Tango in times of pandemic
- Thread starter rafaelomondini
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Tango Distance
Well-Known Member
A tango friend sent me a great joke. It said something like: "The CDC is urging avoidance of crowds, keeping 2 m away from others, staying home...
Introverts of the worlds are rejoicing!"
Here's a Tango Distance try at a top 10 list:
This time and your sadness at a lack of dances will be a good thing to remember when you see that lady sitting for her 4th tanda. (BTW I aim that at myself, too, I was hurtful to others when I started and it took a while to learn it doesn't cost much to spread some joy. I am pretty good about asking everyone, but still have my imperfect times.)
Introverts of the worlds are rejoicing!"
Amazing that someone would go to a dance at all if they were afraid of germs! FWIW, I went to a Milonga in a large U.S. city in mid February. It was at capacity, and I estimate half the ladies were Asian. They seemed to be having no trouble getting asked.
Here's a Tango Distance try at a top 10 list:
- Live long and prosper will become a common greeting
- The social impact will last a long time
- There will be a bump in the birth rate
- Masks will be more fashionable
- Some form of cell phone to cell phone dance app will be available
- Dance Dance Revolution sales will explode
- People will seriously consider the thought of dance robots; you could dance with your robot, dancing "with" someone far way dancing with their robot
- The low latency and high bandwidth of 5G will be an enabling technology for this dance revolution
- Will Tango numbers take a permanent hit? (I can make arguments both ways)
- ?? Feel free to add to my list
This time and your sadness at a lack of dances will be a good thing to remember when you see that lady sitting for her 4th tanda. (BTW I aim that at myself, too, I was hurtful to others when I started and it took a while to learn it doesn't cost much to spread some joy. I am pretty good about asking everyone, but still have my imperfect times.)
Tango Distance
Well-Known Member
It's more common than you might think. One example is shy vs. introvert/extrovert. You can be any mix: A shy extrovert really wants interaction but it is painful to go after it. I am not shy but very introverted...tangodistance, your avatar
it's true, my introvert friends are suffering less than the extrovert ones..
me, i crave physical closeness , but keep inner distance - what's that about ??
virtual hug
x
I think women are better at the "a hug is just a hug, a dance is just a dance" kind of thing.
People you think are very outgoing, warm, and friendly are actually shy but are doing their best to be friendly. There are autistic and very introvert comedians. I read it is common for introverts to have a persona -- they will put it on to interact. I do a fair amount of presentations. I don't know where it comes from, but I speak at a good pace and have quick answers. One-on-one, I talk slowly, pause alot, and have to think before I answer, go figure... but then I can quickly fire off a joke that gets 1 or many people laughing.
Thanks for the virtual hug (even saying that is real progress for the TD, no way I would have said that 5 years ago!), hopefully we can soon get past the stage where anything beyond "Live long and prosper!" is dangerous.
BTW, no joke, early on I tried the "Live Long and Prosper" thing to forestall hugs early in my Tango. It didn't catch on, but I can't help but wonder if others aren't thinking TTanguero's thoughts about how I was ready for Coronavirus 5 years ahead of the fact!
TTanguero
Forum Master
I’m a very sociable introvert who loves close embrace. 
The best definition I’ve seen is this. Both introverts and extroverts can be sociable. An extrovert is energised by socialising - needs it. For an introvert, socialising is an expenditure of energy. It can be hugely enjoyable, can be a need, but they then need alone time to recover their energy. That’s me.
The best definition I’ve seen is this. Both introverts and extroverts can be sociable. An extrovert is energised by socialising - needs it. For an introvert, socialising is an expenditure of energy. It can be hugely enjoyable, can be a need, but they then need alone time to recover their energy. That’s me.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
I'm definitely an extrovert!
To have the energy to get through the day, I need people (including those who kiss cheeks, hug, etc.) and – dare I admit it? – a bit of noise. "Quiet and solitary" doesn't work well for me. Consequently, working from home full-time has an erosive effect on my psyche . . . to which tango is (normally) the antidote. I go to the milonga to catch up with friends and acquaintances, to joke and chat, to hug my favorite people (even those I don't dance with), and to dance not just with the person in front of me, but also with all the other couples on the floor. I often dance for hours at a time, with 10, 15, or more partners in succession, and with only one or two breaks (thanks, OTV!).
Without tango, the balance is off.
While I live with my life and dance partner, her job involves dealing with the needs of the solitary elderly (and I admire that greatly!), which means she's being worked off her feet in the current climate. Plus she has a serious neurological illness whose main visible symptom is fatigue, even at the best of times. These aren't "the best of times," and she's dead tired. Thus, while "dance at home" might sound like an obvious solution, the reality is more nuanced.
