Stephen Le said when he started the Tango Club three years ago at UCLA, there was little response among students, causing the club to die down. But thanks to a stream of dance movies including “Take the Lead” the club had a lively revival in 2006.
The club now partakes in tango competitions and hosted its third milonga, an event centered around tango dancing, at Ackerman Grand Ballroom Sunday night.
More than 50 students and residents of the community attended the first hour, where they learned how to dance the tango, and more than 100 people came after the lessons to watch professionals perform the dance. Students were divided into two groups based on their level of knowledge ““ beginners and intermediate dancers.
Tango originated in Argentina and was exported to Europe, reinvented, and then exported back to Argentina, Le said.
Le, a UCLA graduate student and president of the club, describes the tango as a passionate, improvised dance that differs from other partner dances in that there is no routine.
“With tango, you try to speak to each other and with each person it’s different. Tango is a dance from the heart,” Le said. “Other dances are more intellectual.”
Le said he had never seen tango dancing or heard tango music before he began taking classes three years ago at the Wooden Center. He said he was initially attracted to the dance because he found it similar to jazz music, which he had been playing for a couple of years.
“A lot of people are attracted to tango because it’s the most sophisticated dance,” he said.
Le also said the dance has enriched his life because he has met most of his friends through tango.
Similarly, Laura Andrews, a screenwriter, said she has met friends through tango but disagrees with categorizing the tango as a dance.
“The tango is not a dance. It is a conversation between two people. It is one body with four legs. The essence of the dance is in the embrace and the connection. It’s not about steps,” said Andrews, who has been tangoing for about seven years and said she can find a place to tango every night.
This enthusiasm for tango is shared by her friend Howard Barsky, a retired program designer.
Barsky has attended two milongas held by the club and said he goes out to tango six nights a week, adding that he does dance the seventh night, just not tango. At 76 years old, Barsky has been dancing tango for 10 years and says part of the appeal of the tango was that people of all ages can dance it.
“The first woman who taught me was 80 years old and is still dancing at 90,” he said. “There’s no ageism. I can and have danced with women between the ages of 18 and 80.”
Barsky also dances the salsa, swing and fox-trot, among others, but says he is fascinated with tango.
“When I first saw tango, I was entranced and started taking lessons. I’m good at it and women like to dance with me, and that’s a big ego trip,” said Barsky, who has also traveled to Argentina, the origin of tango, 12 times and plans to go again in two weeks.
The club also arranged professional tango performances by Moti Moses Buchboot, Michael Espinoza and UCLA dentistry graduate student Varo Boyajyan, who only began one year ago, as well as surprise performances by Osvaldo Zotto and Lorena Ermocida.
The milonga also featured tango music by DJ Alexis White, who specializes in tango music and said a DJ has to know the history of tango in order to be effective. White also said the dance and music has evolved and taken on a techno element that will appeal to more students.