Bay Area Argentine Tango Association

Hector Villar

An Interview with Hector Villar, June 20, 2008

by Margot Siek

Before he learned tango, Hector Villar worked in high tech as a successful engineer. The pay was extremely good. He could go anywhere in the world he wanted and buy any car he wanted, but there was something lacking. High tech work had taken over his life, from long hours to weekends to being on call. He couldn’t believe that life was only that. At some point, he reached out to find Argentine tango. First, he connected with the music and then the dance. In his words, “The connection with the other person is what makes tango so addictive. When I have somebody in my arms, who feels the music and dance, then, what I feel is – it just can’t be described. It’s so pleasurable. You have to experience it. I can’t explain it.” Hector decided to take a year off work. He went around the world and danced tango. After that year, he couldn’t force himself to go back. He took the risk of losing the affluent life to discover the adventure of tango – and is much happier for his decision.

While teaching in San Francisco this June, Hector graciously agreed to be interviewed. He shared his experience, views on the essence of tango, and approach to teaching.

How long have you been teaching?

Hector: I have been teaching for about 3 years.

How long have you been dancing tango? How did you start?

Hector: When I was in Argentina, tango was the last thing on my mind. It was old stuff that older people used to do. You heard it so many times on the radio and TV that you got sick of it. But when I moved to the United States in 1990, I tried to embrace things that connected me back to my country so I started listening to tango. There was a really late night program here in the US that played tango. There was a point when it felt natural. It didn’t feel like an old guy’s thing any more.

I started dancing 8 or 9 years ago. It all started because I was working long hours. It was after my divorce, and I needed to do something. I was working in high tech in the United States San Francisco Bay Area. And when you work in high tech, your life is nothing else but work. And when you have a bit of free time you do not know what to do with it, and so you go back to work. It is insane.

One day I got a catalogue for a local community college. It had courses for adults. They had courses like cooking and flower arranging, and they also offered Argentine tango. It became clear then that I wanted to start dancing tango.

What is your process in developing a class?

Hector: The class needs to have a subject. I like to really work on the concepts of tango: the walk, embrace, lead, and posture. I’ll do exercises for obtaining those. Then, I’ll show a sequence. The sequence is not important; it’s the concepts. If they are able to execute the concepts well, it means they are getting the basics.

How do you get the concept of connection across?

Hector: The connection specifically is a very difficult thing. You have to experience it. You have to have already mastered your technique. If you’re thinking about your steps or your balance – or losing it – there’s no way you can journey to connection. Once you have your technique, you have to let your emotions flow. Being so close to somebody is not easy especially in cultures outside Argentina. Showing your emotions is a difficult thing, and being so close to somebody is more difficult. It’s a process. You have to get there over time. It helps to go to Buenos Aires. Just by being there, you end up getting it. You let your emotions come out and are no longer afraid of somebody being so close to you. The connection with the other person is what makes it so addictive and makes it different from other dances.

What I feel when I dance tango is very much dependent on the music that is playing – but also on the person I am dancing with. I have had the experience over and over that I find myself dancing with a very good dancer, and I feel nothing, and I feel that the person I’m dancing with feels nothing. Generally, I will not dance again with that dancer, even if she is a great dancer. Tango is supposed to be a pleasurable experience, and if I cannot feel, it’s not a pleasure at all. When I have somebody in my arms, who feels the music and dance, then, what I feel is – it just can’t be described. It’s so pleasurable. You have to experience it. I can’t explain it.

What exercises do you use?

Hector: Most of the technique can be mastered if you walk well. Everybody puts a lot of emphasis in the walk. Once you can walk to the music with your balance and control, you have started. I try to make exercises moving to the music at tempo, half tempo, and double tempo. You want to move with your entire body. You have to freely walk and move your entire body – not like a robot.

How do you tailor your class to non-Argentine students?

