As a follower, each movement you make is entirely dependent on starting from a foundation of solid balance. If your leader suddenly requires you to stop, to reverse direction, to execute ocho, molinete, or some kind of complex pattern — and you’re not in control of your balance — it will be virtually impossible for you to comply with his invitation.

Social Tango involves two people in an interdependent embrace, trying to function as a single entity. By the very nature of such a relationship, even the simplest movement can be extremely challenging. If either the leader or follower (or both) compromise the interchange even further by neglecting balance at the completion of each step, the entire enterprise can easily become disastrous.

What can you do to increase the chances of success in your dancing? If you’re a follower, the answer is quite straightforward. Insist on finding balance at the end of each step you’re asked to take. This doesn’t necessarily mean coming to an absolute stop. What you do next is largely up to your leader. But it very definitely does mean noticing whether you’re being thrown totally off-balance, and being forced to literally fall into the next movement. At the same time, make every effort to maintain full consciousness in ending your steps; don’t pull your leader off balance by failing to control your own equilibrium.

If you’re a leader, begin to recognize that your follower’s balance — and the basis for every step she takes — is your responsibility. Yes, she does indeed have to find her own stasis as she completes each movement; but it’s up to you to avoid hindering that process — or actually preventing it — by constantly sending her precariously past the point of no return in an attempt to execute a complex pattern or to maintain a rigid adherence to the insistent cadence of the music.

Dancing Tango at any level is difficult. Whether you’re a leader or a follower, please start making your dance feel more comfortable for both yourself and your partner, by putting balance at the top of your list of skills to master.

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Pat and I hope you’re all enjoying your holidays. As we approach the New Year, you may be considering a few special resolutions for 2018. In keeping with that tradition, we’d like to propose a few that will go a long way toward helping improve your Tango.

Here are some of our Top Tips for leaders:

·      I will make every effort to master the skill of lead/follow.

·      I will search for conscious balance at the end of every step I take with every partner.

·      I will attempt to maintain the line of dance at all times.

·      I will put my follower’s continuous comfort ahead of all other considerations.

And a few for followers:

·      I will remember to bring myself to a stop at the end of every step I am invited to take.

·      I will keep my own balance during every dance.

·      I will execute every step with positive energy and conviction.

·      I will learn to speak the language of adornment, and use it sparingly.

Here are a few for everyone:

·      We will dance with the partner in front of us rather than some ideal who doesn’t exist.

·      We will never teach.

·      We will take regular lessons.

·      We will have lots of fun, dancing Tango no matter what our skill level.

All these suggestions are things Pat and I try to incorporate into our own Tango as best we can. We’ve talked about them again and again in our weekly Tango Tips (and will, of course, repeat them as often as possible). As your teachers, we want you to become as good as you can at dancing social Tango. As your friends, we want every day to be made a little better for having Tango in your life.

Happy New Year, everybody! We look forward to the great pleasure of your company in 2018.

The longest-running and friendliest practica in NYC! Come join our happy group of social tango dancers, whose sole purpose is to enjoy dancing and to practice what they’re learning. Everyone dances! Essential Tango Therapy! Pat and I will be on hand to answer any questions you may have, and help you with material you’re working on. Plus you get a new “must-have” move each week! No partner required, all levels. Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 West 46^th Street, 11^th floor, (bet. 6^th & 7^th Aves) www.franchesleigh.com

If you’d like a private lesson, you can visit our website at www.franchesleigh.com, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692, or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/franchesleighllc

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

• Steve Turi
• ​​​​​​​Lynn Gross
  
• Tsipoyra Sartan
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Steve Maisch
• Jesse Barton
  
• ​​​​​​​Hilda and Rafael
• and thanks to all the other folks who helped.  It really makes our job much easier, and we certainly appreciate it.