One of the first things we explain to participants in our tango classes is that the gentlemen (or whoever is “leading”) must tell the ladies before they want to do anything new.
But what exactly does that mean?
First example:
As long as the dancers are still standing in front of each other, i.e. have not yet taken a step in the room, the gentleman has to prepare the lady’s step.
From standing to walking, no matter which direction always means “something new”.
If the lady doesn’t get any impulse from the gentleman that she can adapt to and the gentleman just marches off without prior notice, this is at least unpleasant for the lady (possible worse consequences: the gentleman steps on the lady’s feet, bumps into her, throws her off her axis or even knocks her over).
Second example:
The men often begin the dance with a side step to the left (for the lady to the right), the so-called salida.
The salida is more or less perpendicular to the line of the dance. Most of the time however (though not always) the men want to continue in the line of the dance afterwards. This means a change of direction by 90°.
Sounds banal, but of course the gentleman has to inform the lady before making this change of direction because it is something new.
At first the lady only knows that she should take a step to the side. She cannot know what comes next, whether she should go backwards, forwards or to the side again.
Without the gentleman’s impulse she can only guess.
So how does the gentleman non-verbally tell the lady that something new is coming?
Simply through a micro-break, a moment of stillness in which both can realign themselves in their axis and readjust the movement (the inflatable dolphin is helpful for this and other micro-breaks, see link below).
Every time the gentleman straightens up on his axis and takes a deep breath, his energy moves upwards and with it that of the couple , like a pendulum at its highest point.
In this situation, changes in direction are easy and therefore this is the most common position to change direction.
Third example:
If the gentleman wants to stop during the caminada (the tango walk) because there is a “traffic jam” in front of the couple, or the music suggests circular movements instead of linear ones, this is something new.
Given that during the caminada the lady just walks straight backwards she doesn’t see what’s happening behind her.
If the gentleman does not inform her in time that she should stop, this stop will be very abrupt and therefore unpleasant for the lady.
So what does the gentleman do?
He slows down his movements so that the lady feels that something is changing.
Optionally (or additionally) the gentleman can also slightly! increase the pressure of his right hand on the lady’s back, or lower his hand slightly towards her waist to signal a stop.
If the gentleman wants to go on (something new again), he moves his hand up again, or reduces the slight pressure on the lady’s back and inflates the rubber dolphin.
For the lady, these are all unmistakable signals that the stop is over and movement will soon start again (also a signal to stop performing adornos).
In my experience, a significant part of the communication difficulties while dancing tango is due to the fact that the men do not tell the women in good time when they want to do something new, but rush through the tango talking a blue streak.
In case of doubt, it’s usually always better to take a break to give yourself and the lady the opportunity to adjust to everything new.
This makes your life as a tango dancer much more relaxed and therefore more enjoyable.
This article could also be helpful for you.
