Abstract

The paper has its starting point in the following question: how does Argentine tango generate a form of attraction that verges on addiction? By relying on Bourdieu and Bauman and by looking, respectively, at tango's bodywork, at the peculiar rotation among dancers in the milonga (tango's social outlet) and at its focus on creative improvisation, I discard a series of possible explanations of tango's grip and success (sexual attraction and relational consumption) and conclude that tango generates a peculiar form of social tie: at the same time strong (given the emotionally intimate involvement and the aesthetic commitment within the couple) and weak (given the short duration of the encounter and the lack of normative obligations it produces), a tie that represents an alternative to our interest in creating exclusive bonds with single persons.