Ending the dance properly is one of the most important things when dancing Argentine tango. Some might say it is THE most important part, along with starting the dance well. A good strong start to the dance will certainly make a good first impression. However, no matter how the rest of the dance went, your partner will be left with a lasting impression of how it ended.
This is just like a gymnast who sticks the ending at the end of the routine. Even if the routine was full of errors, the gymnast will feel better and always get an applause from the crowd if there is a good landing at the end. An ending well timed and executed will please your dance partner. It can salvage an otherwise lousy dance or put an exclamation mark at the end of a remarkable dance. A poor ending will also leave a bad impression and could ruin the good feeling from a dance that was otherwise fantastic.
When dancing tango at a milonga, a good DJ will allow the song to end and then give a few seconds of silence before the next one begins. This puts an added emphasis on the ending of the song.
The great Golden Age tango orchestras were playing music to be danced to. Many performed in dance halls seven days a week. Some of the best even did more than one performance a day. Tango music from this era can be very sophisticated. It’s like a story that ropes you in, builds up to a climax, and then finishes in a way that other music usually doesn’t.
Since these are dance songs, they almost always have clear and distinct endings. They don’t just fade away repeating the last riff. When people go to a milonga for the first time and watch, one of the first things they will notice is the endings. At the end of the songs all of the experienced dancers will collectively stop moving at the exact same time. This first time observer will wonder: ‘How did they all know the song was going to end right there?’
In observing others I noticed that many dancers are not good at hitting the endings. It is a given that beginner and lower level dancers just getting started will have trouble with endings. But this also includes many experienced dancers who have an impressive arsenal of steps. This shows me that there is a need for instruction on endings.
Unfortunately, this is one class topic that has never been adequately addressed—Tango Endings. How do you anticipate the endings, and what are the best steps to use?
Every now and then someone tells me that there was once a class on endings, years ago, or they heard about one, thousands of miles away. These rumors of such classes tell me they must exist. In a decade of dancing tango, I’ve taken several hundred classes and workshops and have attended dozens of tango festivals. I have made multiple trips to Buenos Aires to learn tango in its birthplace. In my tango journey I have had lessons from over 100 instructors and have learned from many of the greatest teachers from all over the world. But in all this time I have yet to personally find an instructor or class that has been devoted to teaching how to improve the endings of your dance.
To some, the topic of endings is considered minutiae because it is seemingly such a small part of the dance. One fellow dancer even told me this exactly—calling it “minutiae” when I told him I was writing my thoughts about endings and planned to teach the topic soon. After all, the last couple of notes only last a few seconds out of a two and a half or three minute song.
But I have always found that many tango dancers tend to be a bit obsessive and love minutiae. Why else do we travel cross country to festivals, invest sizeable amounts of money, and spend hundreds of hours learning complicated steps and sequences that are way too complex to use with 95 percent of the people we will probably ever dance with?
The reality is that we learn these steps and sequences in hopes that we may actually be dancing with a great partner during a song that fits with the pattern and find ourselves at the right spot on the floor at just the perfect moment in the music with just enough space to be able to execute that move we spent hours practicing.
That moment is when all the stars align. And there might be only one time in 10 milongas that we will be able to try that particular sequence.
After that moment passes it will be gone. It may be months before we can use it again at a milonga without forcing it.
That is what I call minutiae.
There is a very limited opportunity to do those complex sequences on a crowded social dance floor.
Endings are much, much, much more practical. If you consider them minutiae, then I’m encouraging you to embrace them as THE MINUTIAE to learn and master.
Why?
Because I guarantee you one thing. No matter who you are dancing with, there is one opportunity in each and every song to share a very special ending. Your partner will appreciate an appropriate and well-timed ending. Any experienced leader should also be able to get the newest beginner to stop moving and finish on the last note of a song the majority of the time.
And think about this…
You can misconnect and botch a few steps during the middle of a dance and quickly recover. Those errors will soon be forgotten.
But misconnect at the end, and the errors will be magnified ten-fold.
Tango endings are a very important part of the dancing. They can be a fun and memorable way to make a good impression on your partner for no other reason than it is the last impression.
If you are interested in learning how to improve your endings, my book, Tango Endings: Learn the 9 Common Argentine Tango Ending Types, How to Anticipate Them, and 50 Musical Steps to Dance Them, gives everything you need to become an expert at tango endings and greatly improve your dancing. This is the most comprehensive work ever written on the subject. In it you will find the answers to such questions as:
- How do I anticipate the end of the song?
- What are the most common tango ending types?
- Does each orchestra use a signature ending?
- How do I predict the ending of a song I never heard before?
- How do I connect steps to fit with the energy and timing of the music?
- How should I practice the endings?
The book is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions. Buy your copy today because you won’t want to miss another ending.
To find out more and purchase your copy today, click here
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