Me, Myself, and I. Anonymous

Most people would say that walking backwards through life would make no sense, and in most cases I would agree. When I dance tango, however, walking backwards not only makes complete sense but also feels like the best way to get to where I want to go. The man may traditionally take on the ‘leader’ role in this passionate dance, but as the ‘follower’, I complete the team but I also seize every opportunity to decorate the ‘pasos’ the leader indicates to me, meaning that I direct the style and execution of the basic steps.

People often ask me why I love to dance tango. I answer that in addition to being a physical activity in which I excel, each step of a tango reflects a stride I have taken in my life. One of the basic tango moves, the woman crosses her feet in order to adapt to her partner's change in pace. I think that one of my strengths is the ability to adapt to new situations, which I have done in multiple international settings, both work-related and educational.

The ‘gancho’, or hook, is a tango step in which the woman has a moment to embellish, briefly hooking the man’s leg with hers before returning to the backwards walk. If my goals literally involved hooking men, I probably would not be writing this essay. Instead,...