Tango Dancers, acrylic, 21x30cm
The most important thing in tango is the connection that dancers have with each other. The steps of the dance are less important than the connection. It is this 'connection' that makes tango special. When the connection is good tango becomes magical, a dance of shared feeling, a three minute dance of love. It can be more pleasurable to dance with a beginner who has a good connection than with an experienced dancer who focuses on their steps and forgets the heart of tango... the connection with their partner.
Connection has two aspects:
Physical connection, which is shown in the dancers' chests always facing each other, even when doing complex steps.
Emotional connection, which is the dancers' mindset of care for their partner, whatever their role (leader or follower) or the steps they take.
When we connect we leave the world behind, focus solely on our partner and avoid being caught in the 'me' trap. Tango us not about me, but about us, not about the technique but about the feeling of being one, one body and one mind. We achieve this by focusing 80/20, 80% on our partner and 20% on ourselves. It is easy to get caught up in the challenge of leading or following and to forget to attend to our partner. Connection begins with the embrace, we re-connect through the dance and the dance ends with no movement, only connection.
