Newtown High School Students

Do The Tango

 

 

 

By Eliza Hallabeck

From eating empanadas to watching scenes in movies where the tango is danced, and learning how to do the dance themselves, Newtown High School students got a taste for the traditionally Argentinean dance and music on Tuesday, January 10.

 “It’s just something that I always wanted to share, the experience, with my students,” said NHS Spanish teacher Mary Guinti, while taking a break from learning how to dance in the gymnasium with her students.

It was the first Tango Day at the school, according to World Language Department Chair Paula Greenfield, and students in Spanish level four classes spent their time rotating between in the gym, Lecture Hall, and library at the school learning about different aspects of the dance and music.

In the gym, students were learning how to tango from ballroom and Latin dance instructor and Newtown resident Deb Linley.

One secret to dancing the tango Ms Guinti said she learned from Ms Linley is that posture is very important.

Students lined up with partners to learn the beginning steps to the dance, and crossed the gym with their partners. Ms Linley also had them change partners during the instructions.

In the library students did research into the history of the dance.

“I think it’s really fun, very interesting,” said NHS Spanish four student Samantha Allen, after learning how to dance the tango in the gym and while researching the tango in the library.

Samantha said learning about the tango is interesting, and it introduces the students to different cultures. She also said she has been dancing for ten years, and learning a new style was fun.

Another Spanish four student, Jessica Balsano, also said learning about the dance was fun.

“It was kind of hard at first,” said Jessica while doing research in the library, after learning how to dance in the gym.

NHS student Meagan Wilson said she thought it was not as hard as she had thought it would be.

Both Meagan and Jessica said they learned that the dance was associated with Argentina. Prior to Tango Day, they said, they had never known that.

“It was really fun doing the tango,” said NHS student Chris Pear, “or at least attempting to do it.”

Brady Eggleston said her class prepared for Tango Day by doing research on the dance and history prior to learning about it further in the library.

“I definitely think they should do this again,” she said, regarding having another day designated to learning about the tango.

In the Lecture Hall of the school students ate empanadas from Old Oak Restaurant in Danbury, and watched scenes from movies that had the tango in them, such as True Lies, Scent Of A Woman, Assassination Tango, and Let’s Dance.