THE EMBRACE...OF ANARCHY

In our daily lives (work, school, at the DMV, etc) we're used to following orders. Someone is telling us what procedures to follow, where to print our names, which forms to fill out, where the signed paperwork is supposed to be submitted, etc.

We're treated a bit like numbers to be processed as quickly as possible.

But on the dance floor:

There is no tango middle manager.

There is no tango police.

There is no tango bureau of central planning.

There is no tango parliament or tango oversight committees.

Your tango teachers, the "experts" you rely on to improve your dancing, are unlicensed, uncertified, and unelected (and in some cases, unmedicated).

There is no state-approved tango "curriculum" that one must follow.

There is no test you take or piece of paper you can frame and mount on your wall that officially declares you a "tango dancer."

This is how it's been since people started doing tango way back in the day.

Sounds like anarchy. And maybe it is...

...but it works.

The lack of centralized "authority" in tango is one of the big reasons why it's so fascinating.

Where does the guy place his right hand and where does the lady place her left while dancing close embrace? A dozen teachers may give a dozen different answers. And that's before anyone begins to actually move.

I remember three instructors, all of whom I greatly respect, telling me how to lead molinetes in three very different, and almost contradictory ways. So which teacher was right?

They all were.

When given different or conflicting information on how to lead/follow specific figures, it's not time to panic. Instead, it's up to us as individual dancers to experiment and figure out which methods work best with whomever we happen to be dancing with at the moment.

Every partner is unique, every dance experience is a small adventure (if you think about it), and the "right" way to lead a step might be different each time.

There's no referring to the user manual, flowchart, or official guidebook.

Does that seem scary? If it does, maybe it's because we're too accustomed to being treated (or treating others) like digits on an invoice, customer ID, or file. In that case, we should tango more. Embrace this form of anarchy because for those few precious moments in between cortinas, you and your partner are the ones who get to decide, and not be told, what to do.