Tango, Danza della Relazione
Tango Counselling with Claudia Silletti in Florence combines Tango Argentino, Gestalt Counselling, body awareness, and creative practices to support personal growth, emotional wellbeing, self-expression, and authentic connection. Through movement, breath, posture, and mindful presence, participants explore trust, communication, relationships, and the transformative power of dance.
Claudia Silletti
6/1/20261 min read
Dance is a powerful form of human expression—a manifestation of the deepest dimensions of our nature. Since the earliest civilizations, people have used dance to express their emotional states, creating a bridge between the tangible world and what they perceived as the unknown and the transcendent.
Recent scientific research confirms what ancient cultures understood intuitively: our emotions are stored within the body. Approximately 80% of the fibers of the vagus nerve—which connects the brain to many internal organs—are afferent, meaning that signals travel from the body to the brain. As a result, we are able to influence our central nervous system through breathing, singing, and movement.
More than almost any other dance, Tango requires the development of profound body awareness. Breathing, weight, grounding, posture, balance, and coordination are its fundamental elements.
By observing and exploring these elements with mindful attention—recognizing that what the body expresses outwardly reflects an inner state—we cultivate stability, sensitivity, and empathy.
The primary goal of a Counsellor should be to help individuals learn how to help themselves. This begins with recognizing reality through observation, deep listening, and learning to "ride the emotional wave."
My personal approach is rooted in Gestalt Counselling, a body of theory and practice founded on a simple yet profound principle: within every individual, body, emotions, thoughts, sensations, and perceptions form a single interconnected whole. By becoming aware of these dimensions in the present moment, each person is able to make conscious choices and respond proactively to life's experiences. (For further reading, I recommend Gestalt Counselling by Petrūska Clarkson.)
It was during my university years, after attending a series of Tango classes, that I began to notice the feelings, reflections, and connections between what I experienced through the dance, psychology, and my own personal life. Later, by attending milongas in different parts of the world—particularly in Italy, France, Russia, and Argentina—I had the privilege of observing that Tango represents a remarkable microcosm of culture. It serves as a mirror of how a particular society lives and relates.
When the focus shifts to a single dancing couple—as often happens during a Tango Counselling session—the relationship between the dance and each person's individual and relational patterns becomes surprisingly clear and easy to observe.