Page:Modern Dancing (1914) Castle.djvu/91

Rh Tango was composed of one hundred and sixty different steps. Enough to terrify the most inveterate dancer!

There may be one hundred and sixty different Tango steps, but I doubt it. I have never seen so many, and Mrs. Castle and I do not dance anything like that number. For the average ball-room Tango a knowledge of six fundamental steps is quite enough. One may work out variations of these. But you will find that when you once have mastered the Cortez, the Media Luna, the Scissors, the Promenade, and the Eight Step you can dance with any exponent of the Tango you are apt to meet.

Nor is the Tango as difficult as it was at first supposed. More difficult than the old-fashioned Two Step, yes. Certainly more difficult than the One Step. But once you get into the swing and rhythm of music more alluring than a Viennese Waltz—well, you are lost. You have become a Tango enthusiast. Personally I believe the Tango and the Maxixe Brésilienne are the dances of to-morrow. The Maxixe is described in the next chapter. More and more people are becoming proficient in the variations of both these South American dances. In the smart ball-rooms of New York, London, and Paris the One Step and the Hesitation Waltz lead the dances this