When You Get Tangled Up, Go to Tango

Article and photos by Becky Fillinger

Thanks to Al Pacino for our title. Why does he recommend it? 

Tango is the one of the most popular partner dances worldwide. It is 140+ years old, originating in the Argentine and Uruguayan port areas along the Rio de la Plata, where native urban dwellers mixed with slaves and European immigrants. In 2009, UNESCO included tango in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. Tango is now known to offer therapeutic healing – benefits were recognized in 1980, and numerous scientific studies have shown that tango dance improves quality of life, cognition, endurance, balance, social satisfaction, and emotional health. Tango is recognized by the Veteran’s Administration to assist in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease – it improves balance and walking, and is a safe psychological touching environment that can help in rebuilding trust. The combined mental and physical aspects of Tango, practiced consistently, make a big difference in veterans’ wellbeing. Tango can also help build empathetic communities. There’s a Tango Society of Minnesota. Pope Francis danced the tango in his younger years. 

Wow – it’s a dance powerhouse! What can it do for our hyper-local Mill City community? A lot. Tango’s cultural heritage, along with its physical and mental benefits, are celebrated weekly in the Mill District.

James Schmit and Nancy Arnison   

James Schmit founded Mill City Tango in 2019. He came to tango as a remedy for serious back pain caused by a sedentary IT career. “I was spending many hours on the floor at work every day just trying to manage my back pain. My job as an IT person, sitting all day at a desk, was clearly aggravating my condition, but doctors continued to avoid naming the real problem, prescribing palliative care again and again.” James determined that moving his body would be key to recovery and that dancing would be his way to a better lifestyle.

He retired from the desk job and started dancing. His early dancing adventures in Minnesota led him to Country Two Step, West Coast Swing, and then after moving to Florida, to Salsa. He noticed that the pain was diminishing week by week. The Salsa dancing he witnessed in Miami involved unbelievable sensuality and gusto, causing James to realize that the world “just didn’t need one more aging white guy attempting Salsa.” Enter the Tango. “I found I enjoyed Tango music. I liked sensing the kinetic movements of my partner and I began feeling the flow of the dance. As challenging as the dance was, I began to realize I was stronger and felt much better for doing it. My core had to be engaged to survive practice, and the mental challenge was significant. I have tried to quit Tango many times in complete frustration, but I keep coming back to it.” When he moved back to Minnesota, James founded Mill City Tango to continue his practice and healing and to meet new people.

Instructor Rebecca Abas (red shirt) instructs on the connected tango embrace, or abrazo. 

Rebecca Abas is the instructor for Mill City Tango. She teaches at her studio, Four Seasons Dance Studio in Loring Park (where she has taught for over 20 years), and at the U of M. Rebecca has taught dance coast to coast at corporate events, and has choreographed many theatrical productions. She is an enthusiastic promoter of tango’s social aspects and ability to build community. “Couples enjoy it because they can each contribute to the partnering fun. Singles like it because they can meet people in a safe happy environment. I think Argentine Tango has more connection than most dances because of the close physical contact and intense music - it is very social.

The Mill District is a fairly new community that has been thrown together by all the nearby development. We know people seek others with similar interests to have a social network. Dance is wonderful for the physical and mental exercise, and social dance brings people together unlike anything else. It's a little risky (to be vulnerable) for someone, but if they stick with it they soon have a group of people they can trust, and when they live in the same building or neighborhood that connection will extend to other aspects of living in the Mill District.”

When I visited the Mill City Tango, they were dancing to Cristal by Francisco Canaro. The music is beautiful and melancholy - worth a visit to hear new music!

Other students’ reactions were enthusiastic as well. Beth Lee noted, “Tango is a nice way to meet people outside of your wheelhouse. It is something I totally would not do before Mill City Tango.” Cindy and Darrell Randle “wanted to take dance classes forever – the steps and little pivots are fun to learn.” 

Mill City Tango meets every Tuesday at 6:15p at The Legacy, 1240 S 2nd Street. What do you need? A sturdy shoe with a smooth bottom and a willingness to learn and trust. Dancing lasts about an hour and then the group socializes for another hour. There is a suggested donation of $15 per class, and all are welcome to the social after class. For those in the Mill District interested in improving their physical and mental health – i.e. untangling - for a brief interlude, please get in touch with James via jschmitr@msn.com. (No registration is needed, but you can request to be added to the email notification list.)

The shoes are important - you need to be able to glide and pivot to tango.

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About Becky Fillinger

I’ve been a resident of the Mill District only since July 2019, but have visited the Guthrie, the Farmers Market, restaurants and friends in the area for many years prior to making the leap to Minneapolis. I’ve lived in many places (and climates) in the US and can testify that our cultural events, bicycle and hiking trails, parks and green spaces, museums, diverse neighborhoods and wonderful restaurants put Minnesota and Minneapolis high on my best places list. I’m a member of the Mill City Singers and look forward to our choir practices and performances.

One of my main interests is community - a very broad concept. For me it means bringing people together with common interests to form meaningful relationships. I look forward to reporting on businesses and individuals in our neighborhoods. Feel free to drop me an email at becky_fillinger@hotmail.com with your thoughts and ideas for stories.