At Freedom Plaza, Two (or More) to Tango

The summer sun has set, and a cool breeze blows up Pennsylvania Avenue from the white dome of the Capitol to 14th Street NW, where I sit on the marble ledge along the fountain at Freedom Plaza. On the broad square in front of me, lilting strings and pulsing accordion strains perfume the air. It's a Sunday evening and downtown offices are deserted, but restaurant patrons, theatergoers and tourists stroll by, enjoying some relief from the steamy afternoon.

Couples glide in close embraces, one arm held out to the side, strong yet fluid. Each woman drapes her free arm over the shoulder of her partner, who supports her with his right hand around her back at her midriff. She leans straight-backed into her partner, who leads her in an artfully orchestrated series of steps, turns and kicks as they progress around the square.

A young couple sails by me. Their expressions are solemn with concentration. He stops their circular course for a moment with his arm on her back to twist her back and forth on the balls of her feet to the rhythm of the music. Her leg flicks backward, then straight back down, seemingly of its own accord. He stretches a leg in front of her, blocking her path. She circles her leg gracefully backward, then steps coyly over the blockade. They move low and long out of view.

If tango is sensuous to watch, dancing it is like a "three-minute love affair with a stranger," as one of the more experienced dancers told me at a practice session. Tourists in shorts and sneakers, couples and families passing by stop and stare. Riveted, they find a spot on the ledge and make themselves comfortable, cameras and cellphones flashing.

After a set of three songs, the DJ plays a snippet of a non-tango tune -- swing, salsa or samba -- announcing a break. The onlookers erupt into spontaneous applause, the dancers smile and acknowledge each other before seeking a new partner: "That was lovely, thank you." A few observers timidly approach the dancers about lessons, but this event is for serious, trained dancers.

Shashin Singh, who organizes local tango events and dances, called milongas, has been hosting the free outdoor session at Freedom Plaza since last year. The event runs from 7 to 10 most Sunday evenings all summer.

The dancers range from 20-somethings to seniors, with a substantial contingent in between. Some come in couples but usually dance with various partners. Like area residents, the dancers are a diverse, cosmopolitan lot. Most are American. Some are French, Russian or Turkish. Surprisingly, Argentines and other Latinos are a minority.

Beginning at 7, street shoes are abandoned by the fountain in favor of elegant high heels with suede soles and secure straps for the women, soft-sole oxfords for the men. The participants stop only to take a few sips of bottled water. They are not here to drink alcohol or for overt pickups. The focus is solely on tango.

I'm here to dance, too, feeling distinctly out of my league, despite several months of classes and practice. I'm hoping for the kindness of patient strangers. I have put on my dance shoes so I can twirl freely on the pavement, and I'm wearing a skirt that will let me slide my leg in a lunge or perhaps even fling it around my partner's thigh in a "wrap."

I join the row of women waiting for a prospective partner to approach and ask for a dance, with an outstretched hand or often just a half-smile and a nod. I'm in luck: There are plenty of men, and the better dancers might indulge a beginner. Sure enough, a tall, slender man with gray hair holds out his hand; I place mine in his. We introduce ourselves by first name as we stroll to the rough granite floor.

I put my left arm around the stranger's neck, place my right hand in his outstretched left one, lean forward on the balls of my feet toward his chest, feel my cheek touching his. I focus on keeping my back straight, my knees soft, my steps long. I try not to anticipate his lead but am nervous that I might not recognize the subtle change in pressure on my back that signals a change in direction or the slight rise in my partner's shoulder that tells me where to shift my weight. I remind myself not to grip too tightly.

We take a few small side steps back and forth to get into the rhythm, and as I listen, the seductive music takes over. Before I began taking tango lessons, I had seen stage performances, but I could never quite understand the beat, which defies the familiar conventions of salsa and flamenco. Now, on Freedom Plaza, in the arms of a dancer, I am hearing it with my whole body. It flows into my feet, and as my partner and I step in sync, I can feel my skirt swishing against my legs. It's working! My solid 5-foot-10 frame seems weightless. I am smiling.

Sure, there's the occasional misstep, but my partner whispers cues. "Walk right into me," he urges while stepping backward. I follow, uncertain of the mechanics but delighted as he whisks me halfway around the dance space in a tight pas de deux. We swivel around the floor, engrossed in the music and the movement. He stops in front of me and sandwiches my foot with his. I hesitate. "If I trap your foot with mine, just wait for me to release it," he says. The song ends and everyone freezes in a pose. As my partner leads me gently downward, my leg sinks into a dramatic lunge.

Part of me is embarrassed to enjoy the tango so much. I'm downright addicted, but I'm not alone. Like all true art forms, tango connects people. It is a nonverbal language, a gracious interaction of the senses, at once energizing and relaxing, a refuge from misanthropy. I'm relieved and even grateful to find a corner of the city, of the world, in which it is all right to hug someone you just met in total confidence and share music with them in a most physical way for a few songs on a summer night in the heart of the city.

TANGO ON FREEDOM PLAZA Sundays from 7 to 10 through September. Freedom Plaza, Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 14th Street. The next milonga is Sunday, but check other dates athttp://www.tangobarrio.com/dance.htmlsince the space is reserved for other events on some Sundays.

For a comprehensive listing of Argentine tango classes and dances in the Washington area, see the Capital Tangueros calendar athttp://www.geocities.com/capitaltangueros.