“Take your time. Tango is too precious not to enjoy the learning process.
First, learn the technique, then forget about it. Your body will have it, but it's only your spirit that makes the tango. Like my friend Gavito used to say, "Clean is no good. You have to dirty it up, let your personality dictate the dance, that's what the Europeans lack." Being clean and correct is not good, you have to make it dirty, let your own personality design the dance, that's what the Europeans miss.
Posture, technique can be taught, even some music, but subtlety and improvisation are within you or not, you must be born with them.
It's good that so many people are starting to dance tango now, but look at what they dance as well. They dance movements instead of feeling, they look at the floor, they don't care about the woman in their arms. Many seem like clones. This is sad to me, I learned that tango is about respect. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but then why do so many young people come to my classes?
Nothing is really new, everything had already been invented, if you see Todaro dancing in 1953, you'll see I'm right.
Tango is about subtlety. I'm afraid you either have it or you don't - it says so much about you, the way you embrace the woman, the way you pause.
Tango happens step by step; literally, the less you do, the more tango it is.”
El Flaco Dany
Photo source: luisatresca.com