The Three Forces That Shape Every Milonga (and How to Navigate Them)

Would you pay for a guaranteed tanda with anyone you wanted?In this episode, I dig into the world of taxi dancers - a subject that never fails to divide opinions. For some, it’s a lifeline: a bridge to the tandas they dream about in communities where imbalance makes dancing scarce. For others, it feels like a line crossed, where the social fabric of tango gives way to transactions.From Buenos Aires origins to festival token systems, from ambassadors to controversies, taxi dancers raise bigger questions: how much do we value access, and what happens when money enters a space built on cabeceo and mystery?✨ If you’ve ever wondered how far we’ll go for the tanda we want - and what that says about tango today - this banter is for you.🎧 Want support as you grow in your own tango?Join me inside IMSO Tango School Online — try it free for 30 days: https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!Photo courtesty of @louistangophotoMusic courtesy of La Santa Calavera Orchestra

What keeps us coming back to tango - even after the moments when we’re ready to quit?In this episode, I sit down with Mitra Martin to explore the cycles of belonging, the archetypes we step into, and the surprising ways tango changes us over time. From the first spark at La Viruta to creating spaces that welcome beginners, Mitra’s journey opens up big questions about growth, friendship, and how we keep the dance alive.And yes - she even shares a new game designed to help dancers push past “just practicing” into something more playful, creative, and lasting.✨ If you’ve ever wondered what keeps tango fresh year after year, this conversation is for you.Learn more about the Tango Fairytale Game here: https://mitramartin.notion.site/tangofairytalegameUse code IMSOTANGO to get $20 off: https://mitramartin.gumroad.com/l/original-tfg-deck🎧 Want support as you grow in your own tango?Join me inside IMSO Tango School Online — try it free for 30 days: https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!

In this episode, I share the moments that made me wonder - the partner who once felt magical but later left me restless… and the tanda that turned from electric to empty overnight.We look at two forces always at play: the path of growth and the seasonality of connection. Sometimes it’s technique that drifts us apart. Other times it’s history, friendship, or silence between tandas that changes everything.I don’t have a formula. What I’ve found is that these shifts are less about fault - and more about change itself. Tango keeps asking us: what do we value today, and how do we honor it?If you’ve ever sat out a dance you once would have jumped for - or felt the sting of someone else quietly moving on - this one’s for you.🎧 Want support as you navigate your own tango journey? Join me inside IMSO Tango School Online — try it free for 30 days: https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!Photo courtesty of @louistangophotoMusic courtesy of La Santa Calavera Orchestra

Tango can sometimes feel like high school all over again. The cliques, the cool kids’ tables, the silent rules of who gets invited and who gets ignored — all of these patterns shape our experience at the milonga.But what if we stopped taking them so personally and started seeing them for what they are - systems at play? Seating, body language, and rejection aren’t just random; they’re forces that structure the social game of tango.In this episode of The Tango Banter, I explore how these patterns show up, why they trigger so much of our teenage baggage, and how we can navigate them with strategy - without losing the joy of the dance.✨ If you’ve ever felt invisible at the milonga, anxious about where to sit, or stung by rejection that lingers for years, this one’s for you.👉 Subscribe for more weekly tango banter, and share your experiences in the comments - I’d love to hear your stories.📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!Photo courtesty of @louistangophotoMusic courtesy of La Santa Calavera Orchestra

Why does tango make us care so much about our clothes? In this episode, I share my own phases - from hiding in all-black outfits, to chasing the “classic tango look” with slits and heels, to questioning what it really means to feel at home in what you wear.We look at the paradox: dressing to hide vs. dressing to attract - and how both can shape the way we feel and move. Clothing has both a functional impact on how we dance, and a psychological one that can be even more powerful.I don’t have a final answer. For most of us, it’s an evolving question: what makes us feel confident, expressive, and free on the dance floor?If you’ve ever walked into a milonga feeling awkward in your outfit… or found yourself dancing differently because of what you’re wearing… this one’s for you.Chicago visit info here: https://imsotango.com/events🎧 Want support as you find your voice in the dance?Join me inside IMSO Tango School Online — try it free for 30 days: https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!

