Ryan Giordano in California

Having only taken Tai Chi for seven months and only two Tango lessons total, I am completely unqualified to speak on this topic. But here's why I think studying the Tango and Tai Chi together makes sense:

- They employ the same basic posture: upright torso, slightly bent knees, and a very deliberate centering of the balance.
- A central skill for both is the awareness and control of another's balance. Keeping the appropriate tension when leading and following is a skill similar to push-hands.
- Both are less showy and more "internal" than the typical member of their family of activities. Compare the Tango to the Lindy and Tai Chi to Wushu Kung Fu, for example.
- They are each about the mastery of the passions: in the case of Tai Chi, your own, and in the case of the Tango, another's.