Iowa State students and Ames community members can enjoy Argentine Tango Drop-in Lessons at the Memorial Union every Sunday.
For ISU students, lessons are $45 for 5 sessions. For non-ISU students, the rate is $55. Lessons are held in Room 3512.
Valerie Williams is the Argentine tango instructor and has been teaching here since the early 2000s. She was part of a traveling dance group that went all across Europe for almost 45 years.
She started teaching, as she puts it, “remember what [she’d]learned.”
Williams has practiced different styles of dance from salsa, meringue and modern dance all her life. However, tango was the one she really fell in love with, and she’s been teaching it for almost 30 years now.
“Tango, for me, is the most fun,” Williams said. “I really like how it’s a good intersection of technique and expression.”
Williams, who has dedicated her life to dancing, aims to help others find their passion for it as well. Anyone can step into the role of student or dancer, learning from Williams as she coached the rest of the students.
“It’s a social dance; it’s all about being social,” Williams said.
The class forms its own community. Isabelle Hanson, a freshman studying agricultural engineering, was all smiles throughout the lesson.
“I just have so much fun,” Hanson said. “I like being able to learn a skill on my own, then apply it to partner dancing.”
Other teachers assisted through the lesson: Williams’ assistant coach, Miriam Martincic. Both are experienced dancers and watched over the amateur dancers, assisting them throughout the lesson.
In the two-hour lessons, the class moves quickly, but the teachers always take the time to make sure everyone gets the steps down before moving on.
“It’s a great environment to meet new people,” Williams said. “Everyone is so accepting and at the same time starting in the same place as you.”
While Williams teaches the Sunday class, Martincic spearheads the Friday lessons. As stated earlier, it’s social and beginner friendly.
Williams shared her advice for people who are on the fence about dancing.
“Just go for it,” Williams said. “[Dance is] a conversation. Have a conversation.”
Argentine Tango offers paid lessons on Sunday evenings and free drop in lessons on certain Fridays.
Visit the Argentine tango lessons webpage for more information.