Sex, Culture, and Continuous Tandas

*Note: for some of the non-tango dancers who may be reading this blog, a tanda is a set of songs, usually played by the same orchestra, ranging from about 3-5 songs each (usually 4).

I was chatting with a friend in Taiwan at the milonga last night, and we talked about the concept of continuous tandas.

I've mostly danced in North America, so I'm accustomed to dancing multiple tandas with people I really enjoy dancing with. Even if I have intense feelings on the dance floor, I'm able to shut off as I leave the dance floor. My Taiwanese friend, however, noted that if someone dances many tandas in a row, there is definitely "something" going on.

I explained that I did it all the time. He was surprised. Surely they hit on you? Nope. There was often some mild flirtation, but nobody ever expected to take me home just because they danced with me for many tandas. Anything remotely close to a tango relationship I had always blossomed off of the dance floor, through meals, hanging out (in a non-tango setting), chatting...

I've never been to Argentina, but I hear that the culture there is rather different (or perhaps even similar to Taiwan). Friends tell me that multiple tandas = coffee, and coffee = bed.

A good dance connection CAN lead to hanging out, which *may* blossom into something else, but this means that you were compatible in the first place, outside of the context of dancing.

When I was in my first ever tango class and was in the same class as a gorgeous charismatic young man. On the first day I gladly rotated to him. By the end of the class I was trying to avoid him. He stepped on my toes too much and didn't care about tango as much as he cared about flirting.

My theory is that tango nerds often find other tango nerds wildly attractive. Those who invest a lot of time on the dance and music (and not necessarily sex) get an advantage. They'll also (in North America) dance more continuous tandas. But for me (and most North American dancers), multiple tandas only mean that I really enjoy dancing with someone. And I enjoy dancing with their personalities. (There are a few decent dancers I refuse to dance with because they're not nice people).