Moving to the rhythm, beats and pressure, the Tango Club at ASU teaches students about the Argentine tango and spotlights self-expression through dancing.
The Tango Club has been around for about 30 years, educating and creating a bond surrounding purely Argentine tango. Students do not need any experience or knowledge regarding tango; all they need is to be ready to dance.
"(Argentine tango) has a lot of unique properties for a dance," said Jeremy Segal, co-president and an instructor of Tango Club and a junior studying film. "Unlike most ballroom dances or Latin dances, there's no set, kind of basic pattern that people dance to. It's all improvised, and so that really adds a lot to it."
Improvisation makes the Argentine tango unique. It's usually danced to music made specifically for the tango, but it can be danced to any music.
While learning how to tango, members are also taught specific terms and etiquette, such as cabeceo, which is an invitation to dance between two partners by using eye contact and nodding, and milonga, a type of tango song with a different rhythm set and is used for social dancing when people just want to "boogie," according to Segal.
"It's just a fun way to relax," said Alli Sreeni, Tango Club member and a freshman studying biomedical sciences. "Usually, I'm stressed about studies, so coming here, I could just dance and meet people. It's very social and welcoming. They don't force you to do anything."
During a general meeting, members will do a warm-up or an icebreaker such as Just Dance, talk about the day’s lesson and build up toward the full dance at the end. General meetings educate members and are a way to socialize with others.
The club also has tango weekends, a free event where professional instructors teach students to dance the Argentine tango. The weekend holds tango workshops, milongas and special performances.
"We tend to put on one big event every spring and fall," Segal said. "Then we will sometimes perform for other clubs. We're kind of doing that more. We have a performance team, and we (club members) will go to festivals together."
Unlike general meetings, where members typically go with the flow, the performance team is choreographed on stage and follows a stricter dance.
Sreeni, a member of the performance team, prefers "choreo" because of the moves they can do, but likes having the options within the club to be free or to follow strict choreography.
With either option, it was an easy passion to pick up, according to Sreeni.
"Because tango is so welcoming, they teach you from the very beginning, it's really easy to get into," Sreeni said.
For some members, the club offers a way for students to learn how to dance. Some are drawn to the expression and freedom through movements.
"I like how much you can improvise," said Domenic Giacoppo, the social media officer of Tango Club and a junior studying creative writing. "I also do boxing, and (tango) reminds me a lot of that because you have this basic set of steps that you learn, and then, when you're actually doing it, whether it's boxing or tango, you can use all those steps and do whatever you want."
For Segal, there are two reasons for loving the dance: the vibe and how there are no rules to follow.
"There's no mistake, and there's no wrong move," Segal said. "I love to create. I love to try to express myself."
The Tango Club is welcome to anyone wanting to join, and dance partners are not needed. Open dance sessions are available every Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Tempe campus's Wexler Hall.
"Everyone's just super cool," Giacoppo said. "It's always relaxing coming here. I'll just have the worst day, and then I come here, and it's so much better."
Edited by Katrina Michalak, Walker Smith and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at sjames51@asu.edu and follow @sennajames_ on X.
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Senna is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in Spanish. This is her third semester with The State Press.
