One of the hardest-hit activities of the pandemic has been the Argentine tango. Being such a physically intimate dance puts it among the highest risk activities for spreading infection.
Often described as “walking with style,” tango can be as physical as a couple wishes to make it. Tango events, known as milongas, are a wonderful social outlet. A tanguero can go to almost any major first-world city and instantly find new friends in its tango communities. It is also challenging on an intellectual level, as students of tango strive to master posture, and to walk, lead and follow.
So one can imagine just how much tangueros have missed dancing throughout the pandemic. Guadalajara’s Joel de la O, a former folk dancer and teacher who turned his attention to tango eight years ago, suffered like most others.
“The social dances were suspended, and the return to in-person classes took a long time,” he says. “But other opportunities opened up, such as being able to take virtual classes. I trained with Argentine teachers throughout the pandemic, which has allowed me to continue with my development as a dancer and teacher.”
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