I am a lover of dance. I find that I enjoy watching (and/or dancing) almost every known dance there is. But recently I discovered the Argentine Tango.
Now I know that many people make Tango out to be a romantic dance or a sexy dance, but the truth is far from it. The Tango is entirely a dance of communication. That's why the phrase "two to Tango."
What is Tango? A dance of partnership. When a man asks a woman to dance the Tango with him, he is asking her, in silent contract, to follow his movements and obey his steps. And she, when offering her hand to be led into the dance is agreeing by her actions to follow him blindly. (Sometimes quite literally: I find I am the better dancer when I close my eyes. I also enjoy it more.)
It is the man's dance. It is his job to decide where they go along the floor and what steps to take and, by his movement and strength of hold, to communicate this to his partner so she can follow in a split second so they stay in time to the music.
It is the woman's dance. She is the crown jewel. In heels and graceful, gliding steps she commands the room. If she cannot follow him, she must stay still so no one watching knows the mistake.
It is a dance of the senses. The partners hands meet on one side and embrace on the other. Humans are tactile creatures. Even something as simple as a dance hold can change your perspective. Your ears hear the music, you feel your own heartbeat. A simple pleasure to close my eyes as I am led around the dance floor. Beautiful.
Now I know quite a few men out there who either don't like dancing or don't know how to dance and are embarrassed to try. If you can walk, you can be taught how to dance. Many women out there appreciate men to can dance or have the guts to at least try. Ballroom dancing was once a social norm. Now not so much. A shame. Men who dance have a tendency to be more chivalrous than others because they are taught to respect women. I hope, dear reader, that this new generation will try to Tango. It's not complicated, it just takes some steps.
And the first step is to not be afraid of dancing in the first place.
Now I know that many people make Tango out to be a romantic dance or a sexy dance, but the truth is far from it. The Tango is entirely a dance of communication. That's why the phrase "two to Tango."
What is Tango? A dance of partnership. When a man asks a woman to dance the Tango with him, he is asking her, in silent contract, to follow his movements and obey his steps. And she, when offering her hand to be led into the dance is agreeing by her actions to follow him blindly. (Sometimes quite literally: I find I am the better dancer when I close my eyes. I also enjoy it more.)
It is the man's dance. It is his job to decide where they go along the floor and what steps to take and, by his movement and strength of hold, to communicate this to his partner so she can follow in a split second so they stay in time to the music.
It is the woman's dance. She is the crown jewel. In heels and graceful, gliding steps she commands the room. If she cannot follow him, she must stay still so no one watching knows the mistake.
It is a dance of the senses. The partners hands meet on one side and embrace on the other. Humans are tactile creatures. Even something as simple as a dance hold can change your perspective. Your ears hear the music, you feel your own heartbeat. A simple pleasure to close my eyes as I am led around the dance floor. Beautiful.
Now I know quite a few men out there who either don't like dancing or don't know how to dance and are embarrassed to try. If you can walk, you can be taught how to dance. Many women out there appreciate men to can dance or have the guts to at least try. Ballroom dancing was once a social norm. Now not so much. A shame. Men who dance have a tendency to be more chivalrous than others because they are taught to respect women. I hope, dear reader, that this new generation will try to Tango. It's not complicated, it just takes some steps.
And the first step is to not be afraid of dancing in the first place.
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