When I think tango, I think fierceness, passion and strength.  When Teacher asked me to come up with a story for tango, I envisioned two panthers stalking each other in a jungle. In the human realm, I think of two figures in a dark, smoky bar located down a cobblestone alleyway.

Tango’s character comes from its mix of slow and sharp movements. It’s like a coiled spring that’s compressed and released over and over. It’s hard! Quick movements scare me because if you make a mistake, it’s a lot more obvious! A small mistake during a slow, flowing movement like in waltz is relatively easy to cover up. A small mistake made during a quick, sharp movement in tango looks huge!

Tango was my worst dance because I kept holding myself back, afraid to just go for it in those quick movements (see Tango Curses).  But the funny thing is, because it was my worst dance, I put a lot more time into practicing it. And I ended up winning the bronze Best of the Best at the 2015 California Open with my tango!

As I was reviewing videos for this post, I had to acknowledge my progress in this dance. This tango from December 2014 at the Holiday Dance Classic is pretty good.

But the tango from the 2015 Emerald Ball is so much sharper!

Hurray for progress!

Fellow dancers, what dance do you find the most challenging?

Don’t forget to check out other posts from the 31 Day Writing Challenge!