In tango, who carries the responsibility for musicality - the leader, the follower, or both? In this episode, I reflect on my own evolution from follower to leader and explore how musicality feels different depending on your role.Why do some followers feel they’ve hit a ceiling in their expression? What do leaders discover when they finally follow? And how does dancing both roles change your understanding of music altogether?This one’s for anyone who’s ever wondered if they’re doing “enough” musically - or if musicality might live somewhere deeper than technique.🎧 Want support as you find your voice in the dance?Join me inside IMSO Tango School Online - Try it free for 30 days: https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!Photo courtesty of @louistangophotoMusic courtesy of La Santa Calavera Orchestra

Do you ever catch yourself changing the way you dance when someone’s watching?In this episode, we explore the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) shifts that happen when we’re being observed—especially by dancers we admire. From the pressure to “look tango enough” to the quiet pull of self-expression, we unpack the complicated relationship between aesthetics and authenticity.You’ll hear stories about dressing the part, performing connection, and learning to watch yourself on video without flinching. Because sometimes looking good costs more than we think—and sometimes, it sets us free.🎧 Want to explore musicality, expression, and confidence in your own dancing?Join me inside the IMSO Tango School — your first month is free: 👉 https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!

What happens when tango meets other dances? In this episode, I reflect on how exploring different dance styles shaped my understanding of tango more deeply than tango alone ever could.This isn’t about abandoning tradition. It’s about seeing tango with new eye - through contrast, through play, through movement that invites more range, more rhythm, more possibility.I talk about the myths of tango “purity,” the asymmetries in the embrace, and the surprising ways your body and technique evolve when you let other forms into your dance journey.Check out my fusion dance with Charles on my IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMs-I7zufOy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=cDZydWNjZjEzMGpi🎧 Ready to explore tango from more than one angle?Inside the IMSO Tango School, we go beyond technique - into history, musicality, and the layers that shape your personal style.👉 Join us - your first month’s on me: https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!

You’ve probably been there. The song ends, you break the embrace, and there’s this weird little pause. You know another song is coming - but right now, you’re face-to-face with a stranger… and you’re not sure what to say.Do you say something? Do you wait for them to speak first? Is it weird to compliment their shoes?In this episode, I talk about those in-between moments at the milonga - the little bits of conversation (or silence) that can feel unexpectedly awkward. Whether you love chatting or dread small talk, this is something every dancer has experienced.🎧 Let’s talk about how to navigate those moments - and maybe even enjoy them.🌟 And if you’re ready to level up your musicality, check out my private training series Dance the Music. It’s an 8-session package focused on helping you actually feel the difference between tango’s four big orchestras - D’Arienzo, Di Sarli, Troilo, and Pugliese - and reflect that in your dance. We work 1-on-1 using video feedback.🕰️ Only 10 spots are available, and enrollment is open through July 31.👉 Learn more and sign up here: https://imsotango.com/dance-the-music📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!

We all long to belong. But what if the moment we finally do… we still don’t feel it?In this episode, I explore the emotional complexity of belonging in tango - what it means to feel part of a community, and why that feeling can slip away even when the invitation is clear.I reflect on personal moments - from sitting outside the “cool table” in Buenos Aires to unexpected ease at a fusion dance retreat - and ask:What if belonging isn’t a destination, but something we practice?What if it ebbs and flows, even after we’re “in”?This isn’t a list of how-tos. It’s a meditation on identity, insecurity, and the quiet ache to feel accepted. If you’ve ever sat at the edge of the milonga wondering where you fit, or if you’ve questioned your place even among friends—this episode is for you.🎧 Join me Tuesday, July 22 for DJ Basics: What Every Tango Dancer Needs to Know—a live webinar inside IMSO Tango School Online.🌀 Try the program FREE for 30 days → https://imsotango.com/online-school📌 Stay Connected & Learn More🌍 Website: imsotango.com📩 Email: [email protected]📸 Instagram: @imso_tango🎙 Listen to The Tango Banter: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/DItT8LMWASb💃 Join the Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/sotangoworld🎶 Free Lesson – 5 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Tango Music:imsotango.namastream.com/product/83152💬 Have questions? Drop a comment or DM me anytime!