How to Dance Tango Walks with the 80/20 Rule

balance ballroom footwork tango technique

The short answer: a good Tango walk lifts and places the feet with a staccato, stop-start action, because Tango has no rise and fall and no swing. Step in CBMP with a right side lead, keep about 80% of your weight on the front foot and 20% on the back, and only finish the transfer as you start the next step. That 80/20 rule keeps you balanced and connected to your partner.

What makes Tango different from the swing dances?

Tango is its own world. In the swing dances (Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep) you swing, rise and fall, and sway to balance it. Tango has none of that. There's no rise and fall and no swing, because you lift and place your feet on every walk. That creates a staccato rhythm: the dance stops, then starts again. And because the whole dance is built on walks, getting the walk right changes everything.

What is the Tango foot position?

Closing your feet in Tango doesn't mean toes together. The right foot sits on the instep of the left foot. To find it, face the wall and swivel an eighth of a turn to the left, so the right foot slips onto the instep. That gives your body a subtle, natural right side lead rather than a square position, and it helps you and your partner connect. Your Tango frame is also more compact.

What is the 80/20 rule?

After each Tango walk, your weight isn't fully on the front foot. About 80% is on the front foot and 20% is on the back, with your body just behind the moving foot. The transfer completes as you start the next step, not at the end of this one. In the video I also show how the 80/20 rule (the Pareto principle) applies to your training: 20% of what you practise produces 80% of your results, so find that 20% and make the most of your limited practice time.

How do you dance a Tango walk?

Set your feet: right foot on the instep of the left, with your compact Tango frame.
Peel: peel the ball of the moving foot just off the floor. Feel it, but don't exaggerate it.
Step in CBMP: place the left foot forward on the line of the supporting foot, so two tracks become one.
Hold the 80/20: keep your belly button just behind the heel of the front foot, with weight on the ball of the back foot and the back knee slightly flexed. Delay the back foot as long as the music allows.
Transfer on the next step: finish the weight transfer as you start the next walk, taking the right foot forward with a right side lead.
Curve your walks: place each foot with a direction in mind. Eight walks make a full circle.
Going backwards: step back on the same one track, keep the back heel up until you start the next step, and release the toe of the front foot as you go.

Common mistakes

Sliding the feet through the floor instead of lifting and placing them.
Closing with the toes together and standing square, instead of the right foot on the instep with a slight right side lead.
Putting all your weight on the front foot at the end of the step instead of transferring as the next step starts.
Straightening the back knee. It pushes your body over the front foot and into your partner.
Lowering the back heel too early when going backwards. Your weight falls back and pulls the partner coming forward on top of you.

Try this in your next practice

Set up with the right foot on the instep, put on some Tango music and walk slow, slow, with a slight pause on each walk. Watch your back foot: don't point the back toe, keep weight on the ball of that foot and hold it in place until the next step begins.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 80/20 rule in Tango walks?

After each step, keep about 80% of your weight on the front foot and 20% on the back, with your body just behind the moving foot. The transfer completes as you start the next step.

Why is there no rise and fall in Tango?

Because Tango has no swing. You lift and place your feet on each walk, which creates a staccato, stop-start action instead.

How do you count Tango walks?

Slow, slow, with a slight pause on each walk. That pause is the Tango rhythm.

How fast is Tango music?

WDSF competition rules set Tango at 31 to 33 bars a minute.

Do men need to practise walking backwards too?

Yes. Whoever is going backwards has a big impact on the balance of the partnership, so men should practise the backward walk just as much as ladies.

Related lessons

Vaughan Liddicoat is a 4 time World Professional 10 Dance representative for Australia, an accredited coach and the founder of Ballroom Mastery. He has a passion for dance and wants to help you become the best dancer you can be and have an amazing time doing it.

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