Before the pandemic hit, you may have travelled around the world to practice a new language, taste exotic cuisine, and explore untouched landscapes. Others ventured to vast expanses of the earth for one reason only – to discover prime locations to dance Tango.
Tango’s penchant for feelings of absence and nostalgia has always attracted those seeking deep connections with others. It is that aspect that resonates with many and reflects how the majority are feeling today – longing to return to “normal” life.
See also: The Awesome Truth About Solo Travel
So, how have tangueros/as reconnected with their dance partners during the pandemic, how can we recreate a Tango ambiance in our own living rooms, and what are dance communities planning for the future? Let’s jump in.
Wherever your next travel destination, I’d encourage you never to unpack your Tango shoes. See, after you have mastered “conversational Tango” – the beginning steps and rhythm – you’ll be able to find global communities of Tango dancers with whom you can communicate through the non-verbal language of dance.
Tango is famously characterized by its strict codes and etiquette and whether you go to India, China, Turkey, or Buenos Aires, the Tango codigos will be just the same. Even though you and a newly met partner may not necessarily speak the same language nor share similarities in personality or background, you’ll be able to understand each other perfectly. Perhaps you will even fall in love as you learn to communicate through interpreting each other’s micro-gestures and steps.
Tango has gained immense popularity among westerners who would get hooked in their home country, like in Canada, and then travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, the birthplace of Tango, with the specific purpose of refining their dance style. Tango lives in 191 Milongas, or dance venues, in Buenos Aires, where a million people usually come every year, supporting the country’s tourism industry.
However, as a result of tightened restrictions due to the pandemic, Argentina’s annual Tango World Championships were cancelled and tangueros/as have been dancing solo awaiting the embrace of their partners once again.
As a result of Covid-19, Tango dancers have had to be innovative to adapt to a new age where dancing and Milongas couldn’t have been more forbidden. Despite all the restrictions and border closures, tangueros/as have maintained contact with each other through online Zoom classes and have determinedly kept the famous symbol of Argentina’s romantic culture alive. Some couples loved fostering the fantasy of a long-distance Tango partner too.
Tango isn’t dissimilar to learning a language and, as many have taken to Duolingo during the lockdown period, it has also been embraced as an online hobby, spreading Argentine culture across the world. British journalist, Chris Moss, is just one example of how people’s love for Tango is deeply profound. It can quickly progress from being a hobby to being a lifestyle and a philosophy of life.
Why don’t you recreate the atmosphere and vibe of a typical Argentine Milonga in your living room with a selection of Tango classes? It may not feel the same, but with a bottle of Catena Alta Malbec 2016, dimmed lights, a grilled steak, tres leches dessert, and the song Un Tango y Nada Más by Carlos Di Sarli, you’ll be transported away from the reality of the world for a half-hour or so.
So, will there be a surge in Tango dancers globally as we emerge from the pandemic? Yes, and dancers around the world will be reunited.
Since joining the global Tango community, I have heard countless stories of people craving something that they didn’t have in their life, discovering and falling in love with Tango, quitting their jobs, and following Milongas across the world, stopping off even in countries like Greece and Turkey.
This is because Tango is versatile and all-encompassing; some enthusiasts dance Tango to start a journey of self-discovery, to enhance their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing, to explore the logical and mathematical side of Tango, or simply to socialize. Some go just to watch and relish the music… or for the wine.
Those days have not passed. Stay tuned for the return of festivals where famous Tango instructors will gather again to teach hoards of eager students in many locations across the world. Plus, Tango marathons – which are as literal as they sound – will again allow tangueros/as to dance tanda after tanda (a batch of three to five songs with the same partner), from one Milonga to another.
Add Buenos Aires to your bucket list for when the restrictions ease and we can travel once more. Tango usually infiltrates the city’s soul; it is danced in street corners and plazas, and it attracts droves of tourists looking to catch a glimpse of the romanticized dance or to try it out for themselves.
The unifying aspect of Tango has been put on hold during lockdown but it will make a huge comeback. While you wait, be sure to join the multitudes of people learning to dance in their homes through online classes.
