Dear Maleva,
I am fairly new to tango, but want to perform. There is a girl who is interested in being my partner, and she is a good dancer, my only concern is our height difference. I am 6' tall and she is 5'3". Do you think I should dance with her?
Thanks,
A Head Above

Dear Head Above,

Usually in dance partnerships, the man is only slightly taller than the woman. Mainly because it is harder to connect properly with someone whose center is much lower than your own, and also because aesthetically it looks better when the couple is in good proportion to each other. Of course, this doesn't necessarily you should immediately rule your friend out.
A couple questions you should ask yourself:

-Most importantly, are you comfortable leading her? I myself am 5'3" and I know certain leaders who are over 6' tall who are expert at leading the littler ladies and who feel absolutely wonderful. However, these leaders have all had many years of experience and dancing with someone much smaller than youself is a skill that does take some time to develop. In the end, what matters most is that you feel good together.

-Visually, will you contrast each other in other ways? i.e. if you are big around the middle as well as tall, and she is skinny as well as short, then I am afraid to say, she may make you look fairly monstrous!

-Can she dance well in 3 1/2" heels???

If you do dance with her, make sure that neither of you breaks one of the cardinal rules of tango, which is: Be Yourself. You must be certain you are not bending over, stooping down, or distorting your posture in other ways to become her height. And, your partner must be true to her own height as well and not dance on her toes to reach up to you, sacrificing her balance and groundedness.