Tango and Romanticism

Romanticism, originating in late 18th century Europe as a response to the negative impacts of industrialization, celebrates human experiences such as imagination, emotion, and idealism. In today's increasingly dehumanized post-modern era, embracing Romanticism holds even greater significance, particularly in the arts like tango.

Critics often deride certain tango performances as resembling gymnastics or acrobatics, highlighting a lack of Romanticism. While gymnastics and acrobatics prioritize physical prowess and entertainment, tango, as a social dance, emphasizes connection, intimacy, and communication between the partners. Tango is suggestive of a beautiful romance. In the soul of tango is romanticism, contrasting sharply with the athletic spectacle of gymnastics and acrobatics. Tango dancers should place their attention on the subjective experience such as intimacy, comfort, connection and feelings rather than on physical feats of tricks.

If we take romanticism away from tango, what's left is a sport or show. Unfortunately, in a culture where games rather than classics, sports rather than arts, and technologies rather than humanity are the main influences, that is what tango increasingly becomes. People, especially young people brought up in this culture, exhibit a lack of depth and lasting quality. They focus too much on the flashy forms rather than the substance, and constantly seek for change and novelty. To preserve tango's classic beauty, we must infuse more Romanticism into our teaching and dancing. This includes prioritizing simplicity and natural movements, focusing on elegance over flashy tricks, and conveying genuine emotions and feelings. Fashion may fade, but Romanticism, inherent in our humanity, endures – waiting only to be rekindled.