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Channeling Ballet Trauma into Spicy Argentine Tango Perfection

Writer's picture: Anaïs HavenAnaïs Haven

To all my ballerinas, past, present, and future, we so got this! ♥️ And to Virginia. For instigating, enabling, and healing!


Hello, darkness, my old friend?
Hello, darkness, my old friend?

If you’ve ever endured a ballet class (or had the misfortune of experiencing a Russian (iykyk) teacher’s soul-crushing glare), congratulations! You’ve already survived the hardest part of Argentine Tango—the trauma. Years of ballet corrections, existential crises over technique, and soul-draining perfectionism? Turns out, they were just your villain origin story, setting you up for Tango greatness. Welcome to the redemption arc. Or villain(ess), redux. Who are we to judge?


Posture! With More Attitude 🔥

Remember being told to lift your ribs, elongate your spine, and pretend a string was pulling you up by your head? Well, that training finally has some payoff. In Tango, you still need that beautiful posture—but now, you get to own it on your own terms. Instead of looking ethereal and weightless, you get to command the room AND BONUS, you get to eat whatever you want whenever you want! Stand tall, engage that core, and let your presence say, “Yes, I’ve suffered for my art. Now, watch me own it.”


Precision with Extra Spice

Ballet drilled precision into your very essence, but Tango demands that you wield it with intention. No more delicate, hesitant foot placements—now you step with purpose. Pivot like the floor personally offended every member of your family, and let every movement be intentional. The world is your stage, and every step is a statement.


Telenovela Levels of Drama

Let’s be real—ballet had feelings, but they were often trapped under layers of repression and tulle. Also, hunger. Tango lets you unleash all of it, wrapped in intensity and connection. No need for subtle, swan-like suffering (only swans accepted here are Odile, fin!)—here, you get to own your emotions. That dramatic, heart-wrenching expression in Giselle's mad scene? Channel it. But this time, add eye contact and the slow burn of Tango power.


Break the Rules!

In Tango, the rules exist for a reason. They build the foundation, give you technique, and ensure that when you step onto the floor, you’re not just flailing in passionate chaos (tempting, very tempting, I know). But once that foundation is solid—once your posture, balance, and musicality are second nature—that’s when you get to, and in all honesty, should break the rules. That’s when you find the pauses, stretch the timing, and add your own flavor. That’s when your dance stops being correct and a mimicry of your own favorite Tango idols and starts being interesting. Because the best Tango dancers don’t just execute movements—they play with them.


Révérence

So, my fellow ballet survivors and escapees, it’s time to repurpose the trauma. Take those years of discipline, suffering, and painfully blistered feet, and use them to fuel your Tango fire, and especially Tango decorations. Step with confidence, embrace the drama, and let your training morph into something deliciously intense and rebellious. And if you hear a phantom ballet teacher whispering, “Engage your core” in the back of your mind—well, that’s just a part of the artistry now. On your own terms!

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