Monday night. Stan was late β he'd been pulled into a 'five to five' meeting with Percy, much to his annoyance - and didn't get home until well after his normal time. He hurried, but Anne still rang his doorbell before he'd finished getting dressed.
"Come in, Anne!" he called, and Anne used her key to open the door. She found Stan sitting at the bottom of the stairs, bare-chested, with one sock on and trying to get the other one on his still-damp foot. She couldn't help but laugh, and Stan saw the funny side too, but they were late leaving.
Anne provided the solution - she drove. Well, that is to say, Anne
piloted
her car. She seemed unaffected by Stan's grimaces, the tension in his arms or the frequent use of the non-existent brake pedal his foot was continually searching for.
On the other hand, Stan had to admit that Anne drove with great skill. Even in the gathering gloom of a mid-September evening the car was expertly placed in
exactly
the right place at all times. Anne didn't even have to exceed the speed limits β much.
They arrived at the school a few minutes early. Stan sighed theatrically and Anne turned to him and said sweetly, "That's how you drive a sports car, Stan. I
told
you we'd get here in time!"
Stan was wise enough
not
to make any further comment.
They walked in through the main entrance and were greeted by Yves. Stan was pleased and relieved to find that the greeting was just as warm as always. Anne's black-and-gold dress that she wore again may have had
something
to do with it, but Stan imagined Yves was too professional to pay too much attention to that.
They went through the normal formalities and Yves invited them through. His one concession to the previous week was when he told Anne, quietly, "Miss Bottomley and Mr. Orbison are here already." He said no more, merely gesturing them on.
Stan let Anne go in front of him through the doorway into the hall, and they both looked to see who was there. Stan quickly located Tom and Denise, to their left, and was a little surprised to see Denise catch his eye and nod slightly. Tom merely gave him one of his trademark smirks.
Having found Denise and Tom on the left, Stan wasn't surprised to see Pamela on the other side. She greeted Stan warmly, and gave Anne a peck on the cheek. Belinda was there as well, in the middle of the hall, preparing music.
Yves entered the hall and moved to Belinda, exchanging a few words. Then, before he began the lesson, Yves addressed them all.
"The Tango is a very passionate dance, in its original form it was about prostitutes and their pimps, very, very sexual. It's progressed since then of course, but still, it's full of emotion and sensuality, of exaggerated moves and, yes, plain lust." He nodded at them all as he finished that last part.
"Now, in this beginner's class we're only going to teach the basic moves, what we call the Eight-Count Basic. This is actually technically
American Tango
, not the international ballroom type, but since I doubt any of you are expecting to compete in the next two weeks, that won't matter, and it's easier, we think, to learn β and to teach!"
"But remember, everyone," interjected Belinda, "the Tango is theatre, you have to let yourselves go, to
feel
it. That's why we teach it last, so that you're already used to dance, to movement. Now, I think we're ready to start?"
Before the lesson proper began, Yves came over to Stan and Anne, and spoke to them.
"I hope you realize that with you four we're taking a bit of a chance, hmm? This is a dance step that
requires
emotion; but it has to be
controlled
emotion. Please, no repetition, yes?"
Anne nodded, and Stan told him "That's fine, Yves. There'll be no problems."
Stan looked over and saw that Belinda was talking to Tom and Denise, who had serious faces of their own. It appeared that they'd received a similar message.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yves and Belinda showed the class how to Tango. Eight-Count Basic Tango is the classic 'slow, slow, quick-quick, slow' that everyone's heard of. It's actually more like 'walk, walk, step-step-together', but it's not the steps, it's the
character
of the dance that's important. Feet are picked up and placed onto the floor using a sharp staccato action. Sway, rise & fall, and continuous body flight should be avoided; they
aren't
in character with the dance.
Stan found it difficult. Not the steps, they were easy once he'd got used to it, but
relaxing
into it, letting his body lead. Belinda came and partnered him for a while, and with her encouragement and gentle persuasion he began to see, and feel, what was needed.
At one point he was able to spare a glance when Anne, partnered by a guy Stan didn't know well but who'd been to each of the lessons, danced across their path. She was clearly enjoying herself, but didn't look much more comfortable than Stan.
At the break, Anne said to Stan, "I'd thought with the ballet that this would be easy. It's not β I just find it difficult to get the right balance of tension and relaxation, I think."
"You've been thinking about it, haven't you? That's my Anne, analysing everything," Stan replied with a smile.
"Hey, it helps if you
can
think, you know!"
Stan and Anne hadn't
actively