Steve - You essentially described some of the "emotional expressions" that a tango dancer wants to communicate to the audience...showy, sad, passionate, etc. There are indeed different types of tango and based on what you are describing it seems to me that it is an argentine tango. American and international styles are more on the ballroom type having to go around the floor in open or closed positions, respectively, and have that "angry-like" facial expression. Argentine style on the other hand, is danced "cheek to cheek" appearing to be more passionate and does not go around the floor as much. In fact, it can be danced in very small spaces like cafes(milonga?). Argentine becomes showy when the man or woman uses fancy footworks such as adornments(caressing footworks), ganchos (leg hooks), etc. It can be danced without those fancy footwork, just cheek to cheek oblivious of the couples' surroundings. How to approach it? It depends how you want to look like and the emotion you want to experience. When I dance American style I feel like I am a performer and when I dance Argentine style I have the option to be showy or be more privately(unmindful of my surroundings)passionate to my partner. I hope that helps a bit.
