Moved by Argentine Tango

During a discussion of Argentine Tango with a friend,  we got on the subject of patterns and steps.   He didn’t understand why I had such a passion for the dance and what made it different from American Tango.

In this discussion, he was focused on the difficulty of other styles of Tango and the characteristics of timing and patterns.   I sat patiently and listened but I knew I would never be able to explain that I do not think about patterns or steps or moves when I dance.  That’s not my ultimate aspiration.

My aspiration is not to perform moves, but to be moved by the dance.  To find those moments of calm stillness between myself, my partner and the music when we are both listening to each other and the music.  When we both respond mutually, interpreting the music and move completely as one.   This doesn’t happen often.  It takes the right partner, music and even the right mood.   But when it does, these moments of eternity happen and it keeps me coming back to experience it again and again.

Learning technique, timing and “moves” (movements!!) are all critical to dancing good, or great Tango, but in the end it’s not the moves I dance for.  The moves become secondary to the shared experience of being moved by Tango.

I often talk about Argentine Tango and what makes it different from every other dance.  When I do, people look at me and stare or listen patiently but obviously not understanding what I am talking about. 

Why is it different?  Putting aside the history, the technical details of the dance, the style, the technique, even the music.  Argentine Tango, for me, is defined in those special moments when a single breath of time stretches into eternity.

There are moments, while dancing Argentine Tango, when everything around me fades into the background.  Time seems to almost stop and all I am aware of is the music and my partner.   When these special moments occur,  the outside world disappears and that moment feels like forever.  For just a few minutes a single dance becomes art. 

When those moments are over, and the dance has ended, one or both partners will often exhale as if we had been holding our breath realizing both have experienced something that cannot be described.   I have never experienced this in any other form of dance.

I believe this happens because of the innocent intimate connection that exists between two dance partners, the close embrace and the intensity of the movements.   It doesn’t matter if they have known each other for years, or just met for the first time.  When it happens, it is at once beautiful and profound. 

I know I have not described this well at all, but I also know that there are no words to describe this experience.   Just maybe, these pictures will tell a story that cannot be told with words alone.