Clay's Blogs

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 […]

[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 […]

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. […]

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

(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, […]

What’s the most annoying things that tango leaders do that make you crazy? Here’s your chance to rant about it–and make suggestions on how you can communicate this to your leader. Just write your comments and replies below.

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

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

STUDENTS: Who’s your favorite tango instructors? Who would you like to see invited to teach in your community and/or be featured at the next tango festival you attend? To make your opinion public and known to organizers, click on Favorite Tango Instructors and fill out the form. ORGANIZERS: Looking for great instructors? Click on Favorite […]

How has the covid pandemic affected your tango life? What do you see as the future for tango? In particular, comment below on any of the following: Going (or not going) to milongas Providing lessons or taking lessons Being able to practice Organizing festivals and milongas Attending festivals (virtual and/or live) Listening to tango music […]

Although the 8-count basic has some great stuff, here’s 8 reasons I believe tango instructors should not use it to teach absolute beginners: It’s difficult for beginner’s to execute correctly, It misleads couples into thinking they know how to dance tango, It doesn’t encourage good lead and follow, It stifles improvisation, I causes beginners to […]

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 […]

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 Google Doc] Background A few years ago, I started thinking about how there is a weird connection between tango dancers and vampires–i.e., both stay up all night, wear black, shun garlic, and have this compulsive obsessive behavior. Even the classic ending tango pose of the famous tanguero Carlos Gavito (shown here dancing with […]

Teaching tango to absolute beginners is a daunting and challenging task.  For my own edification, I’ve created this Venn diagram as a way of isolating out and thinking about each essential component separately. Under each component I’ve listed only a few suggested topics–as each instructor will have their own idea of what topics to cover […]

To help tango organizers pick the best day and time for a milonga, I’ve created a survey to get your input. To fill it out, click on the Start Survey button at the bottom and select as many day and time spots as you want. Remember, these are the time slots you would like the […]

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

Musings by Richard Powers For hundreds of years dance manuals and other writings have lauded the health benefits of dancing, usually as physical exercise.  More recently we’ve seen research on further health benefits of dancing, such as stress reduction and increased serotonin level, with its sense of well-being. Then most recently we’ve heard of another […]

  Well, I myself didn’t quit, but I know lots of people who have.  Of course, the drop-out rate for beginners is always high, but perhaps we’ve all known someone who was hugely committed and addicted to tango, spent many years dancing tango, and then suddenly quit.  Which brings me to the subject of this […]

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 […]

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 […]

Identify the location a couple is dancing tango and enter a random drawing for great prizes. If you would like to participate in a similar free promotion, write me an email (click on the CONTACT tab above) with your request. All you need is a video or photo of yourself or some another couple dancing in […]

It’s often said that “tango is a metaphor for life”. In this “Muse” I’d like you, the dancer and reader of this blog, to be a little more specific and give examples of ways in which tango has taught you lessons about relationships, sports, careers, hobbies or whatever. Just post your comment and stories below […]

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 […]

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 […]

Looking for a tango partner? Here’s two options to help you find one: OPTION 1: Go to the form Clay’s Tango Match, fill it out and then check out the Clay’s Tango Match Responses and see if there’s someone you’d like to contact. Or, just wait and perhaps someone will contact you. OPTION 2: Place a Free […]

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.

Well, it’s been a long tough slog. But with availability of the new Covid vaccine there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully milongas, festivals and lessons can re-open soon. Now the questions is, when can we re-open, what are the new rules, what is the proper etiquette and what are the responsibilities of […]

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 […]