On the first Friday of every month Anthony, our Argentine Tango instructor, holds a pratica at Lioudmila's from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. We decided to go since we really needed the practice. It wasn't crowded and we knew the other couples that came from other dance venues.
Argentine Tango is very different from the other ballroom dance we know. Here is a quote from Wikipedia that sums it up: "Argentine Tango relies heavily on improvisation; although certain patterns of movement have been codified by instructors over the years as a device to instruct dancers, there is no "basic step." One of the only constants across all Argentine Tango styles, is that the follower will usually be led to alternate feet. Another is that the follower rarely has her weight on both feet at the same time. Argentine tango is a new orientation of couple dancing. As most dances have a rational-pattern which can be predicted by the follower, the ballast of previous perceptions about strict rules has to be thrown overboard and replaced by a real communication contact, creating a direct non-verbal dialogue. A tango is a living act in the moment as it happens."
All dancing is a special way of communicating with your partner. You are together there in the moment talking back and forth without speaking. Argentine Tango is so much improvisation that it brings that communion between partners to another level.
For example, in American Tango I lead my partner to do a fan. In Argentine Tango I lead my partner through the fan. As I interpret the music I can change the tempo of my lead in the middle of a step.
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