6 Walking Tips for Argentine Tango

They say that if you can walk you can tango, and it's true. However, in tango, there's a little more to walking than the uninitiated might think. In Argentine tango the idea is not to walk alone, but together.

Just as learning to walk on your own two legs took a fair bit of practice at first, so does learning to walk while staying connected to someone else. 

I've prepared some tips to help that walking feel and look beautiful, which you can apply either in your practice sessions or in social dancing. They are based on my personal learning and my teaching approach with my own tango students. There are 6 main points, complete with suggested exercises and games:

1. Check your posture and balance every time you enter the embrace.
2. Check your embrace.
3. Check the moment of movement.
4. Travel through water.
5. Use your momentum.
6. Enjoy.

There's a fair bit of detail, so I'll spread the points across separate blog posts over the next 6 days. But, if you're in the early stages of your tango journey, please don't feel overwhelmed. Walking down the street on your own now is generally a simple activity - even though it takes everyone a little while to learn. The detail here is given in the hope that it will help you get to the point where walking (and dancing) with your partner in tango comes just as effortlessly, a little sooner. I'd love to hear what you make of the following ideas, and of course any thoughts for improvement you may have.

(click on 'newer post' below to start reading the first tip)