To add to our community reflections, it’s widely agreed that tango is not for everybody. It requires a certain maturity, an experience of love and loss to truly understand most tango songs. You must appreciate and seek the special intimacy that develops during a tanda.

In a world becoming more individualistic, where people are increasingly isolated, understanding and seeking the joy of connecting with others in a deeply personal way is crucial.

Therefore, perhaps the question isn’t “how can we change tango to attract more people?” Instead, it might be “how can we introduce authentic tango to those who are ready for it but unaware of its existence?”

Dear organizers and tango community around the world,

I have recently come across many discussions about “How to attract new and young people to our tango community.” The suggestions I’ve read are commendable, but they may not entirely reflect the reality of tango.
Firstly, tango is unlike any other social dance (and I believe we all love it for that reason). It carries deep meaning; its music evokes a profound nostalgic feeling, and its dance dynamics feel almost like floating in space. Participants experience intimate moments within the embrace.

In tango, dancers are very close; their upper bodies touch more intimately than in any other dance, often continuing for the duration of a 4-minute piece. Therefore, the idea of a “fun,” “happy,” or “party-like” feeling doesn’t accurately capture the experience of a milonga, especially from an outsider’s perspective. Once you are immersed, you realize that the joy comes from discovering the intimacy without expectations, appreciating the beauty of moving in sync with another person. The interaction is subtle yet deeply meaningful.

So, my reflection is this: In promoting tango, let’s ensure we present it authentically. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready or willing to engage in tango. I’m not suggesting that people who dance tango are somehow special; rather, it requires a readiness to be vulnerable and intimate with a stranger. This may be daunting or enticing, depending on one’s perspective.
We live in an increasingly individualistic and isolated world. Tango’s beauty lies not in tango forcing itself upon you but in you embracing tango. There are surely many more people who would enjoy this experience if only they knew about milongas—places where “fun” takes on a unique, personal meaning, where connecting with others is deeply personal.
As you read this, can you see that tango is not for everyone? It truly takes more than two to tango—it requires individuals who are willing to be genuine, honest with themselves and others, even if only for 2 to 4 minutes at a time.

The line is so fine that falling to the other side or trying to define it is one of the most controversial topics... I think the starting point is “genuine meaning versus designed for the outside, so that it sells.”
That is it !!! I don't think that the acrobatics or a lift in a tango choreography is what is bothering me, it is the lack of honesty, the lack of connection with the music. The stereotype, the unfelt expressions in the hands, in the faces, in the body. Steps, unjustified movements. 

It surprises me how many people like performances like these without seeing the superficiality. It surprises me how event organizers promote this type of dancing by hiring commercial couples to continue the abuse of the outburst in tango these days. Yes, it surprises me because three decades have passed since it was necessary to draw attention. But now… are we still doing the same thing?
Dance couples come to me to train them and the way they work is so upside down. "Let's do a trick here and another there, you touch my leg here and I'll lift you up here...“. I'm petrified, without words... I ask them, “what do you feel in your body when you hear this piano?” Or “ there can be a freedom in your body that, if you find it, will make you do a jump here, or a lift…”. They stare at me as if I were speaking another language.

Dear dancers, the work must start inside. There are impulses inside you that you need to allow to come alive, and then you give them shape, or search for the distinct lift or turn that best embodies them. Not the other way around.

I know that this is not what you see in the most popular couples today. There are couples that keep getting opportunities, for awhile, and then the opportunities disappear, and then they disappear. Because entertainment is always short lived, ephemeral, unimportant. They leave nothing behind them, they do not contribute to the story of tango, sometimes they destroy... 
instead of that, let’s make art. Let’s search, experiment, risk, grow, build … it is hard work,  and it is much slower but durable. Please help me so that our tango stands out on stage as an art form, not just entertainment. You can do it. Thank you!
Fernanda Ghi

(Spanish)
​Arte v no arte
La línea es tan finita que caerse al otro lado o definirla es uno de los temas más polémicos… creo que el punto de partida es” genuino/ sentido versus pensado para el afuera , para que venda.

Esa es !!! No creo que me molesten las acrobacias o lift en una coreografía de tango lo que me molesta es la falta de honestidad, la carencia musical.El estereotipo, las expresiones no sentidas en las manos ,en los rostros en el cuerpo. Pasos, movimientos no justificados.Me sorprende como la gente reacciona entusiasta a esto ,sin identificar la superficialidad.
Me sorprende como organizadores de eventos promueven este tipo de acciones contratando parejas comerciales para seguir fomentando el abuso del exabrupto que se está consumiendo en el tango en estos días.

Si , me sorprende porque pasaron 3 décadas del tiempo en el que era necesario llamar la atención con nuestro tango en el mundo , por eso lo llamábamos “ tango de exportación “
Pero ahora… seguimos en lo mismo?
Entreno parejas profesionales o que están en ese camino y la forma de prepararse es tan cuestionable, “ pongamos un truco aca y otro allá, y tócame la pierna acá o te levanto acá… quedo petrificada sin palabras… cuando les pregunto, que sentís en tu cuerpo cuando escuchas esta parte del piano o del recalentado en esta parte?
O busca en tu cuerpo libertad de movimiento hasta que te pida ese salto o levantada… se me quedan mirando como si estuviese hablando otro idioma.
Queridos bailarines, la búsqueda pasa por dentro, adentro de ustedes hay impulsos, déjenlos salir, y luego le dan forma, o buscan algún lift o giro que les represente ese impulso. No al revés.

Yo se, que lo que ven no es exactamente esto que les propongo hacer, es mucho para afuera y por lo general son parejas que consiguen muchas oportunidades de trabajo o ganan competencias etc…
si estoy de acuerdo, pero no dejan nada, no aportan , destruyen… te prometo que se puede trabajar mucho y hacer arte, crecer, buscar, arriesgarse a sentir y experimentar para luego construir. El proceso es un poco más lento pero duradero.
Ayúdame a que nuestro tango en los escenarios se destaque como arte y no como entretenimiento. Vos y yo podemos hacerlo! Gracias!