At the beginning of my tango journey, I learned mostly technique, sequences, and steps.
Back then (more than 20 years ago), we didn’t really talk about connection or the embrace.

With time, as I kept learning and growing, I started to understand and experience something deeper: the connection through the embrace… with another person who is often a complete stranger.

And I’ll be honest with you.

At the beginning, it was not easy for me.
I felt shy. I felt uncomfortable. That level of closeness was new, and sometimes it felt like too much.

But the moment I allowed myself to go beyond that barrier, everything changed.

I discovered how necessary that connection is… and, with time, how magical it can be.

That was a turning point in my tango.

After experiencing this, I understood something very clearly:

Before teaching any sequence or step, we need to learn what connection and embrace really are.

Let me give you a simple example. And of course, being Argentinian, it has to be about football 😊

How can I teach you to score a goal if you don’t know how to run?
And even more basic… how can I teach you to run if you haven’t learned how to walk yet?

For me, tango is the same.

How can I teach you steps and sequences if you are not yet connecting with another person?

Because it’s that connection that allows the other person to understand what you are dancing.

And don’t get me wrong.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t learn steps.
I absolutely support learning, exploring, and growing in every way.

But please don’t neglect what is most important:
your embrace and your connection.

I also understand something very important.

For many people (and for me, at the beginning too), this can feel uncomfortable.

You might think:
“I don’t want a stranger to be so close.”
“This feels like invading my personal space.”
“I feel shy… or even a bit exposed.”

If you’ve ever felt this, I really understand you.

What helped me move through that was shifting my focus.

Instead of focusing on the other person, I asked myself:

Why do I want to dance tango?
What does it give me?

And my answer was very clear:

Through tango and its music, I can connect with myself in a way I don’t experience anywhere else.

For some people, that feeling comes from meditation.
For me, it comes from tango.

And once I truly understood that…
all the fears that were holding me back slowly disappeared.

Before your next class or milonga, try this:

Stand in front of your partner and take the embrace… but don’t move.

Stay there for a few breaths.

Notice:

No steps. No sequences. Just connection.

Sometimes, everything starts there.

I can promise you this:

When you allow yourself to go beyond that first barrier,
there is something very special waiting for you.

That moment where you understand another person…
without saying a single word.

This is all for this week.

I hope something here resonates with you, and maybe invites you to explore your connection in a new way.

I’m sharing this from the heart.

And if you want to go deeper into this, in my classes we work a lot on connection and embrace before steps—slowly, and with respect for your own process.

Un abrazo de tango,
Cami