How to Tango: Dancing by Yourself or with a Partner

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Plus, advanced tips for mastering the tango
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Learning to tango is not easy and requires the right skills and teacher. But the basics can be learned on your own, and you can start learning by yourself. With a little practice, you can master this elegant and romantic dance. Once you've got it down, you could even teach it to others as well!

Dancing the Tango

Stand up straight, roll your shoulders back, and bend your knees. If you’re leading, step forward with your left foot and then your right foot twice. Then, move your left foot to the side to meet your right foot. If you’re following, do the same moves in reverse (step backward with your right foot first).

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Practicing on Your Own

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  1. Hold your head high with your spine straight and your chin forward. Engage your core to roll your shoulders back and keep your neck in line with your spine. [1]
    • The better posture you have, the more confident you’ll look in your dancing ability.
  2. As you stand up straight, bend your knees just slightly so you can bounce up and down as you move your feet. The tango is all about fluidity, and you can’t be fluid if your knees are locked in place. [2]
    • If you lock your knees and keep your legs straight, you might end up looking stiff as you dance.
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  3. The leading partner is the one who will be leading the dance, and their partner will follow. If you’d like to be a leading partner, practice: [3]
    • Forward with your left foot
    • Forward with your right foot
    • Forward with left foot
    • To the right with your right foot
    • Feet together, moving left to meet right. That's it! Repeat!
  4. The following partner mimics the movements of the leading partner, only on the opposite foot going the opposite direction. [4] If you want to learn the following partner’s moves, practice: [5]
    • Backward with your right foot
    • Backward with your left foot
    • Backward with your right foot
    • To the left with your left foot
    • Feet together, moving right to meet left. Ta da! Repeat!

    Tip: You may want to learn both the leading and the following movements so you can switch back and forth with new partners.

  5. Each step that you take has a different speed. The first 2 steps should be slow, the next 2 are quick, and the last one is slow again. As you practice more and listen to the music, this will come naturally to you. [6]
    • Thinking about the speed will help you match the rhythm of your partner’s movements as you dance.
  6. Listen to some tango music and find the rhythm to move your feet to. Practice stepping to the beat so that you can do the movements with whatever song you throw on. [7]
    • Di Sarli, Canaro, Pugliese, D'Arienzo, and Laurenz are all artists that make great music to tango to.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Dancing with a Partner

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  1. Traditionally, the male partner leads and the female partner follows. However, you can choose whoever you’d like as your partner and talk to them about leading or following, depending on your preference. [8]
    • If you’re just starting out, you might want to take the following position since you can mimic your partner’s moves.
  2. Stand about 6 inches (15 cm) away from your partner facing each other. If you are the leading partner, place your right hand on your partner’s back just behind their shoulder. If you’re the following partner, put your left hand on your partner’s back in the same position. [9]

    Tip: If you’re not familiar with your partner, standing this close to them can feel a little weird at first. Just remember that everyone is there to dance and have a good time.

  3. If you have your right hand on your partner’s back, raise your left hand at about shoulder-height to the side. If you have your left hand on your partner’s back, raise your right hand to meet your partner’s free hand. Grasp it firmly to keep your hands in the air as you dance. [10]
    • Holding your arms up like this can help correct your posture as you move around.
  4. If you’ve chosen the lead partner position, you get to choose where you and your partner go as you dance. If you’re in a large dance hall, look out for other dancers as you move around the room, rotating in a counterclockwise circle. [11]
    • If you’re taking a tango dance class, the teacher might direct you on which way to go so you don’t run into other people.
  5. If you are in the following position, you don’t need to worry about where to go. Stay connected with your partner and follow their footsteps as you move around the room while dancing. [12]
    • Don’t be afraid to ask your dancing partner a question or tell them to slow down if you need to.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Mastering the Dance

