Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Did you know that every time you get up and dance, there's a precise moment, when you can clearly tell for yourself whether your Tango skills are working -- or whether they're not? At the risk of sounding a bit dramatic, let's call this point in time the moment of truth.

The moment of truth isn't something that's hard to find. It's not a single, isolated split-second element, hidden where it might be difficult to notice. The fact is that the moment of truth occurs very, very obviously right smack in your face very single time you take a step, every time you pause, every time you pivot.

If you've been following the last few Tango Tips (and if you haven't, please go to the Firehouse Tango archives right now and read them!), you'll remember that we've been discussing the three specific skill sets, which comprise what I call "Level 2" social Tango. This is where you really start to move with skill -- rather than just flailing around with a partner in a kind of aimless way as the music plays.

To remind you once more, those three skill sets are:

1.     Balance

2.     Lead/follow

3.     Progressive single-step movement

The moment of truth is what happens between the end of any given step you take in the dance, and the next step.

If we put it in terms of our three Level 2 skill sets, it's what takes place during the transition from balance to the next lead/follow interaction.

As we move in Tango, we make the transition between one step and the next by coming to the end of our balance before engaging in the subsequent lead/follow choice. To put it into plain English, we "stop and go." How many times does this occur during the dance? All you have to do is count the number of steps you take. The moment of truth is right there after every single one. (Conversely, when we dance within our own American/European tradition -- let's say Foxtrot, for example -- we do exactly the opposite. We flow smoothly from one step in the dance to the next. In fact, this seamless transition from one step to the next actually defines our tradition of dancing: continuous, uninterrupted movement.)

When Argentine people dance Tango, they don't think about a moment of truth between steps. They take this way of making transitions between steps for granted. It's their largely unspoken, largely untaught, largely unconscious tradition. It's the way they dance. Asi se baila el tango. (Look it up, language buffs.) Here in America, however, this way of moving is quite unnatural. As I said above, we do precisely the opposite. As a consequence, when we learn Tango, this idea of acknowledging "the moment of truth" becomes (or should become) a primary element of our learning process.

Sadly, most people who teach Tango don't seem to be tuned in to this idea. Their focus for the most part seems to be to feed the ever-prevailing student preoccupation with a new stage sequence every minute. This, I believe, is the main reason we continue to see so many student dancers constantly careening recklessly around the floor, literally putting their followers' health in danger. We could accuse these people of not caring about the importance of finding the end of each step before they take the next. But, frankly, I think a more accurate statement would be: As teachers, we're not doing our jobs in clearly showing our students what makes social Tango what it is, in guiding them strongly toward building fundamental skills before indulging their premature (and potentially dangerous) craving for the cotton candy of stage fantasies.

I'm counting on you teachers out there. And I'm absolutely begging students who really want to learn social Tango to search for teachers who'll keep away from the nonsense, and focus on such crucial ideas as the moment of truth.

Come on, I'm begging here.

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.

• Tsypoyra Sartan
•  Elena Titova
• Elena Syrett
• ​​​​​​​Barbara L.
  
• Nina 
• Steve Turi
•  Lynn Gross
• Herb Kahn