To Dance the Impossible

The secret of tango is in this moment of improvisation that happens between step and step. It is to make the impossible thing possible: to dance silence. Carlos Gavito

Tango attracts attention with its flashes and flares. But (as was shared recently in our Tango Sensations session, see below)*, there is a big dance and a little dance –  the external and the internal, the visible motion and the emotion that is unseen and guarded as an intimate secret known only to the couple.

Dancing the Still Point

Except for the point, the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance. T.S.Eliot

In the stillness is the dancing. Sufism

“I am from the Caribbean and have loved dancing all my life, so much action, energy, and movement. But tango is entirely different. There is a stillness that runs through it. I like it.” YEGTango particpant.

Become intensely conscious of the present moment. Pay close attention to every step, every movement, even your breath… And within that stillness, there is a subtle but intense joy, there is love, there is peace. Eckhart Tolle.

“Ma” Tango?

Jazz music is playing” the space between notes. … It is what is referred to as ma, a profound space or void from which the next note is ‘born’ or arises. Miles Davis. 

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between. Mozart

Let there be spaces in your togetherness so that the winds of heaven blow between you. Kahlil Gibran

Delicious Tango

The deliciousness of the Tango, its enticement, its enchantment, is that each step, each moment, each movement is complete unto itself. It is a hologram that holds within it an entire universe of feelings and sensations.

The essence of the dance, its tension, earnestness, eagerness,  is present within each step, within the transition to each step, within the nanosecond of a pause between steps. 

In the still point is the dance, in the creative gestation between movements, in time outside of time when a window is opened and the bracing breath of Spirit washes over the dancers.

Sloth Tango?

(a guest post by Sher Marie, artist, poet, tanguera and YEGTango community member.) 

Sloth Tango is stillness in motion.
We move slowly, each step intentional, each pause a chance to notice.
We listen deeply; to the music, to each other, to ourselves.
Every glide, every shift becomes a moment of awareness.
Motion and stillness coexist. Time stretches. Energy flows.

Dance slowly. Breathe slowly. Listen slowly. Let your steps remind you that even in motion, you can find stillness—and even in stillness, you can discover motion. 

Intimacy is the heartbeat of tango. It is not closeness, romance, or seduction, but unguarded presence and shared awareness.

I call it ‘sloth tango’. Sloth is about slowing down, savouring the moment, and being fully present, which is exactly what intimacy in tango requires. When we slow down and really listen, tango stops being something we perform and becomes something we embody.

For me, tango isn’t about being seen. It’s about being present. It’s about listening with your body and trusting the connection.

That’s what I appreciate about our tango community. It feels open and human. We show up as we are, learn from each other, and slowly co-create something that supports our mind, body, and soul.

The world feels heavy right now. So much noise, so much division. There’s a lot of anger. A lot of fear.

When we dance tango, we do something simple—we listen. We step into the embrace. We slow down. We try to take care of each other.

“We may not have the ability to change all of the world’s wrongs, but we can make a difference where we are.” —Dillon Burroughs

Maybe peacemaking doesn’t start with big answers, but with small moments like this—choosing presence, respect, and connection.

It starts in the embrace. This is how we practice peace—by choosing each other.

S L — — — O — — — — — — — — — W!

True leading, like childhood wonder, begins by slowing down enough to notice.

 … dancing tango one unhurried step at a time—releasing urgency, savoring fascination: a stone, a pause, a breath.
I love s–l––––––– o––––––––––––– w—slow food, slow fashion, slow dancing, slow love.
Because while fancy steps sparkle, the deepest tango lives in slow—
where every step says “yes,” everything belongs,
and presence leads.

(The above was a compilation of some of Sher’s poetic and insightful responses to previous DancingWith Presence blog posts.)

Join in our next Tango Sensations on-line conversation , Feb 28th with Jesus Acosta and Alla Petcheniouk.