Tango Missoula took over the Hellgate Elk's Lodge for a night of Valentine's Day fun.
With a beginner's lesson to start the night, dancers of all skill levels came together for a fun evening of tango.
Lori Chase, one of the class instructors, said the night's goal was to stay in the spirit of the holiday.
“So it’s a Valentine’s Day theme, and we’re here to show our love of tango and each other and maybe people will come here and learn to dance and meet each other and maybe even fall in love.”
And no one fits that theme better than Vince Godby and Mari Hodges who have been together for five years after meeting and dancing in a tango session.
However, a key aspect of tango is switching partners and dancing with people you may not have danced with before to build a community and to them, that is important.
“It’s fun to share that together, to have a community of people together, I really enjoy that,” Hodges said.
“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to remember what I did before this… even though it’s been a relatively short time, 8 years or so, it’s a very natural and healthy thing to do,” Godby added.
With that being said Vince and Mari have a message for anyone who is thinking of picking up dancing or looking for a significant other ahead of Valentine’s Day.
“You know, I certainly didn’t go up there looking for love or anything like that… but you never know when it’s going to happen especially when you’re in a good, safe environment that’s kind of built for getting to know each other.”
The next Milonga session will be on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
