Aidan Bizony and Ray Batchelor.

Hi, I’m Aidan Bizony, a queer tango dancer and wheelchair-user. Queer Tango London (QTL) and I are running an open-ended research project designed to encourage:

• More wheelchair users onto QTL’s dancefloor as a matter of course – and not just for one-off events (though we might do those, too!)
• More queer tango dancers to dance queer tango with wheelchair users
• Encourage both to overcome any fears they have about doing just that
• Wheelchair users like me to:

• follow
• lead

How do we know what to do? We don’t! We are making it up as we go along – but between us, we have found that a little bit of mutual respect goes a very long way.

Do we dance “real” Tango?

Absolutely!

What we are doing is just an unusual version of what everyone who dances tango does.

Ask any serious tango dancer, and they’ll tell you:  a tango couple is made up two people, that all people are different, and so all tango couples made up of two different people dance differently.

In all cases, for it to “work” (be satisfying to both dancers), each person has to bring the whole of themselves to the dancing – as they are, physically, mentally, emotionally – and they have to listen to the music, and “listen” to each other.

Only then can they realise a really wonderful dance – believe me! I know what I’m talking about.

Want to dance in your wheelchair, or with someone who uses one?

Just come to one of QTL’s regular queer tango events on the first or third Friday of (almost) every month – full details on our website, Facebook Group or Instagram.

The Upper Hall
The Bishopsgate Institute
230 Bishopsgate
London EC2M 4QH

Any questions?

Contact me:
Aidan Bizony aidan@disabilitydiaries.com or
Ray Batchelor, Queer Tango London ray.queertango@gmail.com