Sustainable Tango is Green Tango

Back in 2010, I wrote about "Green Tango," sustainable tango, a tango healthy for one's body.  How are we doing 16 years later?  Not very well in most of the categories that I had suggested back then.  However, we have made some progress.  Ten years ago, I was met with scepticism from my female friends and some readers about tango shoes and foot care.  Women are more and more wearing nice tango shoes that do not have high heels.  I am curious; please tell me how your Wise Tango is coming along!

18 May 2010

Is your tango sustainable?

"Green-Tango" is taking care of yourself and having a tango community that will last.  "Red-Tango" is a live-for-the-moment tango.

Green Feet: Foot Care for Green Tango
Some tango shoes for women can cripple a woman over time.  Talk to any podiatrist. Green-Tango is devoted to comfortable shoes for women who are currently harming their feet and skeletal systems with high heels.  We all love these shoes, but they represent unsustainable tango.

Green Sleep: The Immune System
Tango usually starts late at night and goes into the night.  Does it have to be that way? Green tango communities have at least some early milongas.  All medical researchers tell us that we need to insist on good sleep.  Good sleep is necessary for healthy bodies, which we need to dance tango in our 90's and beyond.  A person who does not sleep enough is hurting many things, but the most important is their immune system. 

Green Safety:  Social Tango is Safe Tango
Safety on the dance floor keeps people from getting injured.  Sometimes injuries do not stop people from dancing, but out of pain avoidance, dance can be no more fun.  People give up dance if the community is not safe.  The thrill of cool moves and the nightlife, including inebriation, cause danger on the dance floor.  A code of ethics of safe dancing is a necessary part of a green tango community. Unfortunately, too many tango teachers teach little about safety.   The "violence" has typical victims:  Women.  Their bare legs and their exposed feet receive to worst of it.  Teaching boleros, ganchos, sentadas, volcadas, colgadas, etc. needs a bit of instruction about safety for backs and danger to those around you.  Some milongas ban those who are unsafe on the dance floor.

Green Ears
Music positioned at ear level, blasting in one's ear over 100 decibels, creates ear damage.  I always wore hearing protection as a professional drummer.  Always.  Many of my musician friends now have serious hearing loss.  Yes, there is Green Music and Red Music.  The joy of dance will be ruined if you cannot hear it!

Green Tango is Future Tango
Sustainable tango is the dance you dance all of your life because you can--all because of being a Green tanguero or tanguera.


A comment from 2010:
I don't agree that wearing high heels to dance ruins the feet. Many women come to tango after a lifetime of wearing high heels to work and to play, and so already have bunions and other foot problems. If the high heels are used only to dance (and one doesn't dance 14 hours a day unless a stage dancer), then it's sustainable.