You move me

Dance with me

Stand with me

While I believe lockdowns and physical distancing have been an unfortunate necessity, the extent to which dance has not received consideration has repeatedly angered and frustrated my partner and me. When society temporarily opened up in the summer of 2020, dance schools were lumped in with gyms and almost never specifically mentioned. We were eventually allowed to open — with so many restrictions it was nearly impossible to run activities or attract people to classes.

To the floor we walk together, then pause a moment

Your arms embrace me, my eyes close and we begin

I feel I know you as you send your rhythm through me

You pull me close and I can feel you from within

Life is short, fragile and unpredictable. So I didn't wait when I needed a haircut or a massage, when I had the chance to teach a class or visit a friend in person, when that book-writing challenge came around, when we had the chance to spend a few days at the lake or in the mountains.

Even though I am one of the lucky ones to have my very own very excellent tango partner, I have never seen tango as a couples’ activity. It’s a social activity. We dance it in couples, but we share it with all our tango friends.

I am all for dancing with beginners, giving newcomers a chance and finding the positive in every dancer. But I lose patience with leaders who think they are better than they are just because they have a decade or more under their belts.