There are difference styles of Argentine tango which developed according the amount of space that people had to dance in Buenos Aires during the Golden Age. In the poorer barrios, people huddled together in small spaces, packing many people into a room the size of a garage to enjoy a night of tango. These settings gave rise to a tango with small steps, more or less what is known as the "milonguero" style. In more affluent barrios, people danced in larger dance halls that enabled larger steps - the long sensual walk of Tango Salon.
Whatever your preference, tango requires us to adjust our dancing to the space we have to dance, as a practicality and a form of respect for the dancers around us. We are lucky to have a variety of spaces here in Cape Town but some of them can get quite crowded these days, an excellent opporunity to practice our dancing in a small space. Rather than a deterrent, we should see this as a challenge to develop our skill as dancers.
Tips for Dancing in a Small Space
1. Yes, the most obvious it to take smaller steps!
2. Use lots of directional changes and circular movements: medio giros, giros and spiral movements
3. Changing weight on the spot to wait for a space to open up is part of dancing tango
4. Use more rebotes (bouncing steps that allow you to go back and forward a bit)
5. Take the oppotunity to close the embrace even more and feel the intimacy of the tango!
6. Grow your awareness of others on the dance floor so that you don't collide by mistake
Take a look at this wonderful video of Murat and Michelle Erdemsel showing how it is possible to dance a beautiful tango in an increasingly small space.
Whatever your preference, tango requires us to adjust our dancing to the space we have to dance, as a practicality and a form of respect for the dancers around us. We are lucky to have a variety of spaces here in Cape Town but some of them can get quite crowded these days, an excellent opporunity to practice our dancing in a small space. Rather than a deterrent, we should see this as a challenge to develop our skill as dancers.
Tips for Dancing in a Small Space
1. Yes, the most obvious it to take smaller steps!
2. Use lots of directional changes and circular movements: medio giros, giros and spiral movements
3. Changing weight on the spot to wait for a space to open up is part of dancing tango
4. Use more rebotes (bouncing steps that allow you to go back and forward a bit)
5. Take the oppotunity to close the embrace even more and feel the intimacy of the tango!
6. Grow your awareness of others on the dance floor so that you don't collide by mistake
Take a look at this wonderful video of Murat and Michelle Erdemsel showing how it is possible to dance a beautiful tango in an increasingly small space.
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