Tango has had a tumultuous journey.

It was born in the slums of Buenos Aires in the late 19th Century. It enjoyed a Golden Age in the 1930ʼs and 1940ʻs only to go into decline in the 1950s. It somehow survived a military dictatorship when it was outlawed and it may well have died completely if it had not been for a group of dedicated “milongueros” who kept the culture alive.

Towards the end of the 20th Century and now in the 21st Century it is enjoying something of a revival. Tango has once again become popular amongst all ages around the world. Blinking tango has stepped out of the darkness and into the light. And it has discovered that since its heyday, the world has changed.

If you have been dancing tango even for a short time, you might already have noticed that everyone except for other tango dancers seem to have an image of tango that in no way corresponds to the dance that you are learning.. It is something that we tangueros have to learn to live with!

Family members, colleagues, even very close friends all ask well-meaning but totally misconceived questions.

I often think how wonderful it is to be at the start of your tango journey with so many amazing times waiting for you.

For many people, the first few years of studying tango is a little like falling in love. You wake up in the morning and you immediately start planning how youʼre going to dance that day. You never leave the house without your dance shoes “just in case”. And your non-tango friends start to get a glazed expression whenever the subject turns to tango … again!