The Gender Expression in Tango

Unlike in the US where gender expression is deemed politically incorrect, in Argentina it is a cultural emblem, which is evident in many aspects of their lives and particularly in their dance.*

In chacarera, for example, the man deliberately demonstrates his masculinity, as saying to the woman, "Look how strong and brave I am!" And the woman deliberately displays her femininity, as asking the man, "Don't you like my suppleness and beauty?"

Such unconcealed gender expression is evident in their tango also.

For Argentinians, male strength and female beauty are positive qualities that the opposite sexes use to allure each other. Masculinity and femininity are gender traits resulted from millions of years of evolution, allowing the human species to sustain and flourish. Opposite, different, mutually attractive, interdependent and complementary, men and women are created for each other. From their union comes children, family, society, and moral principles that hold the family and society together, such as love, teamwork, role play, cooperation and agreement. The sustenance, stability and harmony of society would be impossible if the two sexes do not attract each other and love each other. Therefore, gender expression is not a sign of gender inequality or sexist display, as feminists claim. Rather, it is a binding force that unites the two sexes and strengthens the society (see Tango and Interdepence between the Sexes).

Feminists only think of men and women as independent individuals with conflicting self-interest, but fail to see them as a team in which the two sexes rely on, need, and complement each other. The feminist proposition that "the history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man towards woman" is a rabid and false argument. Human history is not a history of gender animosity. All men are sons of their mothers and brothers of their sisters, and all women are daughters of their fathers and sisters of their brothers, who love each other by nature. In fact, for a period much longer than the recorded history the human societies are matriarchal, and the love between the two sexes has been documented throughout the recorded history as well. While inequity is a fact of life, it is more a socioeconomic phenomenon than a sex issue (see Mammonism), and the solution to that is not to repudiate gender differences, gender roles and gender expression, or to incite hatred and animosity, masculinize women, imitate men, reverse roles, assert women's independence, women's emancipation from family and women's self-reliance -- even in their sex life, and promote lesbianism and same-sex marriage, etc. The attempt to uproot and reconstruct the world according to radical ideas never has made the world better, as attested by the disastrous consequences we are facing now, because such wishful thinking conflicts with human nature (see Tango and Gender Issues).

"If we want to achieve the perfect degree of human nature, or at least close to this level of perfection, then all rules and regulations of mankind should be adapted to human nature. Because experiences prove that we cannot use rules and regulations to bind human nature without destroying their happiness. The attempt to obey rules and regulations that contradict human nature is the main source of human suffering. Any attempt to promote human wellness will not have any result until there is no radical reform in this respect." - On Human Happiness by John Gray

The true solution to gender equality and harmony is to embrace gender differences, gender roles, gender expressions, love and cooperation, which is nature's way to unite the two sexes in contradistinction to the arbitrary culture of individualism, feminism, antagonism, hatred and power politics. Thanks to tango we have a living testimony of how nature works. "Tango is based on the ideas that men and women are interdependent rather than independent, that masculinity and femininity complement each other rather than un-equalize the two sexes, that being a masculine male and a feminine female is attractive, beneficial and desirable, that the harmony of the two genders is arrived at through mutual respect, submission, accommodation and cooperation rather than antagonism, animosity, confrontation and power struggle, and that love triumphs over hostility. While individualism and feminism focus on the individuality and independence of the individual person or gender, tango focuses on the oneness and harmony of their union. It asks us to be friendly, submissive, humble, adaptive, cooperative, agreeable and yielding. Tango proves that the two sexes can form a harmonious relationship by conforming to these values. Despite the challenges that tango faces in the West, it continues to have a positive impact on our lives, because unless we adopt these values, we are unable to fully enjoy the dance and the relationship with the opposite sex (see Femininity and Feminism in Tango (II))."

Gender expression is crucial in tango also because tango is inherently a heterosexual rather than a homosexual dance, characterized by the integration and interaction of contrasting elements, with each gender brings a unique quality that complements the other. Tango music mirrors this duality, with a rhythm that is masculine - robust, steady, forceful, and predictable, and a melody that is feminine - soft, emotional, moody, and beautiful. The two contrasting moods interplay fluidly, reflecting the dynamics of the two sexes. In tango, the man and the woman are akin to different instruments, each producing a distinct sound and emotion. One is like the bandoneon, the other the violin; one is the passion of the drums, the other the beauty of the melody; one is philosophy, the other poem... Both are indispensable and irreplaceable, and they must complement and collaborate harmoniously in order to create a beautiful dance (see The Characteristics of Classic Tango). The attempt to make tango a homosexual or gender-neutral dance would only nip the vitality of tango because without gender difference and gender expression, tango will lose its richness, beauty and charm.

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*I was dancing at Club Gricel and suddenly my partner uttered a scream. She was struck by someone. As I wondered how that could happen, the man of the couple who clashed with us said something reproachful to me, like a male goose protecting his female partner. Perhaps it was my fault, I apologized. We moved on and forgot about the incident. On my way out of the venue, I was approached by that man, who appparently was there waiting for me. He shaked my hand and said he wanted to apolagize because it was his fault. The man had to be virile in front of his woman, but privately he admitted his mistake. That was an Argentine man, not flawless but good in nature. I had no problem to forgive his being manly.