I discovered Argentine Tango during my undergraduate studies and it has been an important part of my life ever since. Often confused for its flashy relative, ballroom tango, it is primarily a social dance now embedded in almost every corner of the world. Argentine tango is danced in a sustained close embrace which permits a unique kind of somatic communication and immersion in the music.
During my PhD studies, I taught tango classes with Matias Guiñazú and found great joy in catalysing the students’ discovery of the tango feeling.
In 2019, I got the opportunity to teach tango classes for patients affected by Parkinson’s disease at the university hospital in Göttingen. The benefits of adding Argentine tango to the standard therapy plan for Parkinson’s patients were proven to be significant [1], and witnessing this process first hand was an invaluable experience.
[1] Lötzke D, Ostermann T, Büssing A (2015) BMC Neurol 15(1)
Photo by Tangotaverne e.V.