Shall we DANCE?

I can confirm: It does take two to tango.

- Christi Nortier

What no one ever tells you about tango is that you have to lean in towards one another. You don't get uncomfortably close, but placing your weight onto the balls of your feet helps to balance the energy and drives you forward. You should be able to keep that posture without your partner, but to dance you need to rest your hands on their shoulders, waist or hand to get any kind of momentum going. To demonstrate this, my partner suddenly stopped while we were dancing in full swing and I came to a surprised, abrupt halt. I was just getting the hang of it, dammit! 

I attended the class on my own and was pleased to see most people were total beginners, except for a few more experienced students who were there to be partners for us newbies. Thankfully, my partner was not a ballroom bragger but a patient gentleman: cleanly shaven, golf T-shirt tucked in and considerate enough to chew a mint before class. He and his wife love tango so much that they splurge on private lessons so it can fit into their busy schedule. They're also dedicated to the regular melangos - an open dance night for the local tango community.