Safety for the public and participants:

In my 10 Tango Interventions completed so far there has been nobody hurt in any way other than a few blisters and worn out shoes and from dancing too long on pavement.  However any public event has a certain degree of risk.  Ultimately it is the choice of the people involved to accept those risks and I can assume no responsibility for any injuries or other misfortunes of any kind occurring during any of these tango interventions.

That being said, here are a few considerations regarding safety that you should certainly address. This is by no means a complete list, as that will depend on the location that you choose. The specific risks of an event that you arrange in your area I can not state with any detail because each location is different.  Here are some things you should consider regardless of where you are ‘intervening’:

- Traffic. When cars (and/or bicycles, rollerbladers, skateboarders, etc) collide with pedestrians the pedestrian looses.  DO NOT perform your intervention where there is any risk of this. Also consider that people driving in traffic may be distracted by the spectacle of your intervention, lose their attention to driving and cause an accident. Try to find a place that is visible but visible to other pedestrians rather than moving traffic.
- Protecting participants from potential crimes of opportunity that are always possible in public areas.  Try to pick an area that is in a relatively safe area. It is best to have all participants come wearing their dancing clothes and carrying no bags that could be stolen if left. If you are using a sound system have at least one person standing by the sound components at all times.  It is better to use a simple and inexpensive CD or MP3 player, rather than your custom ipod or laptop. Some sound systems can be locked by a cable to a lamppost. Or alternatively locked to a large cart which somebody cannot easily snatch and run with.
- Avoiding conflicts with landowners and authorities. You are free to choose any surveilled location but some are more problematic than others.  In 10 interventions in 2 years I have not had any trouble at all, but I choose my locations carefully.  Generally the worst that might happen is that you are asked to leave – or turn the music down.  It is also possible to dance completely silently by having each couple share a personal mp3 player and headphones.  For some of my interventions I have gotten permission before, but for most I have just showed up and started dancing, to very loud music.  Delight was the general public reaction in every case.