Tango is a dance form that is first felt in the heart then in the feet! Originating in the ports of Argentina and Uruguay, the dance form was once performed solely to entertain the elite class. What began as a dance of immigrants with musical influences from Africa and several parts of Europe, tango was pursued differently in each country. Since then, the dance form has come a long way, thanks to tango pioneers Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas from Argentine, who travelled across the world to popularise the dance form.
Back home in Mumbai, Kruti Gandhi and Ajinkya Deshpande are taking the tango legacy forward. The duo became the first Argentine tango couple from India to reach the finals of the Asian Tango Championship Preliminaries held in Bali, Indonesia earlier this year. The two have also started a dance school Abrazo Tango to promote the dance form. The duo recently concluded their much anticipated three-day tango workshop in the city followed by one in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The couple believes that Tango is more than just a dance form. “It's an intricate language of playfulness, connection, emotion, and storytelling. It's a dialogue that happens not through words but through the movement of bodies in harmony with the music,” says Kruti, who is credited with Radhika Madan’s Tango performance in a TV reality show, Jhalak Dikhlaja.
Characterised by its extempore movements and the connection between the dance partners, this nature of improvisation makes this dance form unique. Unlike other dance forms, tango allows a high level of spontaneous interaction and understanding where one can ditch predefined steps and sequences to try out something experimental that the couple decides "Compared to the other couple dance styles like salsa or bachata, tango is more of a niche form. In India, the dance form is at its nascent stage. We expect it to grow and come to the mainstream in the next couple of years," says Ajinkya, who was introduced to this tantalising dance form a little less than 10 years back in Pune by a Latin dance teacher.
While many think the dance form is not a child’s play, Kruti claims it indeed is. “Anybody can learn tango. There's nothing that can stop you. Just like any skill, tango too can be learned,” she claims. Are there apprehensions among Indians when it comes to accepting the fact that tango requires close physical proximity? We ask. “With our spiritual and cultural heritage, and our understanding of space and connecting with people, one may have some reservations or apprehensions about the dance style considering the aspect of physical closeness. However, Indians in general are open to learning and trying it. And as they say, ‘It takes two to tango’. The couple involved in the dance needs a certain amount of mutual understanding and connection to perform it with grace and perfection. Non-verbal communication is the key. It's a great way for couples to connect with each other in a way that engages their physical and mental energy,” Kruti responds. She further adds that the dance form is evolving in India, thanks to Bollywood movies and reality shows.
