Tango is not only a fascinating dance but also a fascinating philosophy, culture and lifestyle. The search of tango is the search of connection, love, fellowship, unity, harmony and beauty, i.e., an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us into individuals, but tango unites us into a team, community and species. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, Democrats, Republicans, etc., but interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. Tango calls us to tear down the walls, to build bridges, and to regain humanity through affinity, altruism, cooperation, and accommodation. It is a dance that teaches the world to love.



December 16, 2014

The Freedom in Tango


The freedom in tango is not the freedom of the part in the lower sense, but the freedom of the whole in the higher sense. (See The Spirit of Tango.)

In America, many people think of freedom as such: Each individual person is a sovereign being with certain unalienable rights granted to him/her by the Creator, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Since self-interest is the driving force of the individual, competition with others is justified. American law promotes and protects competetion. Education is designed to improve the individual's chance to win competition. Economics uses competition to stimulate growth, disregarding that natural resources are shared by all people and need to be used prudently and wisely, the cooperation among people, and the fair distribution of wealth. The political system of America is built on partisanship, in which politicians are mainly engaged in partisan fights rather than serving the people, causing many social problems such as poverty, homelessness, drug, gun proliferation, unaffordable healthcare, failed public education, crumbled infrastructure etc. to remain unresolved for decades.

This civilization, based on self-interest, competition, predatory development and irrational consumption, now is facing grave crisis. On the one hand is the unchecked greed, on the other is the depleting natural resources. On the one hand is the extravagant lifestyle and tremendous waste, on the other is the deteriorating environment. On the one hand is the surge in GDP, on the other is the increasing inequality. On the one hand is the exorbitant wealth of a few, on the other is the struggles of many. Obviously, the theoretical foundation of our civilization has serious flaws. It does not give enough consideration on fairness, coexistence, equality, cooperation and sharing. It has created a tiny minority of winners and a vast maority of losers. (See Tango Is the Search of a Dream.)

The Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

It seems to me that we need to take a long hard look at these words. Do we understand their meaning truthfully? Should we decide to change the foundation upon which our society is meant to be built? Because it turns out, the individualistic interpretation of the Constitution has not brought, nor will it bring the safety and happiness that most people are seeking for. (See Tango and Equality.)

When tango was imported, few Americans realized that a new idea was introduced. In contrast to individualism, tango does not see individuals as independent, self-interested and autonomous beings but interconnected, interrelated and interdependent members of society with shared common interests. Without other human beings an individual alone is crippled regardless of how important he/she is from his/her own perspective. (See Tango and Individualism.) In tango, dancers can only perform well when they cooperate with each other, and only in that cooperation can each person enjoy the maximum joy. The success, therefore, is not that of any single individual alone, but that of the team as a whole. The individuals are not in a relationship of competition, control, power struggle or taking advantage of each other, but surrender, submission, collaboration, accommodation and complement. (See A Dance that teaches People to Love.)

Resting in his arms, entrusting herself to him, feeling his masculine strength, sharing his emotions and feelings, enjoying his protection, following him freely without worry, moving in harmony with him, and letting her femininity and beauty reveal to meet and attract him, these to the woman mean pleasure, security and realization of her value as a woman. On the other hand, being with her, winning her trust, enjoying her obedience, affection and seduction, feeling her feminine body twisting in his arms, pampering her, protecting her and displaying her beauty, these to the man mean pleasure, comfort and realization of his value as a man. Tango brings men and women to their original state where the two sexes are in a destined fellowship, where there is no calculation of gains and losses, no exchange of money and power, no self-interest and worldly concerns, only the simple pleasure and satisfaction of being with each other, and where all Esmeraldas and Quasimodos enjoy the same dignity and respect as the nobility.

The appeal of tango comes from its shared intimacy, connection, unity, and cooperation. Radical ideologies such as individualism, feminism, neoliberalism and power politics are antithetical to tango. What is regarded virtuous in tango is love, fraternity, submission, kindness and collaboration. Although tango is not an economic activity, as an act of cooperation its joy is shared. This principle can be extended to other areas of life as well. What is not based on self-interest does not submit to the control of the invisible hand of capital and greed. We can logically infer that wealth, too, can be distributed fairly to allow all who have participated in its creation to share, rather than being hogged by a few. Just like the victory of a sports team is resulted from the cooperation of the players, so the honor is given to all team members rather than just the one who scored. Shareholding, therefore, seems to be a better way of distributing wealth than minimum wages. (See Mammonism.)

How we see ourselves decides how we organize our political, economic, social and cultural lives. Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, "Man is born free, yet everywhere he is in chains." We created our own chains. We must also be unchained by ourselves. Unfortunately, our civilization has not yet evolved to that stage, I am afraid, as attested again by the recent reports on tortures, etc. To be a free people, we must first understand what that means. There is still a long way before we truly gain freedom - one that is stated in our Constitution. I can only hope that tango will help to gear up that process. (See The World Needs a Different Philosophy.)