Evidently there are many factors, but to begin with, let's start with a few factors.
You can see the difference even when dancers are just-standing and are not even dancing yet. Some already look stronger when just standing.
The difference that you can see when they are not moving; it's the presence (or lack of).
The presence can be determined by physical appearance (especially body type and posture) and by mental or spiritual attitude (confidence, mood they project).
What they are doing while they are not dancing also is a part of the presence. Doing something relevant (e.g. listening to the music, looking at the partner, getting ready to dance) gives off a better impression than doing something non-relevant to the following dance (paying attention only to self, fixing clothes, looking at cell phone, waiving at someone else, looking like eager puppy, etc).
In other words, you can work on these; Body type, posture, attitude, and what you do before dance.
Next factor is what you do. It is a part of your knowledge about the dance. For now I skip discussing this in detail, because it will take longer than a blog entry.
Another factor is how you move. And it has a lot to do with correct body alignment and preparation for the motion.
As Tango being a stage dance with 100 years of history, it makes better sense to view Tango as a traditional dance, much like ballet or ballroom dance. A character of traditional dance is that there are established and aesthetically pleasing ways in the body usage in the dance. You want to learn that.
Tango is a smooth dance, and the lead-follow relies heavily on working with basic body structure, balancing with axis, and good alignment of parts of the body.
When you look at someone dancing Tango, you can see how good (or not) they are, and how well they move. The difference is often because of the body alignment.
Body alignment shows whether the dancer has done necessary preparation (collect feet, pivot in such a way that next step is done straightforwardly instead of trying or twisting body in an uncomfortable-looking manner, or stretching the leg to form a nice-looking line, etc).
In other words, you got to pay attention to details and practice them until your body alignment is good. That is another workable factor.
In my view, a major part of "looking good in Tango" is not about psyched up and try hard, nor about whether you are "talented" or "feeling deeply" (there are plenty of awkward-looking dancers who feel deeply). Certainly, being young and pretty can give you an edge in the looks division, but above that, it is about built up skills, which are cultivated by painstaking repetition and drills. Tango is as sophisticated as ballet or boxing. It is an art.
Stage-level dancers are like musicians. Conveying good dance to others, not only with immediate partner (aka social dance), takes skills to project dance to the viewers. Visuals play an important role in it.
It is a misconception that throwing partner around is Stage Tango. Nope. Burning more calories does not necessarily make you look skilled.
Since it is an art, it is very workable. "Work" means that you need to know what to do, and do it many times enough for your body to remember and perform without your brain thinking.
It is this simple.
It may be common sense to some. But common sense is not commonly practiced. You need to preach it.
I came across a video that shows good example of what I meant by "alignment". Check it out.
"Tango Instructional video. Boleos by Vanessa Gauch"
[Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with production of this video and all rights belong to the producer(s) of original. I put the link for the purpose of disseminating a good Tango instruction video.]
