Solvitur Ambulando: An Embodied Experience of Argentine Tango

Abstract

This study examined the lived embodied experience of Argentine Tango as it pertains to habitual patterns of interpersonal relating. An interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) was adopted to investigate how six participants made sense of their embodied experiences. Semi-structured in-depth interviews focused on dance encounters and one-of-a-kind moments related to the phenomenon. The intersubjective experience formed between dance partners revealed pivotal moments of dyadic interplay and results indicate dance dyads operate in a similar manner to the therapeutic relationship or the dyad created between analyst and analysand. Findings demonstrated that Argentine Tango exhibited an innate ability to uncover implicit material in regards to four themes: Interpersonal relating, embodied articulation, polarization, and transformation. Data suggests this dance can be utilized as a tool to facilitate awareness of habitual patterns of interpersonal relating and can provide opportunities for new ways of relational engagement both on and off the dance floor.