When I was telling a non-tanguera friend of mine about the captivating qualities of tango, she asked, "Don't you get so wound-up when dancing sometimes, that you get aroused?"
The question is justified – looking from the outside there seem to be all the reasons for it: the lights are dimmed, there is a beautiful woman in my close embrace, and the music – bursting with passion – is adding fuel to the fire and stirring up emotions. But in order for a person to get aroused, his thoughts have to be headed in the direction of sex. Libido is, first of all, a psychological phenomenon, and only then – physiological.
What is the difference between tango and lust? The difference is in the general direction of your thoughts while dancing. If your thoughts are about sex, then your energy will reflect this; dance will only serve as a cover. Dance or lust is like looking her in the eyes or staring at her boobs; it's a conversation on the level of souls or a primitive desire to possess flesh.
Sex is a wonderful thing. But, as my driver's education instructor used to say, "If you're driving a car and making love at the same time, you're doing both things equally bad." A partner, who is really dancing, gives all his attention to the dance: the energy interaction with his partner, music and navigation. Communication alone is fully loaded: continuous dialogue, interpretation of intent, movement corrections, reconciliation of energy – all this in real time, and all this to music! There's simply no airtime left for any images or thoughts of skin.