Argentine Tango Symbol Analysis in Instructions for Dancing
What Is the Argentine Tango in the Novel?
In Instructions for Dancing, the Argentine tango functions as both a concrete dance form and a central symbol for emotional surrender, vulnerability, and the risk of love. The novel’s dance instructor, Fifi, introduces it during a dedicated practice session in Chapter 39 (Argentine Tango Friday). She describes the tango as “seductive,” “sorrowful,” and “sensual” — a dance that demands improvisation and a deep connection between partners. The tango’s technique is distinct: a closed hold with chests together, and a walking step that glides toe-first rather than heel-first. Crucially, Fifi explains that tango is not about memorized steps but about feeling the music and allowing the lead to guide the follower into her passion. This requires the follower to give themselves over completely, a concept the protagonist Evie initially rejects as sexist.
From the start, the tango represents the very thing Evie fears most: losing control. Her resistance to the dance mirrors her resistance to opening her heart after her parents’ painful divorce. Tango cannot be faked — it demands authenticity, presence, and trust.
Where the Tango Appears
The Argentine tango first appears as a future challenge in Chapter 15 (Dance Number Two), when Fifi warns that if the pair ever reaches tango, they will use a closed frame. It becomes a structured part of their training in Chapter 35 (Bachata Monday), where Fifi schedules three weekly practices — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — because tango is “the hardest.” The first dedicated lesson occurs in Chapter 39. Evie struggles there to let go, and Fifi reassures her that “tango comes for everyone” and she will learn eventually.
The tango recurs in the Danceball competition. In Chapter 46 (Danceball), Evie tenses up during the Argentine tango heat, relying on steps rather than the music. But in the finals, Chapter 47 (Becomes a Sea), Evie and X perform a passionate Argentine tango, after which Evie tells X she loves him for the first time. The tango’s final and most significant appearance comes in Chapter 60 (The Future), at Evie’s father’s wedding reception. There, Evie dances an Argentine tango with X and receives a vision of his death eight months away — along with a vision of the full, loving life they will share. In that moment, she consciously chooses to hold on to him, accepting the loss she knows is coming.
How Its Meaning Evolves
At the start, the tango symbolizes Evie’s fear of vulnerability. She calls the dynamic “sexist” and holds her body rigidly away from X. Fifi repeatedly praises Evie’s technique but laments her lack of passion. The tango forces Evie to confront the fact that she is “holding herself back” from her feelings for X.
During the competition, the tango becomes a test of trust. In the semifinals, Evie falls back on technical steps, unable to surrender to the music. But by the finals, she has absorbed the lesson from the earlier vision of Archibald and Maggie Johnson’s lifelong love — showing that not every couple ends in heartbreak. She performs the tango with genuine feeling, and the dance becomes the vehicle for her first declaration of love.
In the final chapter, the tango transforms into a symbol of conscious choice. Evie knows the tango will show her the future — as it did when she danced with X after learning to really give in. She chooses to dance it anyway, because she has learned that love’s value is not erased by its end. The tango is no longer about surrendering control to a partner; it is about surrendering to the risk of love itself. As she catches X’s hand at the end, she embodies the novel’s central lesson: that love is worth the pain.
Character and Theme Connections
The Argentine tango connects directly to Evie Thomas’s emotional arc. Her initial resistance echoes her grief over her parents’ divorce and her fear of heartbreak. Xavier (X) acts as a patient lead, helping her build trust through humor and persistence. Fifi, the instructor, functions as a mentor figure who insists that tango cannot be conquered by technique alone; it requires emotional availability.
The tango also reinforces major themes:
- Love and Heartbreak: Tango embodies both pleasure and pain — Fifi calls it both seductive and sorrowful.
- Fate vs. Free Will: Evie’s visions show her the future, but she still must choose whether to dance. The tango is the site of that choice.
- Grief and Loss: Evie’s fear of loss — from her father’s betrayal to the vision of X’s death — is what she must overcome to dance freely.
- Living in the Moment: Tango is an improvisational dance that requires total presence. Evie learns to stop worrying about endings and focus on the “now.”
- Friendship and Change: Fifi’s tough love and X’s partnership help Evie change through the discipline of dance.
Finally, the tango is quietly linked to Archibald and Maggie Johnson, the owners of La Brea Dance. Their love story — which spans decades and ends only with their peaceful deaths side by side — contrasts with the visions Evie has of couples breaking up. The tango poster in the studio depicts the dance as passionate agony, yet the Johnsons embody its true meaning: a commitment that endures.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Evie initially call the Argentine tango “sexist,” and how does her view change by the end of the novel?
At first, Evie objects to Fifi’s instruction that she must “give herself” to X and let him lead her into passion. Evie interprets this as a gendered power imbalance. However, as she practices, she realizes the problem is not the dance’s structure but her own inability to trust. By the final dance at her father’s wedding, Evie willingly surrenders control, not because she considers herself less powerful, but because she has chosen to accept the risk of love. The tango becomes a symbol of her agency, not her submission.
2. How does the Argentine tango differ from the other dances Evie learns (bachata, salsa, etc.), and why is it the hardest for her?
Fifi tells Evie and X that tango is improvisational — dancers must feel the music and respond in the moment, unlike the other dances which have more structured patterns. The close embrace required for tango also forces emotional proximity. For Evie, who avoids emotional vulnerability, this intimacy is terrifying. The other dances allow her to maintain some distance, but tango demands that she let her guard down completely.
3. In what way does the tango scene in Chapter 60 (The Future) fulfill Fifi’s earlier statement that “tango comes for everyone”?
Fifi says this after Evie’s first tango lesson, predicting that Evie will eventually learn to let go. In the final chapter, Evie dances tango with X fully aware that her vision power may show her their future — including his impending death. She does not pull away. She catches his hand and holds on, demonstrating that she has finally learned to embrace passion and vulnerability. The tango “comes for” Evie when she stops running from love and chooses to experience it fully, despite the cost.
4. How does the tango connect to the vision of Archibald and Maggie Johnson’s life together (Chapter 44) and Evie’s decision to accept X’s love?
Evie’s vision of Archibald and Maggie shows a love that lasts a lifetime despite setbacks and eventual death. The tango poster at their studio depicts the dance as painful passion, but their actual story shows that the pain is part of a whole. After seeing this, Evie begins to understand that not every love ends in the same heartbreak as her parents’. When she later dances tango with X, she risks a similar vision. She sees both joy and grief, yet chooses to remain present — a decision directly inspired by the Johnsons’ example that love’s value is not erased by mortality.