Some pundits likened President Obama’s dancing the tango during a state dinner in Argentina, when terrorists were killing people in Brussels, to Nero “fiddling” while Rome burned. But we believe that his dance performance, when coupled with his visit to Cuba, was an important step (no pun intended) in showing his solidarity between the U.S. and Latin America. Obama has generally shown that he is a good sport. And the tango is the Number One tourist attraction in Argentina, so to the Argentines the fact that he gave a decent account of himself on the dance floor can only help the relationship between the two countries.

Argentine tango is a challenging dance. It is unlike the American social version or the International competition version, and tangueros often dance only the tango. The place or event where they dance is a milonga, and milongas are found around the world. A few years ago, Wilddancer was traveling in Seoul, Korea in the evening, and when the taxi rounded a corner, he saw a whole group of tangueros dancing outdoors in a vacant lot.