Baile y Lengua

Tango — the dance of love — seems to be gaining the kind of popularity that swing dancing garnered six or seven years ago. And although you might be tempted to brush off the tango scene as yet another dance fad, there's more to those slow-slow-quick-quick-slow steps than meets the eye. For example, the opportunity to learn Spanish while dancing.

The Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street, is the only place where you can learn to dance like Brad and Angelina in Mr. And Mrs. Smith and also brush up on your Spanish-language skills. Donna Kleinman teaches the classes; she's not only studied with some of the great tango masters in Buenos Aires, but she's also fluent in Spanish. The idea behind Tango Español is that when your body's moving, your mind can more easily retain what you're being taught. It's total immersion in dance, culture and language — the next best thing to spending the night in Argentina.

Tango Español takes place every Wednesday night. The beginner class starts at 6 p.m., the intermediate at 7:40, with an open dance session at 9. Classes are $10 per class for the whole series or $12 at the door, and the open dance is just $5. Call 303-294-9258 or visit www.mercurycafe.com for information.
Wednesdays, 2006