by Alice Whitaker

Created on: November 21, 2008   Last Updated: November 22, 2008

A dance as fiery, passionate and sensual as the tango demands that a woman at times lead and at times be led. Men came to the seaport cities and towns of South America to find their fame and fortune in the late 1800s. To rid them of the tension of being away from home and to unwind, the tango, which was a fusion of the African and European cultures easily, became accepted. Initially, there were more men than women in these areas and men often danced together. Women came into the mix when the dance was moved into the dance halls, bars and brothels. There is a story that a woman would choose her client for the evening by his dancing skill and he had three chances to impress. There is no doubt that the tango became sexual when women began dancing with the men. Although, never stated, I'm sure there was probably more than one occasion when a woman was leading.

It must be remembered that during this time in history it was against the social morals of the day for decent men and women to embrace during a dance. It was barely permissible for a man to even touch a woman when dancing. The tango broke all of the rules. It was obscene in no uncertain terms. Men and women not only engaged in seductive embraces but intricate dance steps even entwining their legs. The tango involved pillow talk, whispered in the ear, on the dance floor along with caresses and flirtation. Because the women dancing did not meet the socially acceptable standards, they no doubt initiated a good deal of the interaction on the dance floor to bring their partner to that exciting climax that would come later or perhaps not.

Today, the tango is as sensually charged as it was when created. It is still a dance where anything goes and there are no social restrictions. Oddities in other dances, don't apply in the tango. It is not unusual to find an older woman dancing with a younger man, a full figured woman with a slender guy or a man shorter than his dancing partner. In a dance where oddities are not out of place, there is no shame in a woman taking the lead. This is such a free spirited dance that it almost demands she do so if she chooses. The tango was born out of a time when lost souls were trying to find a connection, to express themselves in a way that was socially suppressed in much of the civilized world. It didn't matter at that time if women took the lead and it certainly doesn't matter today when women take the lead in so many areas of our life. Why can't a woman do so on the floor, especially when it doesn't take anything away from the dance?

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