Clay's Blogs

After compiling, weighting, interpreting and combining over 500 suggestions received from over 100 tangueros from the “Navigation and Etiquette Survey“, here are the Top 10 Navigation and Etiquette Rules: (Click here for a small printable PDF file of these rules: Condensed Pocked-Size Nav & Etiquette Rules.) Maintain forward flow and never block nor move against Line […]

Many (perhaps most) tango communities at one time or another have had to deal with  unpleasant and inappropriate characters. These people can be disruptive and divisive to the community. The topic of this Muse is, “what was their behavior and how did you deal with them?” Any examples, descriptions and advice you can give will […]

What’s the difference between a passion, an obsession and an addiction–and where does tango fit in? Record your vote on this issue in the poll below and then give us your thoughts, ideas, experiences and input regarding this issue in the comment section below. ( To include your profile picture in the “Leave a Reply” section, click […]

Throw out your best idea(s) for a Tango Bumper Sticker. Just type them into the Facebook comment section below.

Have a tango gripe? Here’s your chance to be heard. Any tango topic is fair game. For example what’s your feelings about: tango festivals instructors classes DJs tango etiquette and behavior gender balance navigation regional difference in skill, ability and friendliness The only thing I ask is that you be reasonably gentile and respectful in […]

By Beth Anne Osborn, 2008 If you are new to tango or just new to Portland ValenTango, follow these simple guidelines and you’ll double your chances of getting Danced. Attend Classes at your ability level. Don’t make the mistake of taking classes that are beyond your grasp expecting to meet the “Good Dancers.”  By choosing the right level class […]

Since that time, I have only strengthened my opinion and resolve that tango dancing is no more about competition then sharing a feeling, or an emotion, or a conversation, or a sexual relationship with another person is.  (Can you imagine, for instance, having a competition sex festival) Now, when getting ready to leave for a […]

Solution 1: For flash dances out on the streets of Ashland, Bjorg uses a painter’s tarp and duck tapes down the edges.  Works pretty well! Solution 2: Buying a large piece of  linoleum or vinyl from a home store is cheap and easy to lay down, but if on concrete there’s no padding and I […]

Have an idea for a tango pin button?…or would like to express your tango passion with a pin button. Or maybe you have a machine that makes pin buttons.  Whatever the case, this Muse is for all of you to connect, toss around ideas and maybe make some tango pin buttons and find a way […]

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If you are looking for a tango instructor to visit your community for a few months, enter your information below including: name contact info city brief description of the size and history of your community Or, on the other hand if you are an instructor interested in re-locating for a few months to help some […]

[View as PDF file] Three indicators of a successful tango community are its quantity, quality and cooperative spirit. Although many of the factors which affect these indicators are “interlinked”, let’s attempt to take a look at each of them separately. I. Quantity: Obviously, there needs to be a critical mass of dancers for a community be considered a […]

Place free tango ad for any aspect of tango you want. For example: Art  *  Books  *  Instruction  *  Lodging  *  Personals  *  Venues  *  Festivals  *  Videos  *  Cruises  *  Jewelry  *  Cloths  *  Shoes  *  Fundraisers  *  DJs Just go to “Free Tango Ads“.

Does, or did your tango community have a local coordinating organization?  How well is that working? Does it grow the community by helping with scheduling, promoting and requiring standards for instructors?  Or, on the other hand, is it a hindrance by stifling creativity, dominating the scene and causing dissonance?  What’s your opinion.  If you don’t […]

(Note: To read report, click on it’s title below.  To make comments, fill out either of the two reply blocks at the bottom.) Letter from TangoTecnia Milongueras y Milongueros: With great pleasure we present the 2014 Report Attributes and Preferences in Tango. For the first time, the tango has a complete picture about the tastes, […]

Generally, before even taking a step, an experienced leader or follower can tell how good their partner is and how enjoyable the dance will be just by the “feel” of the embrace. However, beginners seldom realize how important the embrace is and don’t know how to create that “luscious” feeling. The diagram shows a cross […]

Frequently I’m asked what software applications do I use to create my website, manage my surveys, promote my festivals etc. Well, here’s a list of what I use along with some comments: Animated Images: [examples: www.ValenTango.us] {link: https://gifs.com/} Creating Documents: Mostly I use Google Docs (free) but occasionally Microsoft Word. Google Docs is great because it’s so […]

Clay Nelson, Ph.D. August 1, 2010 Abstract: Accelerometers in an iPhone are used to measure the g-forces (i.e., acceleration, or more loosely, the changes in motion) developed while walking solo forward and walking solo backward to tango music. The individuals tested and reported on in this study are a male tango teacher (myself), a male […]

Ok, leaders it’s your turn.  What’s the single most annoying thing that tango followers do that make you crazy? Here’s your chance to rant about it–and make suggestions on how you can communicate this to your follower. However, before you do, I suggest you first read over last months “Follower’s Rant“.  Below is a brief […]

I am aware that tango dancers are incredibly passionate about “their” dance, and want desperately for their partner (if not the whole world) to fall in love with tango and immediately learn everything.  Furthermore, I should be very clear that I am not opposed to students teaching their own class in the community–in fact I encourage it. However, […]

Have you composed a new tango and would like the world to hear it?  Tell us about yourself, your music and give us a link to your compositions in a reply below so that we can hear your music.

The one who had made everyone else disappear When I woke up this morning, I found no one in the house. I looked outside, but there was no one in the street. Boarding a bus with no driver, I made my way to an empty airport and onto a plane,    where I waited, alone. exhausted, […]

MILONGAS Andy Stein’s Milonga. Saturdays at 3 and 10pm EST (New York time). Each set is about 1 hour, in the format TVTTMT with 1 minute cortinas. Sets are cut to fit together seamlessly, producing the traditional TTVTTM effect. Group address is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/236262914238339/ Contact Andy at tango.nnva@gmail.com if you would like to join. Ben & Winnie’s Biweekly Live […]

Due to the pandemic, for the first time in over 20 years, ValenTango will not be held. Saying this puts me in a kind of contemplative mood. Maybe it does you too. So I’ve created this blog for all of you would like to reminisce a bit about your experiences and what ValenTango has meant […]

Have an idea for a poll you’d like to see me conduct?  Click on Contact and send me a message with your idea.

To help organizers, instructors, DJs and orchestras connect up with one another, I’ve created three separate data bases. To add your contact information to the data base and/or to view the contact information in the data base, click on the appropriate links below. Submit your contact information to the Data Base: Local Organizer’s Contact Form Traveling […]

Here’s a great article about tango etiquette. The finer points of tango culture by Mark Word [fbcomments]

A few years ago I created a survey called, Why I Quit Tango.  Since then over 500 people have responded and nearly half have written their own personal comments. (See below for an unedited list of these.) For all of us who love tango and would like to see it grow, I think it’s worth […]

Tango and Portland were destined to be together and this is how they met. 1991 my (then) partner and I (Polly McBride) attended a Seattle workshop in something we’d never heard of called “Argentine Tango.” Before class, instructors Sonny Newman and Patty Leverett did a demonstration that featured flying legs, whirling turns and fabulous footwork. […]

Last night I had a dream. I dreamed that someone gave me new car. But it wasn’t just any car. It was a brand new Lamborghini Diablo convertible. Sort of like the one Al Pacino drove in the movie “Scent of a Woman”–cherry red with plush leather seats, 520 horsepower V-10 engine, and power everything. “Boy!” I […]