Two for Tango
The wind and the snow helped us make our way up Brady Street. Unlike the past couple of nights that gave us hope that spring was just a day away, mother nature came to remind us that spring was not for another 20 days.
I pulled the door open to the dance studio and let my wife go in ahead of me. We climbed the long stairway to reach the dance studio. I’m still amused that the studio is on the second and third floor of a building. Why I don’t know, but I am.
There were a few other couples there waiting for the group lesson and Gunther, an instructor, and a couple were on the main dance floor learning a new dance. I’m not sure what they were learning but the music was Jail House rock. I watched their feet move around trying to figure out if it was based on a Rumba, or a Swing. I couldn’t tell. I’m still to green at this.
More people arrived and we made our way up to the practice room on the third floor. As was the case last week and probably every group lesson the guys went to one side of the room and the girls went to the other side.
This was our lesson for the Tango. Andrew, the instructor for my wife and I, introduced us to the dance. Much like any other dance we’ve learned so far they start out simple. Two steps forward, followed by a box step. And repeat. Next the girls did their steps which are the exact opposite of the guys. We made our way around the room practicing our steps. Next we joined up with our partner and made our way around the room (line of dance). It’s such a small room that you really have to watch where you were going and like a good leader I let my wife know to take small or bigger steps.
We were behind an older couple that was having a hard time I could see. I didn’t know it at the time but the older gentleman couldn’t hear. Period. I found this out afterwards and I was quite amazed that he was even there trying to dance. His wife, more times than not, would go and whisper something in his ear when something was explained to us about the dance.
The class paused for a timing lesson on the tango. As someone who has no knowledge whatsoever about music and the beat these are lesson’s I really try and pay attention to. The tango, at this point is very easy. Start on one for each different step.
We continued making our way around the room for a few more times. Gunther had joined us at this time and told the ladies to rotate partners if they were comfortable. We rotated and I ended up dancing with the older lady whose husband could not hear. Our steps were a bit clumsy, but we made it around the room. We rotated again and I was now dancing with one of the lady instructors. It was very easy to lead her around the room. Hell it should have been…she was an instructor and probably could have led me around the room (and I would have let her!). We continued to rotate and find the beat of the music with our feet.
Gunther split us apart again and we learned another part of the dance. Although simpler it is the key component to the Tango. I know everyone’s seen it before. The lady lunges forward and the gentleman sits back.
By the end of the night my wife and I were having a grand time tangoing our way around the room. We wanted to continue on, but our time for the group lesson had run out. Like the other classes we have had we clapped for all the dancers and made our way back down the stairs out into the wind and the snow, but feeling like we had just finished a night of dancing the tango in Mexico. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4. Step, step, side step.
