A slow, smooth outstretched leg glides around the dance floor as Rebecca Niemier instructs her class in the intimate dance known as the Argentine tango on a Tuesday evening in The Leopold's Crystal Ballroom in Bellingham.
Each week, men and women gather to learn the steps of a dance that requires intimacy and precision on behalf of both dancers.
Here is her story, in her own words:
"I moved from Los Angeles to Bellingham in 1988 in order to raise kids. Bellingham was perfect. And I started teaching tango in 2005. I've been teaching at The Leopold for three and a half years.
"Over the last 5 to 6 years, tango has caught my interest mostly because it builds people's character, more than their strength, their physical strength. And it puts men and women in a really good relationship with one another. They can work together, work things out, have differences, come to resolution, in a non-threatening, non-combative sort of way. I think it's good for people in their development overall.
"I would liken it to, sort of, Boy Scouts or Girls Scouts for adults where all the character development that happens in those activities can happen here in tango as well.
"The intimacy that it requires causes us to gain greater respect for each other, greater compassion. We have to find a great amount of humility. We have to be very patient with one another as we mess up.
"I find that with learning anything new, a new field for adults to endeavor in, whether it's a new language, a new sport, a new dance, a new job, requires us to go back to a level of infancy and that makes us pretty uncomfortable. And that brings out some of our true colors. And we have to work through those like we haven't had to since we were young. And we're probably a lot more flexible in that area when we were young, than when we're grownups.
"So I watch my students develop in these ways as much as I watch them develop in their ability to actually dance this dance. And for me, that's what's fascinating is watching the personal development of the people. It requires that men be brave. And at first, they're usually not very brave. They're quite concerned about doing things right.
"The women, it requires them to be very compassionate and patient. And at first, they're a little frustrated and they have to just "stuff it" a bit, and find a compassionate place to allow the men to get coordinated with what they're trying to do. And instead the women then need to focus on their own attributes, their own coordination and balance. Those are just some of the ways it (tango) challenges people to develop their character."
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