Becoming tango literate

[pygmalion]

Okay. So here I am with the time and desire to learn Argentine tango, plus the need to generate good topics, LOL! The problem I have is that , as I do my web searches, for tango more than any other dance, what I find is a very scholarly approach. Serious articles about history, technique, biography, etc, are all over the web. And it seems that a knowledge of the music, the history, the artists, the language, and even the politics of Argentina all play a role is being truly tango-literate. So the question is, what approach should a new, new tango newbie take in learning to dance tango? To me, it's clearly not just about the dance steps. It's a culture. (Kind of intimidating too. :? :lol: )

So far, here's my list:

1. Find major tango information sites and read about tango history
2. Download tango music and listen
3. Learn to speak Spanish

I hope you notice -- nothing about dancing or lessons yet. So what's a girl to do?

[will35]

I think your 1,2,and 3 are right on the money. Nothing about dance steps, because whether people like to admit it or not, the Argentine Tango is the simplest dance ever invented in the history of the world. NO STEPS.
I know an old dancer or two in Buenos Aires who are some of the best dancers on earth. I asked one of them how to get better at Argentine Tango. He said, "Getting better at the Tango is a matter of emotion."
Notice, no steps, no technique. There are no technique and no steps in Tango except your own technique and your own steps. You can only find them after you have danced many, many, many, many hours. A teacher cannot give you the Tango.
Just remember to move to the music however you can and dance all the time with every partner you can find.