2021 Tango Trends: What To Expect?

Last updated on octubre 26th, 2020 at 09:51 am

I suppose this is the question every tanguera has been asking. You look at your tango shoes (and they look back at you) and you wonder when will we go back to “normal”? What will the tango of the future look like? As we seem to be settling into 2020 between online classes and virtual meetings, we wonder if 2021 will be any different.

Just for a bit of fun, here are our predictions for next year. This is what we imagine our tango world to be:

The Return Of Tango Classes, But Small Ones

Classes will probably resume (yay!) but they will be much smaller. Perhaps where you used to have a class of 30 people now you’ll have 10. Couple’s classes (not individual technique) might start if you bring your own partner and without switching partners to practise. As the year goes on, perhaps the group will be encouraged to change partners but masks will be compulsory. By 2021 masks will be as common as beanies.

Online Tango Is Here To Stay

After months of perfecting our “Zoom” communication skills, doing our technique class on (insert day of the week) would become a new habit. We will also have tried different teachers and classes we never would have imagined we could reach. Once these classes are ingrained into our weekly routine, we will grow more and more fond of them. For some teachers and students, not having to travel or commute all the time could also be a huge advantage. Online tango festivals will also continue to happen, for example, Unidos Tango Festival was quite popular plus it was a charity event which was very well received.

Tango And Fitness Will Merge Further

Who hasn’t tried at least one fitness class online during lock down? Most people are finding new routines to keep fit and online fitness definitely is a success. It has existed for a long time but now we are interacting more with the instructor through comments or likes. Yoga for tango, gyro for dancers, ballet for beginners, are already on offer as stand alone classes. As the months go by and the tango technique class repertoire starts to dry a bit, it would make total sense to add a bit of ballet, pilates or yoga to spice up the individual practice. Swapping your tango shoes for socks? Perhaps, but only for half of your class we hope ☺

Milongas Will Be The New “Speakeasies”

The big question is when will we be able to go back to the milonga? Our guess is that before big gatherings of people in close contact are allowed, effective widespread vaccination will be in place. That is probably a year away, so naturally small groups of friends will start private groups by invitation only to secretly dance tango with people they trust. Some sort of underground secret tango speakeasy like in the Prohibition era… if COVID-19 testing becomes widely available and cheap you might only be allowed in the group if you can prove that you are “virus-free” regularly…

Although some of these suggestions might seem a bit grim, please don’t take it too seriously ☺. Only time will tell how tango will evolve but do stay positive and creative. As makers of women tango shoes in the UK and worldwide, we know how difficult it is to keep doing what we love. What we have found is that, despite everything, we are not short of new ideas, energy or hope to keep creating.

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