Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Today, we're going to discuss time zones. We're thinking big right now, so we'll divide our times zones into three major categories: the past, the present, and the future. The question we're going to be asking ourselves is this: As Tango dancers, which of these times zones do we live in?

As students of the dance, we all tend to live in the past, at least a little bit. If we do well in the movements we make as leaders or followers, we pat ourselves on the back in celebration (or breathe a big sigh of relief). If we make a mistake, we often have trouble moving on until we've spent some time beating ourselves up over our perceived errors.

Skipping over the present for a moment, the time zone we really focus on is the future. As leaders, we can't wait to get to that next movement in the dance, or if we're moving through a difficult, memorized sequence, to the completion of the figure. (The faster we get there, the less likely it is that we'll make a mistake, right?) As follower's, we often live in a state of absolute terror that we just aren't going to be up to the task of getting through the sequence our leader is asking for, so we tense up -- some of us become absolutely paralyzed -- and our following skills seem to just fall apart under the pressure.

Which brings us back a step to the present. As we said a moment ago, for most leaders the present is just a door we keep opening in order to get to the future. For followers the present goes by so quickly that we hardly notice it, since our concentration is almost exclusively riveted on what's going to happen next.

Do you get the idea? Past, present, and future? Which time zone should we be living in as good social tango dancers?

It certainly isn't the past. No matter how well -- or how badly -- your last Tango in Paris might have been, if you recognize your problems and fix them, what you do now can be completely different, completely competent and rewarding, not even a dim reflection of anything that came before.

Furthermore, it's not the future. What we do down the road may seem to be important -- especially if you're a leader and you can't quite remember what's supposed to come next in a figure -- or you're a follower who's being rushed through that same figure, because your leader is paying attention to the pattern instead of to you. But to a skilled leader or follower, the future comes sometime later, and will have to take care of itself. What is important -- what is crucial to the success of your Tango is ...

you guessed it ...

THE PRESENT!

As one of the very best leaders in the room, you live absolutely in the present. You recognize that getting your follower to move comfortably from the beginning to the end of each individual step you're inviting her to execute right in this moment is what is important -- not what's going to happen next. You realize that if you invite a step too quickly, it will almost certainly send her off her balance. And if you don't allow her to finish what she's doing before you attempt to lead the next move, the same thing will most likely happen.

As one of the very best followers in the room, you, too, live in the present. You know that you have no control over the flow of the dance; but you are fully confident that your leader is going to make absolutely certain that you're balanced and ready before inviting any individual move. If he has a complex sequence in mind, he's going to lead each step with skill and patience -- so that you have as much time as you need to finish what you're doing in the moment before being asked to move on to the next thing. Because you feel absolutely safe and confident in your leader's ability, you never feel any need to anticipate your next move in any way. Your full concentration is just where it belongs -- on your balance at rest at the end of each step.

The next time you get up for a dance, think about time zones. If something goes wrong in any given moment, forget about it and move on. What has happened in the past can be useful in a dance lesson, but during a dance, you have to put it aside and do your best right now. The same is true about the future. If what you're doing now as a leader or follower isn't working, you won't be able to fix it by taking the next step.

Keep your concentration focused on the here and now. This is where we live as the best dancers -- or as dancers who strive to eventually become the best -- in any room.

Every Saturday, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Dance Manhattan, Fran and Pat host a special beginner/intermediate practice, geared toward helping you bring your skills up to speed. The cost for the practice is $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) Fran and Pat are always on hand to answer any questions you may have about your dancing, and to help you with material you're working on. If you'd like a private lesson, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692, or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com. For the practice, all you have to do is arrive with $10 and your dance shoes in hand.

The following folks helped set up, break down and clean up before and after the milonga. Without them, there would be no Firehouse Tango.