Why I Dance Tango

I always find it interesting to hear the reasons why people dance tango. Sharing this blog post by a tango blogger, based in Hawaii, on why he is 'insanely focused on Tango'. For some it is all about the connection - the embrace, for others it is the Golden Era music that draws them in. And for others it's about the steps, the kicks and the flicks.

Why I dance Tango

Posted in Milonga Del 126 on 13/9/2010

I love the music

Argentine Tango is a way of life for thousands of devoted dancers. My entire life is planned around returning to the mecca for Tango dancers Buenos Aires, Argentina. I started out as a curious neophyte learning basic steps and patterns. After awhile, I walked away from Tango, because the women at the Milongas seemed arrogant and unfriendly, probably because I hadn’t reached the level of expertise needed to satisfy their desire to express themselves creatively. I returned to Tango a couple of years later and this time it became my life’s calling, something I am compelled to do, I am now insanely focused on Tango.

I was recently asked what it is about Tango that appeals to me. There are many reasons, but the first one that popped into my head was the music. What is it about this music that is so captivating? For me listening to Tango music creates a cerebral massage, it penetrates my entire being; it seems to induce the release of endorphins in my brain giving me a euphoric feeling.

source: http://dillight.com

I don’t have the nostalgic memories attached to Tango that a Argentine dancer does, but I can imagine what that must feel like. While shopping at a Buenos Aires market, I heard the song Light My Fire by the Doors, a song the brings back extremely strong emotions of days gone by, and I was able to sing along and step to the music with memories of the good old days. Not the same as having parents and grandparents listening to and singing Tango in your childhood, but I understand how music heard during childhood has a way of invoking unexpected emotions.

source: http://s3.amazon

I am beginning to develop emotional ties to the songs. For instance, on my 2010 Tango adventure in Buenos Aires, my dance partner and I went to her mother’s home and gave a tango performance. Her mother’s CD player was not able to play my mp3 formatted CD, so we danced to a CD mom had by Osvaldo Fresedo. The first song we danced to was the very popular Vida Mia. Now whenever I hear that song, I have fond memories of my dance partner and her mother. It so happens that I have Vida Mia on the audio tape that I play over and over in my car.

source: http://rymimg.com

“Tango is not just a combination of pretty steps… it is a bouquet of human emotions - passion, anger, happiness, desire, lust, jealousy, love… interpreted uniquely by each individual person… and expressed on the dance floor.” - Vladimir Estrin

This quote was taken off of the Santa Monica, California Milonga web site: 

http://www.divomilonga.com - On the Road to Buenos Aires and sums up the range of emotions that I feel while listening to Tango music.

The writer, picture above lives in Maui, Hawaii and named his blog 'Milonga Del 126' after the bus route between the his lodgings in Buenos Aires and his favorite milongas.