Avoiding Collisions in the Argentine Tango Line of Dance
Argentine Tango dancers like ballroom dancers progress counter-clockwise around the dance floor following the line of dance. A part of learning to dance tango well is having good floor craft so as to avoid collisions with other couples on the dance floor.
It is beautiful to see tango partners lined up in sequence and rotating as one large circle dancing to the music. At other times, the dance floor may seem more chaotic as in tango nuevo, but beauty can be seen in the randomness of quick movements made by the dancers.
It can be frustrating after the music has started for some time and dance partners are still standing and talking blocking the line of dance. When this happens to me, I have no other choice than to pass the couple as best I can, usually passing to the inside of the dance lane.
Ideally, Argentine Tango dancers should stay in the line of dance without passing couples and only progress forward as space opens up. Sometimes a couple may be dancing usually slow in comparison to other dancers, so it is best to pass that couple.
For beginning tango leaders, navigating on a crowded dance floor can be intimidating and challenging. Most of time while learning tango in class there is plenty of room to navigate. Learning to dance tango in a small space is a skill leaders have to learn.
Being comfortable dancing tango in a 3×3 foot square is often mentioned as a goal for beginning and intermediate tango dancers. Though I have never been to Argentina to dance, I have been told that at some crowded milongas, dancers may only move forward a few inches during the course of a song.
Some tango movements such as the molinete do require a change of direction that goes against the line of dance. One advantage of leading a molinete is the leader can survey the distance between the couple in front and behind and know how much space is available for dancing.
Just by realizing when the dance floor is over crowded, then the leader and follower can reduce collisions by restraining their movements to a smaller space and saving the larger figures and movements for another dance. That is one of the beauties of tango, it can be danced almost anywhere in a large or small space.
No matter how careful the leader and follower may be while dancing tango there will be times when there are collisions between couples. Most of all, when collisions happen and contact is made with another couple, express your genuine concern. Hopefully, the couple that was hit will be gracious in forgiving and forgetting the offense in return.