Between 2: Tango as interactive design

Drawing from interactive design theories and the authors’ personal tango experiences in the Twin Cities and Buenos Aires, this paper critically examines tango dancing as a complex social world capable of revealing rich metadata about its physicality, spatiality, constituents, and underlying interactive processes that can be used to inform and invigorate designers’ approach to digital interactivity. By exploring tango’s physical and conceptual elements, parallels and connections with interactive design are identified, demonstrating how such explorations can inspire new perspectives on enhancing digital interactivity, while simultaneously refocusing our understanding of the dynamic, reciprocal relationship between digital worlds and the physical world we inhabit.