Tango dancing: How to improvise without thinking?

Join us as we answer Filippo’s question:
“When I dance I cannot think of anything other than the basic steps. I have been learning sequences, even advanced ones, but without being taught how to improvise. How do I begin going past the basics when I want to improvise? ”

[@MartinWessels-KrakowPoland]

I am not certain about this video ... although I agree with everything you said. Sound advice, no doubt, but it still leaves me in the same situation: Leader's panic! What do you think of this: I fear boring my partner with ever the same combinations while fretting and puzzling how to variate. While also trying to catch the rhythm, hear the melody, steer around floor, perhaps even pay attention to my dear patient partner. The combinations and continuations will not flow. I think a learning leader needs to set himself a kind of to-do list and very consciously exercise a weekly target. Perhaps not exercise, but rather grind. Take one basic move and add one follow-up move, later add one more, two more, three more, etc. If the leader is a slow learner, such as I am, he will need to drill on his own. Everything else is torture. I benefit from long repetitive series because I have a mediocre movement-memory. Until things become second nature. That is why musicians practice scales endlessly but then play music. But spare the ladies, they need to follow and adorn. Which is a different set of skills.

[@danielrhodes8746]

One thing that has helped me is breaking down basic sequences, like ocho cortado into it's individual steps - deconstruct. Learn every part of the movement, so that if a couple gets in your way while dancing, you can actively deconstruct the sequence, and change it on the spot into another step or sequence. Once one learns the parts of the music and the orquesta, this type of deconstruction-floor-craft helps me improvise.

[@mikemoseley9691]

Just like learning to drive or any other skill .. you go first from lessons .. often with a teacher (e.g. Tango steps, structure) via as much practice as possible (with as many different partners as possible) to ‘dancing without thinking’. You start at conscious incompetence and eventually progress to unconscious competence via repeated ‘doing’. Basic neurolinguistic programming NLP (The science of excellence) ... loads of books etc. There are no short cuts. Your brain needs to ‘groove the skills’, which is why you use a teacher so that you groove the correct skills. Eventually, you will just dance and the role of your teacher will go to the background.

[@ChristosKouroupetroglou]

I believe that it's also very important to listen a lot of music. Not necessarily dancing... just listening... First thing you get out of that is that you know what comes up... and you are not surprised by the music. Then of course we (leaders) have to unlock ourselves from the trap of the complex step that we think we must do to impress our partner... and focus on the music and the feeling it communicates. When you listen to a lot of music and study it... read about the stories... the artists etc... the second thing that comes out is that you start to focus more on the feeling... and you automagically change your body language during dancing and even the simple walk is not be the same in every step. Communicating the feeling has so much bigger impact than leading the perfect back Secada or whatever other complex move. And this way improvisation just happens... without thinking... just feeling.

[@TangoSpace]

Yes!:)

[@mariaciliberti3249]

Thank's! The kay is in connected with the partner, with music and if I fell good in dancing...

[@yanmaschke168]

I enjoy your videos Thank you! Do you mind sharing how you add text on top of your video screen (while keep your face big on the screen) when recording? I use zoom, if I try to share text then I need to share another screen then my face gets really small at the corner of the screen. Would appreciate your tip!

[@TangoSpace]

Hi Yan, sûre! We used Be.live :)

[@judycollins3559]

It is also difficult for the man to sustain his musicality while trying to improvise. Any suggestions?

[@TangoSpace]

Hi Judy, yes! Good technique + simple steps :)

[@sageagbonkhese4091]

Dance more and listen to tango music more often.

[@charliekulkarni8864]

How can you tell you are a good leader? Can you walk, chew gum, juggle 5 balls at the same time, balance a dozen books on your head all while listening to the music and being fully aware of your partner's reactions. Got that? Easy.

[@TangoSpace]

This is also true in a sense for followers ;) and, the good thing is that this is a great life skill!