As for shy vs. not shy: I am a very shy extrovert. That's another reason why I adore tango! After I muster the courage to break the ice with a member of my local tango community (which often takes months), they're "my people," not strangers, and the shyness evaporates. I see them weekly, year in, year out. And in their presence, my shyness diminishes and I'm able to invite newcomers and tourists. Yet if you met me in any other context, you might mistake me for an introvert.
Once the shyness melts away, though, I'm not just a hugging extrovert who keeps little physical distance if I think the other person is comfortable with that (I assess that first and try very hard not to make people uncomfortable), but also a verbal extrovert with no secrets. I maintain very little emotional or intellectual distance if I get the impression that the person with whom I'm speaking would appreciate sharing.
The Internet isn't the right place to judge these things, of course. Here, we're all much less shy (because we're invisible to one another, often anonymous, and typing away in our private caves), and much more extroverted (or why would we seek to discuss, debate, and bicker with strangers day in, day out?). In my case, because I write and edit books for a living, I'm in my element. I can dash off a few hundred or a few thousand words before my coffee gets cold.
But it sure isn't tango.
To have the energy to get through the day, I need people (including those who kiss cheeks, hug, etc.) and – dare I admit it? – a bit of noise. "Quiet and solitary" doesn't work well for me. Consequently, working from home full-time has an erosive effect on my psyche . . . to which tango is (normally) the antidote. I go to the milonga to catch up with friends and acquaintances, to joke and chat, to hug my favorite people (even those I don't dance with), and to dance not just with the person in front of me, but also with all the other couples on the floor. I often dance for hours at a time, with 10, 15, or more partners in succession, and with only one or two breaks (thanks, OTV!).
Without tango, the balance is off.
While I live with my life and dance partner, her job involves dealing with the needs of the solitary elderly (and I admire that greatly!), which means she's being worked off her feet in the current climate. Plus she has a serious neurological illness whose main visible symptom is fatigue, even at the best of times. These aren't "the best of times," and she's dead tired. Thus, while "dance at home" might sound like an obvious solution, the reality is more nuanced.
As for shy vs. not shy: I am a very shy extrovert. That's another reason why I adore tango! After I muster the courage to break the ice with a member of my local tango community (which often takes months), they're "my people," not strangers, and the shyness evaporates. I see them weekly, year in, year out. And in their presence, my shyness diminishes and I'm able to invite newcomers and tourists. Yet if you met me in any other context, you might mistake me for an introvert.
Once the shyness melts away, though, I'm not just a hugging extrovert who keeps little physical distance if I think the other person is comfortable with that (I assess that first and try very hard not to make people uncomfortable), but also a verbal extrovert with no secrets. I maintain very little emotional or intellectual distance if I get the impression that the person with whom I'm speaking would appreciate sharing.
The Internet isn't the right place to judge these things, of course. Here, we're all much less shy (because we're invisible to one another, often anonymous, and typing away in our private caves), and much more extroverted (or why would we seek to discuss, debate, and bicker with strangers day in, day out?). In my case, because I write and edit books for a living, I'm in my element. I can dash off a few hundred or a few thousand words before my coffee gets cold.
But it sure isn't tango.
TTanguero
Forum Master
Or not. Sometimes you find you've been unknowingly having wonderful dances with someone else from here.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
Fantastic! I hope for that to be true for me one of these days. I haven't exactly hidden who I am, and I'm good at figuring out who other people are, but I've yet to see any sign that anyone from my neck of the woods participates on these forums.Or not. Sometimes you find you've been unknowingly having wonderful dances with someone else from here.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
That's me as well. I do love to socialize but need a LOT of time alone as well. Most of my socializing has always been one-on-one. I'm also someone who thrives on physical closeness. The absence tango is an enormous loss for me. I keep hoping it comes back sooner rather than later because the prognostics here are not very good.
can't think who you meanOr not. Sometimes you find you've been unknowingly having wonderful dances with someone else from here.
love you t'tangero!!
opendoor
Forum Master
It is so interesting how different our approaches are. I actually miss my local milongas, I miss the attention, the courtesy, the besitos, glances. I miss to be greeted, to walk past the tables and to say a word to everyone. Currently I can dance at least 4-5 tandas, so bathing in the crowd was my elixir.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
I like that as well, I simply meant my preferred interactions are generally one-on-one. I like in-depth rather than in-extenso.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
Yes, it's difficult . . . especially as, while we all share a love for a dance and its music, we live all over the globe. Things aren't the same the next city over, never mind the next country over, never mind on another continent. We're all doing our best to work together, but a crisis inevitably underlines the differences between cultures and countries.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
(And I'd be happy to be-Friend anybody who wants to have another tanguero with whom to exchange photographs of the spring outdoors, etc.)