The longer I dance, the more I become attracted to the basic elements of connection…
walking in unison,
holding my partner in a supportive embrace.
hand holding hand,
hand on shoulder or back,
cheek touching.
We don’t do this – much. Not in our culture.
Touch, I mean.
We have rules and prescriptions against
inappropriate touching, abusive touching, unprofessional touching,
But what encouragement or direction do we get for
appropriate touch,
pleasurable touch,
nurturing touch?
What does that look like? What does that feel like? How do I know when I have it right?
ENTER TANGO
Tango is a practica par-excellence about how to touch and maintain physical contact with someone other than your intimate partner, in a pleasurable, non-sexual, socially appropriate manner.
We need this!
Men seldom touch men outside of sports. Men and women seldom touch without it evoking a romantic or sexual overlay. Seniors waste away in institutions without so much as a pet to warm their laps. O
Our techie generation spends more time touching keyboards than something tactile or responsive. We take virtual vacations. W
We live in sanitized, thermostatically controlled worlds. Indeed we are more concerned about the risks of germ transmission through touch than of the atrophy of the human spirit when we don’t.
In tango – we touch!
(That has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? It should be posted on Argentine currency.)
For a deliciously rich exploration of touch and Tango, check out Dimitris Bronowski, Hug and Let Go: Poems of Argentine Tango, available on-line.