4558  How many steps does a tango make?

Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:04:31 -0300
From: Deby Novitz <dnovitz@lavidacondeby.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] How many steps does a tango make?
To: tango-l@mit.edu

According to Mimi Santapa, Roberto Dentone, and Carina Moriyuen when we
were talking about this, tango is a walk, a giro, and an ocho. They
call these movements not steps and they make up around 40 sequences.
Semantically speaking, steps are a series of movements and sequences
that are memorized and not led. You can create as many steps as you want
because they are memorized and not led. So the person who mentioned in
their post that there are as many steps as there are people to pay for
them is probably pretty much correct.

All tangos have movements and sequences. All dancers dance them. Each
with their own style. When these are put together and taught as steps -
memorized by students - they become the clones of the dancers who
created them, whether they can do them or not. The name brands are
famous for creating new steps they can charge lots of money for.
Students who cannot walk sign up to learn the latest steps hoping to
dance like the name brand teacher/dancer. After they are completely
confused and unable to remember one thing they were taught, they figure
that private lessons with the name brand will solve that problem. When
it doesn't it is on to the next name brand to learn a whole set of new
steps. All in hopes of becoming a better dancer.

The key to tango is to enjoy your dance.