How to Follow Tango Dance Etiquette

The tango is an elegant, formal and beautiful style of dance. Most people who dance tango are familiar with dance etiquette. If you are a novice dancer, don't worry, most rules of tango are logical in nature. The goal when dancing the tango is to have fun and allow others to enjoy themselves as well. Choosing to follow simple etiquette rules will further the love of the tango dance by others. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dance hall
• Comfortable shoes
• Band or DJ
• Water
• Tango clothing

Follow Tango Dance Etiquette

1. It is common in tango to dance counter-clockwise around the dance floor in circles. The outer circle is reserved for those dancers that are more experienced and can dance faster than the rest. The inner circle is for slower or less experience dancers.

2. Try not to cut across the lanes during the songs. One way to avoid this is to only enter the dance floor at the beginning of a new song. If you must enter mid-song, then try to dance between lanes to get to where you are going.

3. Stand away from the dance floor if you are not dancing. Tango can have some pretty wild moves, and dancers tend to extend their positions more in the corners or side of the dance floor, so stand back!

4. Practice new moves or techniques that you have not perfected in the corners of the dance floor away from the other dancers.

5. Be alert to other dancers around you. If you bump into someone, immediately apologize, whether it was your fault or not.

6. Dance in closer quarters if the floor is busy. Usually when there are a lot of people on the dance floor, you will have to adapt your style accordingly. Eliminate full extensions of the arms and legs to avoid hitting or kicking someone else.

7. Traveling backwards is common for certain tango moves. If you are the leader, be sure to look behind you and if you are not, then look over your partners shoulder. You should never follow someone who is walking backwards blindly.

8. Keep good hygiene. Brush your teeth and wear deodorant. Don't spray on too much perfume or cologne.

Tips & Warnings

• Smile and don't look serious all the time.
• Give advice to novice dancers gently. Try not to sound too critical, we were all beginners once.
• Take breaks.
• Remove your glasses and wear contacts. Glasses fall off and get stepped on.
• Avoid showboating. Nobody likes a showoff.
• Don't get too intimate on the dance floor even though tango is a sexy and provocative dance. Other dancers do not want to witness a makeout session.

[MrsLizzy]

on 7/20/2007 Really great, helpful article, thank you, Editor! I especially like Step 8: choking on someone's foul "fragrance" is my top pet hate.