
Tango dancer Naomi Hotta has had a similar experience. So the first thing is to break that barrier.” I mean even when it’s between a husband and wife – it’s not just people who don’t know each other. “When someone comes from a different culture where they’re not used to touching, and they come into tango, usually their first reaction is to freeze. The tango expert sees this most clearly when he teaches students from other countries. “Here there’s not much personal space – actually there’s almost too little personal space, people can be all over you!” Tango is Argentinian and it’s very much an expression of this culture.” His experiences reflect the study’s conclusion. “Two people are dancing very close, sharing a space it’s not an individual dance. Gée specialises in milonguero, a style of close-embrace tango. “Tango is Argentinian and it’s very much an expression of this culture” CREDIT: GETTY When you’re talking, you’re touching – it’s very common.” “We say hi with a kiss, we hug all the time. “Argentines are very touchy,” tango teacher Alejandro Gée tells me when we meet at his charming old dance studio in Buenos Aires. (Romanians require the most personal space). Researchers surveyed 9,000 people across 42 countries, and concluded that Argentines in general stand 2.5 feet away from strangers – much less than any other country. A recent study has revealed Argentina as the country where people require the least amount of personal space. Now Argentina’s disregard for personal space is backed up by science. Even doctors greet their patients with a warm embrace. Argentines meet their friends, family and even new acquaintances with a hug and a kiss anything else is considered rude. Punters at the market physically jostle for attention rather than form any kind of orderly queue.Īnd it’s not just strangers. You’ll inevitably end up pressed against someone’s armpit in a lift, or uncomfortably close to other passengers on the metro in Buenos Aires. In fact, finding yourself at a rather intimate distance from Argentines is hard to avoid. Getting up close and personal with strangers in Argentina isn’t difficult.



