Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. One of the complaints I hear from students every day is the notion that Tango is so very difficult to learn. People who have experience with "ballroom" lessons are especially prone to this perception.

"This is the hardest dance I've ever tried to pick up."

"I'll never learn how to dance Tango."

"I'm giving up on Tango."

As a teacher, I sympathize with students who feel this way. During the late 1980s, when I was trying to learn Tango, I often felt that I was banging my head against a brick wall. For years, it seemed that this would be the one social dance I'd never be able to master. Thirty plus years later, I no longer believe this to be true -- at least about my own dancing. But it took me much longer than I ever expected for me to finally "get it."

As a result of my own learning process, I think I know pretty much why students have the problems they do, when it comes to social Tango. For one thing, social Tango really is hard to grasp. Tango is an improvisational dance, which means that -- as so many of my own teachers constantly maintained -- there are no "steps;" i.e., no memorized figures to form the basis of the dance. This is, of course, in sharp contrast to our own native "ballroom" tradition, in which memorized figures absolutely define how we perceive and execute every dance we do.

Secondly, students want -- in fact, insist on -- fast results in their personal learning process. They routinely believe that such unpleasant challenges as learning how to walk or how to balance between individual steps will take care of themselves over time (which they definitely will not, by the way). What they want -- and they want it right now -- is a pocketful of flashy moves they can use to burn up the dance floor today, if not sooner. This is what they're willing to shell out their hard-earned money for, and nothing else will do.

Thirdly, Tango teachers feel a great deal of pressure from students to give them what they want -- and because they need to earn a living, many (if not most) tend to go along with misguided student demands for the superficial accumulation of showy flotsam instead of foundational building-block essentials.

So, to recap why you're having so much trouble learning social Tango, we might say it's because:

·      Yes, social Tango really is inherently hard to learn.

·      No, you really don't want to do what it takes to learn it.

·      Your teacher -- even if he/she actually knows what he/she is doing -- is probably unwilling to force you to focus on the right stuff for fear of losing your business.

Quite a dilemma, isn't it?

Is there a solution to your very real, very common predicament? I think there is. It starts with the recognition that Tango is difficult to learn, and that you just cannot put the cart before the horse. You may be champing at the bit to sink your teeth into those tasty morsels of stage material you're jonesing to savor -- but you've got to begin facing the fact that they'll have to wait until you've gained the ability to handle them with skill.

Next, you've got to let your teacher determine your learning process, not YouTube. All the really crucial skill development happens during your early stages of learning. You simply cannot bypass it, and hope to become even reasonably good at this dance.

Finally, find yourself a teacher who understands all this, and is committed to bring the hammer down, when you try to twist his/her arm to put the gravy before the meat.

Are you willing to do what it takes to learn Tango? That's a big question. If your answer is "yes" -- I'm talking about a serious, I-really-mean-it "yes" -- you can and will eventually learn this great dance. If you keep looking for the fast track, I guarantee you that it's never, ever going to happen.

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
• Jesse Barton
  
• ​​​​​​​Steve Maisch