Yoga Tips for Tango Dancers

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3 Cues that Translate to the Dance Floor

By Sharna Fabiano

Increasingly, social dancers are looking to various forms of physical conditioning to refine their balance, posture, and flexibility on the dance floor. This article zooms in on yoga as one of those disciplines, and lists three details that can help you choose a yoga class that will most benefit your tango, or make whatever yoga class you’re already in benefit your tango more. These tips are meant as a guideline - every person is unique and only you know what is best for your body.

1. Slow Down for Better Balance - In contrast to the fast-paced Vinyasa Flow style yoga, slower classes that ask you to hold poses for several breaths at a time might appear to be less intense. In truth, it’s just a different kind of effort. When you hold poses longer and deepen your breathing, your body and mind have more of a chance to synchronize. This increased physical awareness helps to cultivate the sustained attention we need to give to our partner and to the music when dancing tango. Deep breathing and long holds also cue your stabilizing muscles to kick in. These are the ones we need for the precise weight shifts and improvised timing so characteristic of sophisticated tango.

2. Squeeze your Rear for an Elegant Walk - Sometimes the gluteal (rear) muscles get left out of the game in a yoga class. As tango dancers, especially in the following role, we desperately need these muscles for long, powerful back steps (forward and side steps, too). In addition to developing elegant legwork, strong glutes also support your lower back so that it doesn’t work so hard to hold you up. Because tango is a walking dance, the low back takes a lot of abuse, and engaging the rear muscles can make a big difference. Squeeze your rear in standing poses such as Warrior I, Warrior II, and Chair Pose. Standing balances such as Half moon and Warrior III will also get a boost with a little squeeze. Make sure you do not curve your lower spine when you contract your glutes - focus on the muscular action itself.

3. Engage your Abs for an Awesome Embrace - Draw your lower ribs downward toward your front hip points to engage your abdominal muscles. You can incorporate this action into almost any movement in a yoga class, but it’s especially useful in movements where your torso shifts away from vertical. (for example, lying on your back, lying on your belly, in a plank position facing the ground, or when side bending or back bending). Working your abdominal muscles is supportive for general posture, and can prevent lower back strain. As tango dancers, posture is the most influential factor in connecting with a partner. It determines both how balanced you feel to yourself, and how comfortable you feel to others in any style of embrace.

Want more? Ladies can check out Sharna's Women's Tango Circles, combining yoga and tango in one holistic evening!

Care for the Feet that Keep You Dancing - Part 3 of 3

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Care for the Feet that Keep You Dancing - Part 3 of 3

Part 3: Fabulous Shoes for Fabulous Feet -- Fashion, Feel/Fit, Floor

by Diana Devi

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of the series! 

Shoes -Fabulous Shoes! Both men and women love shoes; they are one of the ways we can express ourselves with fashion. For dancing however, the choice of shoes must be more than skin deep.

I love tango shoes and have them for every occasion: for practice; for milongas; for slippery floors; for sticky floors; even for dancing outside. Some would say I am obsessed with shoes; I, on the other hand, consider myself prepared. It is important to have the right equipment, and when you think about it, shoes are the equipment of the tango dancer!

Having the right shoes is critical for the tango dancer. They can promote good balance or make it more difficult. Improperly fitting shoes can cause a host of problems from calluses, corns, bunions, chronic foot pain and many others. Unfortunately, problems with the dancer’s feet do not stop at the feet! These problems will “travel up the body” creating problems in the knees and hips which can then travel up to the shoulders and neck. So now you know why I think the appropriate shoe and the right fit are so important!

So what do you need to think about initially when considering a new pair of shoes?

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Four Things That Helped Us Find Our Connection

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Or, What To Do When Things Suck For Years

by Mitra Martin 

I’ll tell you the truth: we sucked for eleven years.

And I’m not saying we’ve stopped sucking now. But maybe there is some kind of silvery kindling that has a bit of goodness in it. It feels different, anyway.

I wanted to share this because I know how hard and painful it can sometimes be to try to develop partnership. In life or in Tango or in business or anywhere. And if you’re struggling with this mysterious process maybe it would help to know of others who also found it NOT EASY. And hear what helped them a little bit.

Here is what helped us a little bit.

1. Failing

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Do you think you can't lead? A letter from Anna to tangueras

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Do you think you can't lead? A letter from Anna to tangueras

Dear ladies,

As a beginning dancer, I actually believed that I couldn't lead, and that I'd never be able to.  When my teacher, Daniel Trenner, heard this, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You poor thing.. what have they done to you?"  After a week of his classes, I was leading, and it became my goal to reassure all women that they can do anything they put their minds to.  It seems silly now that I doubted myself so sincerely, but I know how easy it was to put myself in a "follow only box" in classes and milongas.

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Care for the Feet that Keep You Dancing - Part 2 of 3

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by Diana Devi

Part 2: Exercises and Massage

For Part 1 of the Series - See here

We walk on them all day; we dance on them all night. We all know that when our feet hurt, nothing is enjoyable. This is one major reason why we must take proper care of our feet. Another motivator is that we want to dance until we are in our nineties, just as we have seen in Buenos Aires at the milongas.

So how do we get our feet to take us there? Last time we talked about simple foot care. For this segment, we will focus on exercises and methods to massage, stretch and strengthen our feet. The first set of activities will focus on massage, the second flexibility, and the third on stabilization and strengthening.

None of these exercises should be painful. If you are experiencing pain, STOP what you are doing! Pain is a warning signal from your body telling you something is not right. Please pay attention when your body speaks to you.

The following exercises I have developed over time, designing my own regimen while incorporating relevant components from teachers like Ms. Judith Bragg, my first point teacher; evolving through all of my bodywork and dance experiences including most recently a workshop with Diana Cruz, international Argentine Tango performer and instructor.​

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