Very often in modern milongas, you can see couples who have a conversation right during the dance. Actually it is not accepted to do so. The problem, as a rule, lies in the fact that people only learned dance, but did not understand the special etiquette of the Argentine tango and did not take into account its peculiarities.
There is a general rule that is followed in Buenos Aires, the birthplace of Argentine tango, and beyond. It says that when a couple starts dancing, they must do it in silence. An invitation to dance, an acquaintance, communication between a man and a woman who are interested in each other - all this requires words, but during the dance they should not sound. The fact is that the conversation, no matter how strange it may sound, prevents the partners from understanding each other. The essence of Argentine tango is non-verbal communication. It is this that allows the couple to enter the amazing state of "general meditation", when partners instantly catch and evaluate each other's movements and can easily and quickly understand how the dance should continue. Hugs, music, features of steps and figures - all this gives the necessary information, moreover, communication turns out to be very fast, acting at the subconscious level. Talking during Argentine tango will not achieve this effect.
Conversation while dancing interferes with improvisation. Partners have to not only keep track of what is happening around, and determine which movement should be next, but also keep the conversation going. It is distracting and mistakes inevitably occur. Of course, during training, if you accidentally step on your partner's foot or make another mistake, you can apologize. However, this should be done briefly, without starting long conversations or describing how worried you are about the error. A short apology - and you can move on.
Refusing to talk during the Argentine tango, you gain something much more valuable - the opportunity to enter into an amazing state of "romantic witchcraft trance", to experience vivid and very strong emotions that are rarely available to us in everyday life, to enjoy someone else's embrace. Dancing in silence and concentrating on each other, partners experience a short but very exciting romance, in which a lot is said without words. With this experience, people understand why it is so important to be silent during Argentine tango.
Of course, after the end of the dance, you can do a short debriefing, but only if it's really appropriate. Explaining what exactly was done wrong requires a lot of tact, sensitivity, the ability to choose the right words and expressions, and an understanding of the characteristics of the partner's character. At the same time, it is important not only to clearly and clearly tell about mistakes, but also to be able to avoid hurting the feelings of the partner. It is necessary that he understands that we are talking only about a specific dance, and not about his talents or, even more so, his character in general. Such conversations should be short enough, informative and correct to give the desired result without unpleasant consequences.
