How do I tell the lady* what I want from her?
A question that arises in tango for everyone who dances in the male role.
In other dances, there are fixed figures that both partners know and could perform without guidance if necessary.
But in Argentine tango, which is completely improvised, this doesn’t work.
As everyone knows, or should know, you shouldn’t pull, tug, or push with your hands.
Yet none of that is necessary, because we have the “Intencion” to communicate what we would like and where the next step should lead.
“Intencion” is a term we encounter again and again in tango dancing. One can translate “intencion” as “intention.” But in tango, that would be too simplistic.
Rather, “Intencion” here means the clear, distinct will, the decision to do something.
When it comes to movement, to performing a specific movement, our body’s mechanisms come into play.
We can imagine our body as a personal assistant that does what we want done for us.
Each of us has lifted a glass, a cup, or a pen thousands of times.
But very few could explain exactly how we do it, which synapses, nerves, tendons, and muscles we need to activate or rest.
The beauty of it is that we don’t even have to do it consciously; it just works.
Our body knows how to do it and does everything necessary without our active involvement. We just have to make the decision.
But if we don’t make a decision, if we don’t have a clear intention, our body doesn’t know what to do.
It’s a bit like a boss telling his assistant, “Just do it. Maybe…, or maybe differently…, or maybe not at all.”
All of this without saying what the assistant should actually do, how they should do it, and by when.
The assistant just stands there, perplexed, and does nothing.
It’s no different with dancing. As long as you haven’t made a decision, your body doesn’t do anything (except hopefully to maintain life-sustaining functions).
But as soon as you decide, for example, to take a step forward, your body prepares it for you.
It initiates all the necessary steps to be able to execute that step. You don’t have to do anything extra.
Your partner’s body, if she’s actually in contact with you, senses what your body is preparing and, in turn, prepares to respond.
And then happens what some people perceive as tango voodoo.
Without anything being communicated or discussed verbally, without having to pull or push, the two dance partners move in unison in the desired direction.
This works in either direction.
- When I decide to take a forward step, my body prepares everything necessary.
- When I decide to take a sideways step, my body prepares everything necessary.
- When I decide to take a backward step, my body prepares everything necessary.
In none of these cases do I consciously need to do anything other than make the decision.
My dance partner also needs to do nothing other than absorb the impulses and let the movement happen.
Sure, you can tweak a movement a bit, make it more elegant or dynamic, but in principle, our bodies do everything necessary for us.
And for simple, beautiful dancing to the music in a milonga, that’s perfectly sufficient.
And what does that have to do with the cold beer?
In our classes, we like to use this analogy when explaining to the men and leading ladies how to move forward dynamically without fear of stepping on their partners’ toes.
“It’s hot, and there’s a cold beer waiting at the other end of the dance floor. You want to get there with your lady as quickly as possible.”
Even if the beer is only virtual, experience has shown that this idea helps you move forward dynamically.
And the ladies join in and, of course, don’t let the men go to the cold beer alone.
Okay, maybe a little voodoo, but it works.
*Or whoever I’m dancing with
