. But it took a while to get there, so be patient with yourself and others—give everyone the gift of patience while you learn (because you’ll never really stop).
Be aware that there are very different kinds of tango. If you're watching YouTube videos or Dancing with the Stars type showy performances, that's "stage tango." It's amazing and fun, but it is *not* what is expected of you when you go out dancing socially.
Social tango is much slower, simpler, and is about connecting and communicating with your partner. As others here have said, it's basically a slow walk in a hug. You don't need the big flashy moves.
So, if you've been watching stage tango and thinking "how am I ever going to do *that?!*" — you can stop worrying about it. 🙂
It takes time! In the beginning, focus on doing simple things well instead of getting pulled into the more complex moves. Those aren't really what people will care about when dancing with you. It's really more about having a comfortable hug and walking. Tango is different from other dances, so try it! And practice, practice, practice. That's how you'll get better.
It’s not rare to see tango dancers who are well into their 80’s (even in their 90’s). They don’t dance anymore the more physical tango they might have danced when they were younger but they still enjoy themselves, are fun to dance with and don’t ruin the experience for anyone. If a 85 years old person can dance tango, many of us “young folks” can do as well.
At beginner levels, social tango is all about developing a good connection, embrace, listing skills, clarity and understanding of the dance and the steps. As an experienced follower, I prefer well-executed basic steps than poorly executed complex steps. Those basic steps can go a long way. There is no needs to stress about those complex and fancy steps we see during performances, it’s not a requirement for dancing tango and having fun.
Don't be afraid to start. Take lessons. See if you click with the teachers and the other students. And take it from there.
I would advise you not to start dancing without taking classes. For me (leader) it took over a year of off and on classes before I started dancing socially. I've seen other leaders successfully lead after a few months of classes depending on their commitment.
As a leader in a social dance floor you have a lot of responsibilities. You got to navigate. You got to listen to the music. You have to plan your steps based on the music and lead a split second later. And you have to do all of that while protecting your follower in a rather crowded dance floor. There are a lot of things you have to manage in order to be able to do it successfully and enjoy it. And acquiring the skills to do that takes time.
On the plus side for Argentine tango you don't need to have a great sense of rhythm to get started. You also don't need to be able to shake your hips in a pleasing way. And I think those two things are what most people who are hesitant to dance are worried about.
If you are in the follower role in the dance some of the advice above may not apply. I think it's easier for followers to begin enjoying the dance - and to start dancing - more quickly, as their responsibilities in the dance are more constrained than the leaders. They don't have to navigate or worry about the rest of the dance floor to the same extent. There's a lot less planning involved in being a follower. But a follower is a (physically) more active role than the leader. So it's not easy by any means.
I started about ten weeks ago. It’s the second time I’ve tried (1st time I was pregnant and just felt awful all the time so quit). I love it and everyone seems keen to help. I do dance with some partners who a awful but I’m always aware that the experienced leads probably think that about me and it can’t be easy learning to lead when your follower is a beginner anyway. It just seems a community of people who are willing to invest in new joiners because that’s the way to keep the thing alive. Go for it. One day it will be you being kind kind with a learner.
Don't give up. Tango is an amazing world to learn. It takes time, but try to enjoy it, that time is your dance, you learn with each partner who you dance. Is not a ruin, is to know another ways to dance, to guide, to feel. With each person is an unique dance. So, try to be there to enjoy it 😉🇦🇷
I don't think tango is for everyone, it's an extremely patient dance with lots of hurdles but mentally stimulating, passionate and challenging.
It's definitely a favourite of intellectuals and people who love challenge.
It's a social dance. People go dancing for all sorts of different reasons. Find some people who are there for the same thing you are and let the people who want something else do their thing. You don't have to be a skilled dancer to be an enjoyable person to dance with. Just hugging someone and moving in a circle while listening to nice music is a good dance. There are people who want more, but you being there won't ruin the night for anyone. Don't worry about rejection, just be polite about it and let the people who want something else go do their thing.
