Tango

Tango Lessons

Before the pandemic and before I broke my wrist, I was taking tango lessons. Even though I was just a beginner, the tango wove itself into all of my thoughts. I listened to tango music while painting. I experimented with holding a paintbrush and leaning into a painting, as one tango dancer might lean into the other. I held a paintbrush in each hand and imagined the kind of connection between partners where somehow your hips, legs, torso just know where to go with the subtlest of pressure.

When tango dancers are really good, they dance on top of a small table. They seem confined, but they are not trapped. They may be at their free-est.