For the last three years, Steven Baum and Maribel LaLonde, both of Traverse City, have immersed themselves in the beauty, sensuality and purity of the Argentine tango, a native dance of Argentina. Also, rightfully called the dance of love.
During the summer, the pair is leading a series of evening classes as well as workshops through Northwestern Michigan College's Extended Services. They teach the basic eight-step walk that is the foundation for the dance. From there, students can explore and practice a myriad of moves with names such as Gancho, Cadena, Dorothea and Boleo.
Baum, an intense man who has been captivated by the Argentine tango, said this is not a dance for showy ballroom tricks. Instead, the partners in the male-led dance move as one, weaving a visual tapestry on the dance floor while totally focused on each other.
"Argentine tango is not ballroom tango, it is an ethnic dance that is a combination of all cultures in Buenos Aires," said Baum, who has been a devoted student of the dance for six years. "The tango dance, the original Argentine tango dance, is captivating about the truth of life, and the truth of affection and the expression of the dance of love. And you don't change its purity, you pursue its original purity."
Baum admits he is a mere beginner when compared to the true practitioners of the Argentine tango, many of whom have been dancing for decades. He is determined above all else to be a good and respectful student. A part-time resident in Florida where the dance is more common, and a trip to Argentina have furthered his studies.
"I thoroughly enjoy taking the tango to the ultimate steps." When I first did it, I said 'Ooh I have to do this; I have to run this road.' "
"This dance is so beautiful, yet intricate, and expresses so much passion and feeling on both partners' sides, that you cannot help but say it is a difficult dance to learn," Baum noted. "But after you learn it, you are blessed with a unique perspective on dance."
(excerpts from a Grand Traverse Herald Article dated June 23, 2004)
