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Annie Ng is the Social & Brand Partnerships Lead at Tango. She has been with our company since the early days, and has been a huge contributor to Tango’s culture and growth. 

When she’s not taking Tango viral on TikTok, you can find her on the dance floor pursuing her passion. We’d love to tell you that the style of dance she’s obsessed with is also called Tango. But alas, she’s chosen another, equally awesome style—Bachata!

Let’s hear from Annie how she Bachatas—when she’s not Tangoing, of course. 😉

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How did you get into Bachata? 

I was exposed to both Salsa and Bachata music growing up, but never learned how to dance either style until college. I credit my undergraduate friends for dragging me out to “Latin Nights” at our local venues on weekends. Those immediately drew me in. I was mesmerized watching people connect through social dancing and I loved seeing how happy everyone was. 

I started learning by watching people dance, and eventually, as my passion grew, I decided to join the college Salsa team. My first time attempting to dance Salsa / Bachata was probably seven years ago, but I started consistently dancing and taking lessons about four years ago. 

It’s been a life-changing hobby for me. Aside from it being my favorite way to de-stress, it’s given me a community, lifelong friends, and ankles of steel. 👠

What is Bachata?

Bachata is a genre of music and style of dance that originated in the countryside of the Dominican Republic. It was actually banned there for some time during a dictatorship, but the genre grew in popularity, and eventually spread across the world through a prominent Bachata group called Aventura. 

There are three different Bachata styles—traditional, sensual, and modern. My favorite is traditional. I like that it’s musicality-oriented, less flashy, and all about the vibes!

How was the experience pursuing performance dance while working full-time? 

Working full-time while learning choreography for performances was definitely challenging. During the months where I was dancing on a team there were many days where I’d work during the day, eat a quick dinner, and then learn choreography and rehearse for three hours at night—usually until 11 p.m. 😳 

On weekends, I would travel to perform at Salsa/Bachata Festivals that took place across the United States. Performing can be quite stressful, especially as someone with stage fright! 

I learned that it was important to take breaks between dancing on teams to avoid burnout. When I’m not on a team, I still take lessons and dance socially—which helps me keep the balance and remember the “fun” of dancing. I enjoy the periods of time when I’m just dancing whenever I want vs. performing on a team.

Any advice for people looking to get into Salsa / Bachata?

The biggest piece of advice I have for people who are looking to get started in Salsa or Bachata is to take lessons AND go social dancing. 

Lessons teach technicality and steps, but social dancing is where you find your own style and learn to improvise. People often think that you only need lessons to learn to dance, but coupling social dancing with lessons makes you a much more well-rounded dancer. 

It takes a lot of vulnerability to go social dancing, but it’s where you build your confidence, find community (“social” dancing, get it?), and in my opinion, is the purpose of learning to dance in the first place. 

What good do lessons do if you’re not able to whip out some moves when you’re out with friends? 

How has Tango supported you on your journey as a dancer?

My work-life balance at Tango really allows me to continue pursuing my passion for dance, and I get a lot of encouragement from the team to do so. 

One of my favorite things about working at Tango is that everyone has a personal project or hobby outside of work, and that we have the space and support to continue exploring them. This is so important to me—and having the flexibility to attend Salsa/Bachata Festivals, continue to take dance lessons, and go social dancing allows me to bring my fullest self to work. 

It’s been awesome to share my passion for Salsa/Bachata with the team as well. We’ve been to a Salsa lesson together at one of our offsites, and I even got a chance to teach Salsa at our booth during a tech conference!