Victoria Zaragoza-Martinez was 71 when she danced the tango for the first time. Growing up in Mexico, she had always had an affinity for the South American dance but never learned the proper steps. It wasn’t until 2015, soon after she had retired from being a teacher and translator, that Zaragoza-Martinez found herself at a class in Oxford being led around the room to a sprightly tango rhythm. “I just left all my troubles behind because the music took over,” she says. “Once you dance, all you want to do is dance.”
For the past nine years, Zaragoza-Martinez has been dancing the tango at least once a week. She has made a new group of friends that she sees at milonga dance parties and has even travelled to Argentina to tango with the locals. Despite now being 79 and the oldest in her group, Zaragoza-Martinez sees the dance as vital to her health and lifestyle. “I don’t feel almost 80 when I dance,” she says. “It’s my life’s passion.”