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  1. [13] You can only get better at something if you practice it often. Try to tango at least once per week, if not more, on your own or with other people. Soon, you’ll be able to tango in your sleep!
    • Try not to get discouraged if it takes you a little while to master the dance. Learning a new skill takes time, and you already know more about the tango than most people!
  2. Since you are the one pushing in a direction, try to think at least 8 steps ahead of time. That way, you won’t be caught off guard or have trouble thinking of what comes next.
    • It may be helpful to learn a specific set of movements either from an instructor or an online video.
  3. If you’re the following partner, you get to have the peace of mind that you just have to go with the flow. The easiest way to know that you're capable of depending on your partner is to feel their weight. Feel where it's going, feel where it is between the moves, and balance with them.
    • Try sticking with one partner so you can get used to their weight and their movements.
  4. Now have you and your partner facing the side -- this is called the promenade. Instead of thinking forward and back, you're thinking to the left or right. This way you can add in swivels and turns. In most tango forms, the follower swivels on the axis while the leader stays mostly in place. [14]
    • For example, if you are the follower, you take two steps to the right (slow, slow). Immediately after that second step (and before the third), throw your torso to face the left. Then you resume moving backward.
    • For turns, the leader turns toward his partner 180 degrees on the first quick step and the one following steps between his feet. Now we're getting fancy!
  5. Once you learn the basics, you can practice with other people who also want to learn the tango. You can bring a partner along with you or go alone and couple up with someone there.
    • Try looking for a class that meets once a week so you can have a lot of time to practice.

    Tip: You can also look for tango dance parties, called milongas, if you just want to show off your skills!

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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Can you tango by yourself?
    Andrey Stanev
    Professional Dance Instructor
    Andrey Stanev is a Professional Dance Instructor specializing in ballroom, Latin and wedding dance. With over 25 years of instruction and dancing experience, Andrey is also the Owner of Ballroom Dance in NYC, a studio based in Manhattan, New York and in Hawthorne, New York. He was born and raised in Bulgaria and won the Bulgarian National Championship for Ballroom and Latin Dance in 2000-2001. He has also worked at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio where he received the Award for Outstanding Performance in the advanced department of teaching.
    Andrey Stanev
    Professional Dance Instructor
    Expert Answer
    Since it's traditionally a partner dance, doing the tango by yourself will be challenging. However, you can learn the basic moves on your own to develop muscle memory, then take a dance class to solidify those skills.
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    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 6
  • Question
    Can you do the tango without it being romantic?
    IncredibleGuinevere
    Community Answer
    Of course. It doesn't have to be romantic if you and your partner don't want it to be.
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    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question
    Is it easy to do the tango as a kid?
    Community Answer
    I learned how to tango as a kid, it's definitely possible. The only challenge is finding a partner your height to practice with.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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      Tips

      • Learning a new dance is hard, especially when you’re just starting out. Stick with it, and try not to get discouraged.
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      • Invite your friends to learn the tango with you so you have people to dance with.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPtpJEQyc80&feature=youtu.be&t=35
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSTPuzGhhQM&feature=youtu.be&t=167
      3. ↑ https://www.dancing4beginners.com/tango/
      4. ↑ Andrey Stanev. Professional Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
      5. ↑ https://www.dancing4beginners.com/tango/
      6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvTkG-Xjc9U&feature=youtu.be&t=264
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4l9w_BBW5s&feature=youtu.be&t=41
      8. ↑ Andrey Stanev. Professional Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
      9. ↑ Andrey Stanev. Professional Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
      1. ↑ https://www.dancing4beginners.com/tango/
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSTPuzGhhQM&feature=youtu.be&t=176
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSTPuzGhhQM&feature=youtu.be&t=176
      4. ↑ Andrey Stanev. Professional Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4l9w_BBW5s&feature=youtu.be&t=85

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you’re leading the tango, step forward with your left foot, forward with your right foot, forward with your left foot, right with your right foot, then together with your left foot. Continue the five basic steps for as long as you want to dance! If you’re following, step backward with your right foot, backward with your left foot, backward with your right foot, to the left with your left foot, then together with your right foot. Repeat until the partner leading stops. Both partners should follow the slow, slow, quick, quick, slow tempo. For more techniques, like how to turn or be turned, read on!

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