Terminology | Neurotango® in Relation to Tango Therapy
INFOS
Conceptual, Historical, and Methodological Context
The term Tango Therapy is used internationally as a broad umbrella describing a wide range of practices that integrate elements of Argentine Tango into therapeutic, educational, social, or community-based contexts. These approaches differ substantially in their objectives, professional frameworks, didactic structures, and application settings. As a result, Tango Therapy does not describe a single, unified methodology, nor can it be attributed to one specific originator.
Argentine Tango itself did not emerge as a therapeutic method. Its development spans more than one hundred years and is closely connected to social displacement, collective trauma, and embodied emotional expression. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, enslaved and marginalized African populations, together with European immigrants in the Río de la Plata region, developed shared musical and movement practices that allowed emotional regulation, social bonding, and non-verbal communication under difficult living conditions.
From the beginning, tango embodied emotional states through movement, posture, rhythm, and interpersonal connection. The social dance events known as milongas—a term still used today—served as communal spaces for emotional release, regulation, and relational experience. In this sense, tango has always contained elements that may be understood today as therapeutic, long before formal clinical or academic frameworks existed.
The Emergence of Tango Therapy Practices
After the year 2000, an increasing number of therapists, educators, and practitioners began to consciously integrate tango-based movement into professional contexts. Psychology, physiotherapy, neurology, education, social work, and related disciplines explored tango-derived techniques in both practical applications and theoretical reflections.
As a consequence, a diverse field of Tango Therapy approaches developed internationally. These approaches were shaped by the professional background of their practitioners, their target groups, their didactic concepts, and the type of music and movement material used. This diversity reflects the richness of tango-based work, but it also means that no single standardized or universally defined Tango Therapy methodology exists.
The Development of Neurotango®
Neurotango® was developed beginning in 2013 in Europe within this heterogeneous landscape. At that time, numerous therapists and practitioners were already working with tango-based therapeutic concepts across different professional fields. While these approaches shared a common movement origin, their methodologies, structures, and pedagogical frameworks varied considerably.
The development of Neurotango® was based on the understanding that psychological, somatic, and social change processes are fundamentally mediated by the brain. From this perspective, a structured, neuro-motor-oriented framework was required to make tango-based movement principles accessible, transferable, and applicable across medical, therapeutic, and educational disciplines.
To achieve this, Neurotango® introduced a system of clearly defined tools, referred to as Neurotango Tools. These tools represent a shared methodological core derived from tango-based movement dynamics. As modular tools, they can be adapted to different target groups and professional contexts without altering the fundamental focus or objective of each tool. This approach allows flexibility while maintaining methodological clarity and consistency.
Embodiment, Body Language, and Music
A central element of Neurotango® is the role of embodiment and body language. Embodied movement reflects internal states and relational dynamics in a direct and authentic way, independent of cognitive interpretation. Neurotango® tools guide participants step by step toward increased self-perception and relational awareness, supporting both internal regulation and outward connection.
Music plays an equally essential role within the framework. Rhythm provides structure, temporal orientation, and synchronization across sensory, motor, and emotional systems. Musical elements are therefore not treated as accompaniment, but as an integral part of the methodological design, supporting coordination, attention, and emotional processing.
Clarification Regarding Parallel Use of the Name Neurotango
At the time Neurotango® was developed and registered in Germany and the European Union, the name Neurotango was also independently registered in Argentina by María Teresa Gil Ogliastri, a psychologist working in the field of tango-based therapeutic practice. Her work integrates Argentine Tango with elements of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and focuses primarily on adults with Down syndrome and other forms of neurodiversity. Her approach is situated within a clinical and academic context in Argentina and has been communicated through professional practice and discipline-specific publications.
While both concepts operate within the broader field of tango-based and movement-oriented practices, they differ in scope, structure, and professional orientation. The Argentinian concept is not primarily focused on the international training and continuing education of therapists and medical professionals. Neurotango®, as developed in Europe, was specifically designed as a structured methodological framework for professional education, clinical application, and interdisciplinary use across medical, therapeutic, and educational contexts.
