It takes two to tango – at least

It has been some time since that evening at the Maldita Milonga with our in-laws and the ensuing first private tango class with Laura and Sergio. In fact, we had our 16th lesson last Friday, and it is now safe to say that we have caught fire and are seriously trying to learn the tango. High time to own up and tell more.

But first I have to get one fact straight – which may sound like an excuse, but is not. My husband and I are not the most talented dancers, and we actually never go out dancing. He took the obligatory course during his High School time – which I at that moment in my life thought the most stupid thing on earth. And I had classical ballet classes as a teenager until I was 19. If you think that that might help us in any way in our struggles you could not be more wrong.

The Argentine Tango is very different, and with our teachers we have fallen into the hands of good old traditionalists. I am very happy with that, don’t get me wrong, it is exactly what I want to learn. But when Laura says: “I don’t teach steps,” she is dead serious and that makes the whole enterprise a bit of a challenge.

Well, of course there are steps and figures in the Argentine Tango, which Laura and Sergio patiently show us during our classes and which make the building blocks of the dance. But most importantly we have to learn to get the right posture, to walk and glide, and to communicate through our bodies.

It came as no surprise that I am in general too tense, that I think and over-analyze too much and that I tend to take the lead and dominate my partner. So you could basically say that I am the least suited for this old-fashioned dance in which the man takes the lead and makes the decisions and the woman waits patiently with the right mix of tension and relaxedness and follows the leader wherever he guides her. Which in theory is a concept that somehow appeals to me, believe it or not. Just imagine, leaving all the decisions to your partner for a change and just enjoying the moves and the music. Oh, but old habits are soo hard to break!

So poor hubby!On top of his struggles with the right posture and finding the rhythm, he has keep me in check and steer me in the right direction – without breaking my arm or me breaking his. We have already coined a new expression and are secretly calling our style Tango Teutonico. Perhaps it will be all the rage one day and we get filthy rich … but I doubt it.

In the meantime we diligently take our weekly class in one of the salas of the Congreso neighborhood and try to practice at home whenever the mood befalls us. There are good days where we think we are making progress, and there are bad days where we doubt that we will ever learn. But Laura and Sergio are patiently and stoically insisting that everyone can learn the tango – and I choose to believe them. I would miss both them and our classes … and besides, giving up is not an option here! Jawohl!

Perhaps at some point we might dare to go to a milonga and participate, but let’s not get carried away here. Of course, I will keep you posted.