DANCE: Spa gives time to tango

Lessons offered by 13-year-old and her grandfather

The music is sassy and sexy. The moves are tempered and drawn out. And the air fairly crackles with a heightened sense of one's partner.

Attitude is what tango is all about.

Lessons on the dance form are being offered at the Aquae Sulis Spa inside the JW Marriott. Instructors are Charles Lester, 57, and his granddaughter Madysin Williams, 13.

Lester learned tap as a youngster and took up the tango about seven years ago. His tall, lanky form is perfect for the stealthy cat-like movements of the dance.

Williams trained in ballet, tap and hip-hop. Her grandfather began teaching her tango about a year ago and now she is his perfect dance partner. Both agreed any age differences disappear when they're on the dance floor.

"It feels awesome to dance with him," Williams said. "There are no boundaries with tango. As a woman, I get to follow what he does. You can close your eyes and you just feel what to do."

The spa is offering Argentine tango lessons from 6 to 7:45 p.m. every Sunday. Classes are held in its oversized exercise room with its own sound system and a view of the pool. All classes are included with spa passage of $35 per person or complimentary with a spa service.

Spa supervisor Theresa Bowden said she's always looking for something new to offer clients so tango lessons joined the lineup of tai chi, yoga and pilates classes. More tango nights may be added if the response warrants it.

On July 11, the first night the dance lessons were offered, about eight people showed up. Tamara Goalen, a bartender at JW Marriott, was one of them. She and her boyfriend Ben Kole, a Las Vegas firefighter, like to go dancing about once a month.

"I've always wanted to learn to do different kinds of dances," Goalen said. "When we saw the flier, we signed up right away."

Ivy Unieski, a massage therapist who lives in Spring Valley, said she's taken tap lessons before but never tango.

"I want to learn it because it's beautiful and sexy," she said.

Soon music filled the room and the lesson started.

First there were a few warm-up exercises. Then Lester gave a demonstration of the moves he wanted participants to imitate.

"It's all about attitude," he told them as he purposely slid one foot ahead of the other along the floor. This was the technique and phrasing portion of the lesson.

Students got their turn soon after. They tried to slide their bodies forward with subtle movements, then backwards in the same manner. It took a while to adjust to the style but, in between breaking into grins at their own attempts, they kept practicing.

The technique and phrasing portion was followed by a practica and milonga session. Milonga refers to the general rules of dancing events with many people.

"If you think of a skating rink, everybody knows to travel in the same direction," Lester said. "It's like that. You can't be picking somebody up over your head or be kicking out your foot when there are so many people right around you."


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