The parallel use of the name reflects independent developments within a diverse international field and does not imply conceptual equivalence.
Further Methodological Development
Within the European Neurotango® framework, additional preparatory tools were developed in response to the needs of neurologists, psychologists, and medical professionals. These tools support gradual access to elements such as touch, eye contact, communication, and coordinated movement, particularly in neurological and psychological contexts where such aspects require careful preparation.
These developments reflect the adaptive nature of the Neurotango® framework while maintaining its methodological coherence and professional focus.
Summary
Neurotango® is a structured, professionally oriented methodological framework that has been developed since 2013 in Europe. While it exists within the broader landscape of Tango Therapy approaches, it is clearly defined in its terminology, scope, and application contexts. Understanding these distinctions supports precise communication, responsible professional practice, and informed decision-making within medical, therapeutic, and educational environments.
The Development of Neurotango®
Neurotango® was developed beginning in 2013 in Europe within this heterogeneous landscape. At that time, numerous therapists and practitioners were already working with tango-based therapeutic concepts across different professional fields. While these approaches shared a common movement origin, their methodologies, structures, and pedagogical frameworks varied considerably.
The development of Neurotango® was based on the understanding that psychological, somatic, and social change processes are fundamentally mediated by the brain. From this perspective, a structured, neuro-motor-oriented framework was required to make tango-based movement principles accessible, transferable, and applicable across medical, therapeutic, and educational disciplines.
To achieve this, Neurotango® introduced a system of clearly defined tools, referred to as Neurotango Tools. These tools represent a shared methodological core derived from tango-based movement dynamics. As modular tools, they can be adapted to different target groups and professional contexts without altering the fundamental focus or objective of each tool. This approach allows flexibility while maintaining methodological clarity and consistency.
Embodiment, Body Language, and Music
A central element of Neurotango® is the role of embodiment and body language. Embodied movement reflects internal states and relational dynamics in a direct and authentic way, independent of cognitive interpretation. Neurotango® tools guide participants step by step toward increased self-perception and relational awareness, supporting both internal regulation and outward connection.
Music plays an equally essential role within the framework. Rhythm provides structure, temporal orientation, and synchronization across sensory, motor, and emotional systems. Musical elements are therefore not treated as accompaniment, but as an integral part of the methodological design, supporting coordination, attention, and emotional processing.
Clarification Regarding Parallel Use of the Name Neurotango
At the time Neurotango® was developed and registered in Germany and the European Union, the name Neurotango was also independently registered in Argentina by María Teresa Gil Ogliastri, a psychologist working in the field of tango-based therapeutic practice. Her work integrates Argentine Tango with elements of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and focuses primarily on adults with Down syndrome and other forms of neurodiversity. Her approach is situated within a clinical and academic context in Argentina and has been communicated through professional practice and discipline-specific publications.
While both concepts operate within the broader field of tango-based and movement-oriented practices, they differ in scope, structure, and professional orientation. The Argentinian concept is not primarily focused on the international training and continuing education of therapists and medical professionals. Neurotango®, as developed in Europe, was specifically designed as a structured methodological framework for professional education, clinical application, and interdisciplinary use across medical, therapeutic, and educational contexts.
The parallel use of the name reflects independent developments within a diverse international field and does not imply conceptual equivalence.
Further Methodological Development
Within the European Neurotango® framework, additional preparatory tools were developed in response to the needs of neurologists, psychologists, and medical professionals. These tools support gradual access to elements such as touch, eye contact, communication, and coordinated movement, particularly in neurological and psychological contexts where such aspects require careful preparation.
These developments reflect the adaptive nature of the Neurotango® framework while maintaining its methodological coherence and professional focus.
Summary
Neurotango® is a structured, professionally oriented methodological framework that has been developed since 2013 in Europe. While it exists within the broader landscape of Tango Therapy approaches, it is clearly defined in its terminology, scope, and application contexts. Understanding these distinctions supports precise communication, responsible professional practice, and informed decision-making within medical, therapeutic, and educational environments.