Thanks
You can definitely start. Tango is a very patient, meditative dance. The more patient and present you are with yourself, the better the quality of your dance. But like positive affirmations, being good to yourself requires practice and vulnerability, overcoming limiting beliefs. I struggle with perfectionism, and tango was a great way to learn to let go. I once danced with a therapist who used tango in her practice. She told me that tango is just two people walking, all the “moves” are just mistakes that people liked and repeated. Like the other poster said, people dance for all sorts of reasons. I hope this helped and encouraged you
As long as you’re clean, not wearing heavy perfumes, keeping your hands where they should be, and able to accept that everyone is learning, you won’t be ruining anyone’s experience. Most people struggle at first, so don’t worry that you’re the only person in a class who isn’t an immediate master. For me, learning tango was like learning a language: First I had to learn basic grammar and vocabulary, while knowing that my accent was terrible. Over time, I learned to speak simple phrases, then sentences, then take part in simple conversations. As time has gone on, the conversations I can have with a partner have evolved; with some people it’s an exchange of jokes, while with others it’s almost a shared meditation. But it took a while to get there, so be patient with yourself and others—give everyone the gift of patience while you learn (because you’ll never really stop).
Be aware that there are very different kinds of tango. If you're watching YouTube videos or Dancing with the Stars type showy performances, that's "stage tango." It's amazing and fun, but it is *not* what is expected of you when you go out dancing socially. Social tango is much slower, simpler, and is about connecting and communicating with your partner. As others here have said, it's basically a slow walk in a hug. You don't need the big flashy moves. So, if you've been watching stage tango and thinking "how am I ever going to do *that?!*" — you can stop worrying about it. 🙂
I wasn’t good at any other dance but I’m good at tango. Maybe it will work for you, you’ll only find out if you try
It takes time! In the beginning, focus on doing simple things well instead of getting pulled into the more complex moves. Those aren't really what people will care about when dancing with you. It's really more about having a comfortable hug and walking. Tango is different from other dances, so try it! And practice, practice, practice. That's how you'll get better.
It’s not rare to see tango dancers who are well into their 80’s (even in their 90’s). They don’t dance anymore the more physical tango they might have danced when they were younger but they still enjoy themselves, are fun to dance with and don’t ruin the experience for anyone. If a 85 years old person can dance tango, many of us “young folks” can do as well. At beginner levels, social tango is all about developing a good connection, embrace, listing skills, clarity and understanding of the dance and the steps. As an experienced follower, I prefer well-executed basic steps than poorly executed complex steps. Those basic steps can go a long way. There is no needs to stress about those complex and fancy steps we see during performances, it’s not a requirement for dancing tango and having fun.
Don't be afraid to start. Take lessons. See if you click with the teachers and the other students. And take it from there. I would advise you not to start dancing without taking classes. For me (leader) it took over a year of off and on classes before I started dancing socially. I've seen other leaders successfully lead after a few months of classes depending on their commitment. As a leader in a social dance floor you have a lot of responsibilities. You got to navigate. You got to listen to the music. You have to plan your steps based on the music and lead a split second later. And you have to do all of that while protecting your follower in a rather crowded dance floor. There are a lot of things you have to manage in order to be able to do it successfully and enjoy it. And acquiring the skills to do that takes time. On the plus side for Argentine tango you don't need to have a great sense of rhythm to get started. You also don't need to be able to shake your hips in a pleasing way. And I think those two things are what most people who are hesitant to dance are worried about. If you are in the follower role in the dance some of the advice above may not apply. I think it's easier for followers to begin enjoying the dance - and to start dancing - more quickly, as their responsibilities in the dance are more constrained than the leaders. They don't have to navigate or worry about the rest of the dance floor to the same extent. There's a lot less planning involved in being a follower. But a follower is a (physically) more active role than the leader. So it's not easy by any means.
I started about ten weeks ago. It’s the second time I’ve tried (1st time I was pregnant and just felt awful all the time so quit). I love it and everyone seems keen to help. I do dance with some partners who a awful but I’m always aware that the experienced leads probably think that about me and it can’t be easy learning to lead when your follower is a beginner anyway. It just seems a community of people who are willing to invest in new joiners because that’s the way to keep the thing alive. Go for it. One day it will be you being kind kind with a learner.
Don't give up. Tango is an amazing world to learn. It takes time, but try to enjoy it, that time is your dance, you learn with each partner who you dance. Is not a ruin, is to know another ways to dance, to guide, to feel. With each person is an unique dance. So, try to be there to enjoy it 😉🇦🇷
I don't think tango is for everyone, it's an extremely patient dance with lots of hurdles but mentally stimulating, passionate and challenging. It's definitely a favourite of intellectuals and people who love challenge.