10 Points of Common Sense in the Tango World

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We are a community. That means we can help take care of each other. Photo by Andrei Andreev

We are a community. That means we can help take care of each other. Photo by Andrei Andreev

We just want to remind you that while we work very hard at O2 to build a supportive and safe community - and we are proud of the community we have - we encourage you to use common sense as you explore your new Tango connections.

  1. Invest in new friendships before deciding to be alone with someone (walking to car, getting a ride, practicing, etc.). Make sure they are good, trustworthy friends through consistently respectful interactions in groups in a variety of contexts.
  2. Be nice. Don’t be unkind. You’re a member of a community now, which means that unkind, crude, or cruel behavior will be shared and known as we work to protect each other.
  3. Talking with each other to make sense of our personal experiences of interacting with others is an important activity that helps us make sense of the world. Celebrate and share the wonderful things you witness people doing. Spreading hearsay about others - information that is not part of your own personal experience -  is something that should only be undertaken with seriousness, introspection, and consideration.
  4. Just because someone can dance the Tango nicely doesn’t mean they are necessarily someone you want to be alone with. They need to earn your trust, like they would outside of Tango, say, if you met them in a bar.
  5. Just because you can dance the Tango nicely doesn’t mean you are someone that someone should want to be alone with. You need to earn their trust by being cool and together, responsible and sensitive, off the dance floor too.
  6. Drinking can interfere with great Tango. Drinking can make you more vulnerable. If you plan to drink, plan also to stay close to trusted friends throughout the evening.
  7. If someone or something feels “weird” or “off” - either in their dancing or in the way they interact - then do not spend time alone with them.
  8. Tango can be a beautiful way to connect with healthy sensuality and sexual energy, and to meet wonderful friends and partners you might explore the nuances of human relationship with. It can add an incredible dimension to a friendship, flirtation, or relationship. But just because you love someone doesn't mean it will always be easy to Tango with them!
  9. IMHO, the BEST dancers are the NICEST people. Respectful, trustworthy, passionate, caring, sensitive, kind, devoted, loving, consistent, persistent, committed, AND sexy. But, that doesn’t mean that just because you’ve had the nicest dance of YOUR life with someone that they are a saint.
  10. If you have problems, like alcoholism or depression, get help. There are resources out there for you. Get to an Alcoholics Anonymous or a low cost University-based counseling center. Google it. Now! Your healing is your responsibility, and you can do it.

Boundary-setting is not just an issue within Tango, but an issue within society at large. But, because Tango can open people up it might make us more trusting and vulnerable, so we think it’s our job to try and help keep you safe, as much as we can! Love, Oxygen

P.S., Although we hope we never need to, we do have the right to refuse anyone admittance to O2T classes, practicas or milongas.

One Possible Reason Why You’re Not Dancing As Much As You Want

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Fourth Article in It Takes One to Tango Series

by Mitra Martin

Did you ever throw your bicycle at someone because you were mad they didn’t dance with you?
I did.

There was a time in my life when I was one frustrated Tango girl. I thought I was better than I was. Way better. (Still do, haha.)

I would go to festivals and have these amazing, unearthly, peak-experiences which made me think I was a rockstar. And it felt so unjust that weekend after weekend, the nice leaders in my own community would look past my eyes.

Once I had a friend who needed a place to stay, so we offered him the couch for a few days. A nice dancer friend. And so that weekend, we went out to the milonga together. Man, did I want to dance. I was all ready to dance. I was so excited to dance. My body wanted to dance, my mind wanted to dance, my soul wanted to dance. Everything felt like dance.

But, I didn’t dance. I just sat there. Like, the whole damn night.

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Care for the Feet that Keep You Dancing - Part 1 of 3

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Part 1: Footcare Basics

by Diana Devi

My quest to find the right foot care began many years ago. I was dancing ballet; I wanted to dance on point forever. I knew my passion for dance would be life-long so I began educating myself on caring for the feet that would keep me dancing. Fast forward to when I started dancing tango. WOW the heels really made my feet hurt and thus began the second part of my journey for happy healthy feet.

Pain is not normal, no matter where you feel it. If you are experiencing pain, your body is trying to tell you something.

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How To Practice a Tango Movement Sequence With Just Two Legs

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Third Article in It Takes One To Tango Series

by Mitra Martin

So! Here we are! It is our pre-appointed Personal Practice Time, we are wearing our Tango clothes and we have just rocked out to our favorite dance music! Now, as one person with just two legs, two arms and one heart, how on earth are you going to practice actual Tango dance?

Well, actually you are now in a perfect position to practice vocabulary and technique with an extremely good-natured, infinitely patient partner whose dancing is technically perfect and who is also 100% invisible.

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What to Do When you Practice On Your Own, And a Pep-Talk

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Second Article in It Takes One To Tango Series

by Mitra Martin

Now that you have carved out the time and space for your solo Tango practice, what will you do with it? Here are four things I like to do when I practice. The number one excuse for being lame at Tango that people use to hide from the intensity of this dance is “I don’t have a partner.” This is so boring to hear that I don’t want to hear it anymore, and that’s partly why I’m writing this blog.

I’m here to tell you that nobody “HAS” a partner. You CREATE a partner, by BEING a partner. By IMAGINING situations that require partnering. By DOING things on your own that are interesting to other people, who maybe become now-and-again partners and share a part of the journey with you. And the first step in doing that is learning how to engage the dance on your own.

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