Strictly tango

Tango has been described as a cross between sex and chess and, as Neil McKelvie discovers, every week novices and devotees are hitting the dancefloor in Chiswick under the keen eye of Federico Mazandarani

Above: Tango Federico

'I started teaching tango because I wanted to immerse myself in the music for as long as possible every day. Everything else has followed from my absolute love for the music.' Listening to Federico Mazandarani waxing lyrical about the art of Argentine Tango - the sexy, sultry original form born in the impoverished ghettoes of late 19th century Buenos Aires, not the adulterated, rather more 'polite' European interpretation - and you simply cannot help be swept up by his sheer passion.

That certainly won't come as a surprise to any of the students who attend Federico's weekly classes at Chiswick Town Hall. As befits the charismatic owner of the world's largest collection of tango music outside the National Archives in Buenos Aires - Federico reckons he has 3,500 tango CDs - he is a man on a mission: 'When you come to tango you will immediately forget about all those irritations that have been bothering you during the working day,' he enthuses. 'As a dance, it's cerebral and physical and you have to pay 100% attention. Tango will keep you mentally and physically fit, it will extend your circle of friends and change your life.'

It comes as a surprise, then, to learn that Federico himself is not Argentinian. He laughs: 'Most people do automatically assume that if you teach tango you are either Argentine or at the very least Latin - and actually I'm neither!' In fact, Federico is Persian and it was while living in Teheran that he discovered his love of dance. 'When I was 11 an older friend took me to my first party - the other guests were teenagers - and she kindly asked me to dance with her rather than leaving me standing around watching from the sidelines. So I did - and afterwards there was a queue of girls wanting to dance with me!'

Having moved to the UK, Federico took every opportunity to continue dancing as a hobby - 'I attended every class I could find, ballroom, flamenco, salsa' - and by 1992 he himself was teaching in his spare time (his 'proper' job was teaching A-level Mathematics). He also became a regular in the audience at Sadler's Wells. 'I always tried to buy the middle seat in the front row of the stalls, where I could sit and watch the dancers' feet,' he recalls. 'One evening I saw the National Jazz Ballet of Canada and they were dancing to this magical tango music. I had never heard anything like it before and so I asked the lady sitting next to me what it was. She replied: "Well, it's Astor Piazzollo - of course! Haven't you heard of him?" I said: "I'm terribly sorry, but no." And that was the truth.'

Inspired, the very next day Federico combed all the major West End record stores for tango CDs. Coincidentally, the only album he could track down was by Astor Piazzollo (who, it turned out, was Argentina's most famous tango composer) and it featured the music that he had heard the previous night. 'I listened to the CD almost non-stop for six months and then a touring tango show came to London. I went to the first night and saw this out-of-this-world dance that looked like a severe martial art without any blood. I was so impressed.'

Naturally, Federico's next step was to sign up for a tango class and, when he couldn't find what he wanted in London, he looked further afield. 'I used to go to Holland to work with a specialist tango teacher every weekend. I would leave school at 6pm, arrive at 6am the next morning in Holland, have a quick nap and then begin dancing tango at 10am. At 6pm on Sunday I started the drive back to the UK ready for Monday morning in the classroom. The dancing gave me such a buzz that I didn't feel tired even after all that travelling - it had an incredibly positive effect. In 1996 I finally decided to give up the maths and concentrate on tango full-time. I started by teaching one hour per week at an Arts Centre and gradually more people came along and I added extra nights. Now I teach six days a week all around London, as well as in other parts of the UK.'

The classes in Chiswick have proved very popular. There is one for 'absolute beginners' and one for intermediates (those who have completed 10-weeks' tuition) although, as Federico emphasises with a smile, 'We don't force people to move up - it all depends on their confidence.' Apart from his obvious commitment, the key to Federico's teaching style lies in his informal, inclusive and accessible approach. 'You can come to tango absolutely fresh, with no experience of other dancing styles. Whether you are a man or woman, we encourage students to learn how to lead and follow; with tango it really helps to know what your partner is doing. And I always try to create an environment in which people feel free to make mistakes without being apologetic or feeling self-conscious. If you can't make mistakes on the tango floor - and it is a hard dance - where on earth can you make mistakes? Once the lesson is over we always get people to dance together socially - everyone has to start somewhere and we all realise that.'

In recent years, thanks to hit TV programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing, there has been a surge in interest in the art of dancing as a couple. And no dance is more romantic than tango. As Federico says: 'If you want to have a good time and enjoy beautiful music and dancing that is cerebral as well as physical, you'll love tango. I describe it as "darkness made light through Art."

For more information visit www.tango-federico.com