Tango by the River

               In the course of my tango education I’ve discovered that tango dancing is best done outdoors. Fresh air makes everything taste better! Add a clean, free-flowing river to that equation and you have all the ingredients necessary for a direct transition to Nirvana.

               In my life, I’ve had the chance to do this three times and I am happy to say that it seems I’ve saved the best for last.

               My first outdoor tango experience was in Quebec City, during their Founder’s Day celebration, July 3, 2008, in Bassin Louise. The city put on a huge display of holographic images depicting the city’s birth and history, projected onto tall factory buildings next to the Saint Lawrence River.

               There were many fantastic scenes of whales spouting plumes of seemingly real water and groups of dolphins jumping in unison. A young lady I met at a workshop took me down there and we practiced volcadas to the music as we walked along the pier. We kept the lesson platonic but I was infatuated with her for weeks.

               The next experience was along another river on an uneven shoreline. Even on the irregular surface we managed to have a couple of tandas of great dances that I still remember to this day.

               I’ve danced twice at the Gazebo in Durango, next to the Animas River, and both times have been great. It is almost impossible not to hear the rapids over the tango music. A whitewater river guide and river runner for over thirty years, I must admit that I am biased towards settings with flowing water in the background.

               I encourage any milonguero, if they haven’t tried it already, to find a place outdoors and give tango a whirl. You may not be so partial to rivers but you may have a particular inclination towards other natural phenomenon, e.g. the wind blowing or sunsets. Whatever your predisposition, get outside and start dancing, you’re going to have the time of your life.

(For a more in-depth looking into the mind of the Kayak Hombre and his thoughts on tango, buy his book: River Tango, now available on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/River-Tango-perri-iezzoni/dp/1453865527 )