Hector: I teach close embrace. The only difference with teaching in places outside Buenos Aires is I go easier on getting very close to the other. In Buenos Aires, I can say, grab him or her, and the students have no problem doing that. In the United States it’s a little harder, so I’ll go easy on that. Also, people in the United States like classes with more structure and detailed explanation, and I love to do that as well.

What is your definition of Argentine Tango versus other styles of dancing?

Hector: The main difference is the embrace. In Buenos Aires the milongueros say that if you walk well to the music with someone in your arms, it’s all you need. That means that none of the steps or sequences is important. The emphasis is to be able to have someone in your arms, be with the music, and have the feeling of that connection. That is the essence of the tango.

How do you get people interested in Tango?

Hector: It’s not my job to make them interested in tango. They come to me because they are already interested. The first thing I do, especially with people from outside Argentina on their first class ever, is to warn them; I say to them that their life might change. You may find yourself changing your habits, changing jobs, changing CDs, and changing friends. I know many people, who have changed locations just to be in a place where there is more tango. That’s changing your life. So I warn them that it will happen, and it will. I give them a chance to get out of there before it happens.

How do you get people into the class?

Hector: I’m not a marketing person. I’m lucky that somehow my dance is nice to the eye, and people ask me. I am not one who will go to a Milonga and advertise my class. It’s not my style.

What sets your class apart from other people's classes?

Hector: I put a lot of emphasis on the technique, the basic stuff. I also put a lot of emphasis on the music. I’ll tell you what you’re listening to and dancing to, and why you need to dance differently from one orchestra to the other.

What is your teaching style?  Steps, fundamentals, body mechanics, etc.

Hector: I like to work on balance, posture, because if you don’t get that right, you’ll plateau and not get beyond a certain level for years. To correct things later takes much, much more work, so I try to teach people technique early. They can learn more steps from someone else.

What is your favorite music to dance to?  Type: Milonga, Tango, Vals, composer

Hector: A while ago, I was very much into Milonga, but as time has gone by, I feel the vals much more, and that’s what I prefer to dance. I dance tango and Milonga, as well, but when I hear vals, I have an urge to dance. In tango, it depends on my mood. If I feel romantically inclined, I feel connected to D’Agostino - Vargas.

How important is it for you to know the song / music?

Hector: It’s not important because if you feel the music, you can express yourself to the music, and that is the only thing that matters. I like to know who is playing. Knowing the singers and songs – I like that as a matter of culture. I like to know because I’m curious, not because it will affect my dancing.

What do you like about teaching?

Hector: People, who like to teach, like to teach anything. It’s like people, who like to be doctors. There’s no explanation. I like to teach. I used to teach computer science, mathematics, and physics, so I like that. The pleasure of it is in seeing the person make progress – understanding a point, being able to do whatever you taught.

Are you a demanding teacher?

Hector: No, I don’t think so. I’m demanding in the sense that I want to give a person a lot. I pay a lot of attention to what a person is doing and give a lot of commitment. I’m not one to say, you are doing that wrong or I don’t want to see you anymore unless you do this exercise a hundred times more. That puts people off, and I just don’t feel that way. I might get mad if the person is just there socially and not interested in learning because he is wasting my time.

Do you have other tango interests, singing, playing an instrument, composing?

Hector: I used to try to play piano. It will be my next step probably. I would love to be able to play piano.

What would you do if you couldn't be a tango dancer?

Hector: I haven’t planned that.

Artist’s Biography in Brief: Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hector Villar began dancing tango in the year 2000. He studied with well known masters including Gustavo Naveira, Ricardo Vidrot, Eduardo Arquimbau, Ricardo Viqueira, Julio Balmaceda and many others. Hector lives in Buenos Aires. He teaches Salon/Milonguero close embrace emphasizing a grounded walk, posture, rhythm, body weight, dynamics and the quality of the dance.

Interviewer Margot Siek is a San Francisco-based marketing executive, tango dancer, and writer.