From a beginner’s point of view

ONE two three. One two three. I always had the impression that dancing should be carefully thought out with counting being part of the process. I’m not referring to the type of dancing I am used to when clubbing but more classic types such as tango. My movie experience was quite different to my real life experience last Sunday.

The art of dancing tango isn’t easy at all. “You can never achieve perfection when it comes to tango,” Julia explained, “it’s a never ending quest which also means socialising. It isn’t what people think, with a rose, it isn’t that passionate, it’s all about enjoying and socialising. It’s a conversion between two people.” The specific type of tango Mustafa and Julia teach is the Argentine type and for those of you who are completely clueless (aka myself), you should know that there are many types. Although the early tango was known as tango criollo or simply tango, today there are many styles including ballroom tango, Finnish Tango, Chinese Tango and vintage tango. But the Argentine tango is regarded as the authentic style since it is closest to its origins: Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
Due to the fact that tango is meant to be lead by the man, Mustafa and Julia explained to the male pupils that they should take care of the women and not bump into other couples because tango is meant to be danced clockwise. “You should dance around the dance floor because going in different directions and bumping into each other just looks like a mess,” Julia said.

Argentine tango is a very personal affair between two people and therefore should be danced in a relatively close embrace, with the girl following the boy in which ever direction he may go. In Argentine tango, stick to your man and let him lead you. The man could take a long step or a short one, he could go right or he could go left, whatever the case, the woman must follow. Naturally, there are ways in which the male indicates to the female what he is about to do, so there aren’t any unfortunate accidents or embarrassments. As a beginner, I felt like tango is very similar to walking but in a synchronized fashion and indeed this walk is one of the most important elements. Dancers prefer to keep their feet in close contact with the floor at nearly all times, with the ankles and knees brushing as one leg passes the other.

The classes, which take place every Sunday night in Nicosia are followed by a milonga. Milonga is a tango dancing party (it also means a fast dance), where many gather to dance and have fun. In a matter of minutes the place was jam packed with people dressed up and begging to listen and dance to tango rhythms, in a more freestyle way instead of the fixed ballroom tango. So, I do recommend you give it a try, if only for the milonga. Who isn’t up for a party?