The Airplane Ride and the Tango Ride

Air travel, tango (and sex) all have three critical elements in common:

• The Takeoff
• The Ride
• The Landing

The first and last are the critical elements. The ride in the middle should not be bumpy (for air travel and tango, at least), but the takeoff and landing are essential for all three.  :-)

The flight to heaven is about to begin...

Seats and tray tables are in the upright position!

Tango's smooth "United" ride

During the cortina the DJ Tower is signaling to pay attention as the the milonga's landing strip clears away for the next flight. Non-tango music is a signal to clear out. The "runway" should be clear so others can catch the eye of other "passengers."  Don't stay on the landing strip! Some DJ's won't start another tanda until all are off the floor.

Chatty friends should respect that others are sitting up and looking for a chance to fly the friendly skies of United.  I find it strange that those not putting their seats and posture in the "upright position" sometimes complain that they keep missing the flight.

Listen to the "Control Tower"
The "control tower" in tango is the orchestra, the music.  Sometimes the roar of the crowd makes it hard to hear the commands from the Tower at takeoff. Talk all you want, but ladies and gentlemen:  Respect the orchestra, and please, don't talk while dancing. No one will die with a bad landing caused by the distraction of chatter, but I love the smooth tandem work of a good landing.

Now that you have landed...
Don't take off your seat belt until the DJ pilot turns off the seatbelt sign.  It's not often but it is weird when your flight partner is already up and taking the luggage out of the storage bin at the moment the music stops. If things went as they should with the three main elements, that means that we just landed safely in Nirvana. Let's make a little sigh together about the miracle of dance.

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