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WALK

The sweetest, shiniest cherry won't save a bad sundae. Your favorite actor/actress can't save a film with an idiotic plot line. An amazing interior design won't save a restaurant that serves horrible-tasting food.

The enthusiasm for and effort in doing fancier tango steps won't save a dancer who can't properly lead or follow a basic walk.

It may not seem glamorous, but those first steps we learn in the beginning, the walk, are the foundation of everything that comes after. Walk well, even if it's all you do for the entire tanda. Your partners won't think you're just good at walking. They'll think you're good at dancing, too.

YOU ARE THE CULTURE

In a tango community, the status quo doesn't function exactly like it does in a corporation. If, for example, the customer service sucks at a big-name store like Best Buy (and sometimes it does), it's a reflection of the store's leadership and management style. The employees may not have much leeway, or incentive, to change it.

Oftentimes, a tango community's vibe also reflects the personality of its organizational leadership. But ultimately, and unlike a corporation, the culture is not top-down.

If a community is not to your liking, for whatever reason, leadership can only be blamed to a certain degree. It is the individual members who have made a conscious decision to accept, and maybe actively perpetuate, whatever it is (energy, attitude, etc) that you find unappealing.

Don't sulk and complain if you find yourself surrounded by jerks on the dance floor. Bring a different energy into the community, and seek like-minded people. Maybe you'll help gradually turn things around, or even start your own group. 

We should never believe that we're stuck with whatever tango "culture" we find ourselves in. As individuals, and through our actions, we define "the culture."

DON'T GET TOO CLOSE

How did the Greek scholar Archimedes crack the scientific problem of determining an irregular object's volume? He didn't do it through countless hours in a laborabory, analyzing data, or by consulting with experts in the field. 

As the story goes, he came across it while taking a bath, when he happened to notice the water level in the tub rise as he started sitting in it. From there, he figured out that the volume of water being displaced was equal to the volume of the corresponding body part being submerged.

In other words, a major scientific discovery was made when the scientist happened to be taking a break.

We love tango, and we work hard to improve our technique and the steps we're struggling to learn. And more often than not, the only time we think to relax is when our legs and feet get too sore. But physical rest alone isn't enough when we've been dancing for hours on end, night after night. 

We also need mental rest. Being too close to the dance, spending too much time with it, hinders improvement. Trying to improve your tango with a burnt-out brain is about as smart as dancing while drunk.

So step off the dance floor every once in a while. Have a nice bath. When you take the time to stop looking for answers, you give the answers time to come looking for you. 

THINKING vs LEARNING

Classes are for learning. Prácticas are for thinking.

If we're having trouble progressing, maybe it's because we're focusing too hard on one element and not the other. For most of us, we're often fixated on taking classes, or learning. Although receiving instruction is important, our teachers aren't encouraging us to also go to prácticas and milongas just for the sake of plugging their events. 

Prácticas are where we focus on thinking, as opposed to learning.

A práctica is a good place to pick apart what we've gone over in class, to experiment and see if there are multiple ways to do a figure. For example, can we do a certain step in close embrace? Or can we do it while turning in the opposite direction? Give it a shot. Maybe it'll work. Maybe it won't. Or, maybe we'll discover a new step by accident.

An environment geared towards thinking isn't as structured or organized as a learning one. It goes against the "sit-still-and-do-as-you're told" mindset that years of schooling and work have ingrained in us, and can appear chaotic and scary in comparison.

But the process of getting better at tango, or achieving any kind of success in life for that matter, rarely follows a linear, orderly path. 

WE'RE ALL TOO BUSY

One of the most difficult things about becoming good at tango isn't necessarily related to the nature of the dance itself. Instead, it's the nature of our busy lives. 

With issues related to work, family, friends, bad weather, being tired, etc, it's easy to say that we don't have time.

So how do we improve our dancing? Instead of thinking of the reasons why we can't, shouldn't, or might not be able to, try asking yourself: 

How good do I want to be, and how bad do I want it? 

The clarity of your answer will give you a better idea of how to prioritize all the other things in life you don't have time for.

THE OCCASIONAL EXTREME

I'm guessing most of you reading this take tango classes regularly. Then, to get a better grasp on what you've learned in those classes, you go to the local practicas and milongas in your town. All of that is good. Very good.

But it's not enough.

Tango is special to us not only because it's a great dance, but also because it's an experience. The circumstances in which we choose to use our dancing is almost as essential as learning/practicing the steps themselves. Like trying a new exercise at the gym to develop different muscle groups, it's necessary to vary our tango experiences as well.

Not sure if you want to go to a milonga that ends at dawn? Curious about trying tango in a city you've never been to before? Considering a road trip to a festival where you don't know anyone? Thinking about going to a milonga in a part of town where everyone there might be a freak?

Try it.

Take a break from the routine and put yourself in a position that will guarantee some sort of reaction on your part. Good or bad, it'll likely add something new and interesting to your dancing.