T (Tango) from the Earth Small Happiness series AZ.
This book is a record of the author's introduction to and growth in tango, a companion hobby that has been a great comfort and healing to him. The author even calls tango his soulmate.
Furthermore, this is a report in which the author, a museum curator, explores tango, which is not only a hobby but also a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, from a humanistic perspective.
As the subtitle suggests, "The Best Hobby for a 100-Year Journey Around the World," the author's experience of reflecting on and introspecting on himself through tango in the latter half of his life, and gaining the strength to live again, along with the amazing information about tango in Korea, known as the Buenos Aires of Asia, will serve as a delightful guide for readers who wish to get started with social dancing or are interested in exploring various cultures.

Chapter 3
If the steps are messed up, it's tango.

(Strategy)
The period of learning tango in earnest that followed was like my growth process as a human being.
The more I did it, the more I realized that tango was not such an easy dance.
Compared to the salsa or swing I learned a long time ago, this was almost like learning martial arts.
Even though it was a social dance, it wasn't something you could learn and master quickly.
Just like how soy sauce doesn't suddenly have a deep flavor just because you pickled it.
He said that you need to practice for at least 3-5 years to be able to perform at a milonga.
For me, who was always busy and used to multitasking and fast-tracking, following the subtle readings, stopping or waiting, and repeating the same thing over and over again was no easy task.
So, learning tango required humility and patience as a bonus.
I also had the horrific experience of my tango partner getting annoyed by my poor following and going back to his seat.
Even so, the road to tango was always exciting, like going to meet a lover, and I always missed and longed for tango.
Although it was slow, I was proud to see my tango growing.
And as I moved away from the beginner tango, tango made me look back at myself from the ground up.
A hasty life, a hunched gait, a hunched posture, even a crooked mind... The priorities we must cultivate in life are not actually great skills or specialized knowledge.
Basic qualities and manners, consideration and patience, and proper posture.
I don't know why I didn't know this, but I finally realized it and internalized it while doing tango.
Tango really transformed me as a person.
I was reborn through tango.

Chapter 4.

Abraso.
One heart, four legs.


(Strategy)
The more I do it, the more I realize that tango is a very simple and humane dance that teaches manners, consideration, and resourcefulness.
The 'abrasso' of tango, where two people dance with their chests touching, holding each other as if embracing each other, is a primal posture for people to meet and communicate with each other, and the dance movement called 'figura' is a delicate exchange of emotions that flows between leading and following.
Even though it is common for the structure of the dance to be led by a man and followed by a woman, these days you can occasionally see female leaders.
It even feels conservative.
But on the other hand, because there is no set pattern, it is a free dance like jazz.
Depending on my condition on the day I dance the tango, the person I meet, and the music at that moment, a completely different feeling and emotion are created. Of course, there are also times when I fail.
This is why tango lovers often compare tango to a '15-minute love affair'.
The joy felt in a perfect tango is called Corason: Corason means 'heart' in Spanish, and in tango terms, it refers to the joy felt at the peak of communication with a partner.
It is said that the moment when this so-called corason bursts is likened to the climax of a man and a woman's lovemaking.
Unfortunately, the coraçón doesn't come every time you dance the tango.
It's a valuable experience.
That is why tango dancers do their best to feel this climax of emotion.
It is essential to hone your skills and try to have a good attitude and impression.
They are also picky about choosing dance partners that are optimized for the music.
There are also people who study tango music.
Some people quit their jobs and go to Argentina to study tango, even though they are not going to become athletes. Others receive rigorous training from professional instructors to participate in the annual tango competition.

Chapter 5.

Tango wears high heels

(Strategy)

At the milonga, the tangueros undergo a spectacular transformation.
Throw away the stress, self-loathing, and petty quarrels you've had at work today, and act as if this moment is the most beautiful and splendid time of your life, just like a scene from a fairy tale where Cinderella changes into a gorgeous dress to go to the ball, a pumpkin becomes a carriage, and mice become coachmen.
As we live our daily lives, which are like war or chaos, we sometimes need to visit a fantasy world like this.
Tango gives you such a wonderful feeling as a bonus, so how can you not get lost in it?


Chapter 6.

The best ticket for a 100-year trip around the globe

(Strategy)
The tango community, which has seen ups and downs within the tango, is a place where people live, so life is not always rosy. Looking back over the past few years, what tango ultimately teaches, like a sharp rebuke from a certain land crab, is that "it's just a dance," like the lesson from my first tango class in New York.
It's a dance that you can just enjoy, without feeling superior or inferior because you dance a little.
It is important to be the force that keeps us together as a community.

(syncopation)

The world of tango that draws me in.
I passionately love this black hole called tango, which is like a swamp in this life, but I don't want to get out of it.
Something that made me find the passion to throw myself into it completely, as in Kahlil Gibran's poem, 'Do not love someone who loves you only halfway.'
I fell in love with tango.
And the amazing experiences of the world that tango connects us to are still continuing in the present tense.
Francis Works said, "The heart knows what the mind doesn't," and it seems my heart already knew when it chose tango.
That I would fall in love with tango.
I'm grateful to have you, my companion and hobby for the second half of my life, tango.

--- From the text