It seems that Jakarta is finally catching up with the other world metropolises by tapping into the Argentine tango music and dance craze.

With more dramatic movements and tunes than other Latin dances, the Argentine tango has started to seduce aficionados in the capital.

"Tango is sort of an alien dance for Asians," mused Ogie Mendoza, a tango teacher who frequently flies from Manila to hold tango workshops in Jakarta and Bali.

He said the Argentine tango's signature close abrazo (embrace) might look rather inhibiting, if not daunting for many Asians who are used to a more detached form of dancing.

Mendoza saw tango for the first time in Hong Kong about thirteen years ago and was instantly hooked.

"I always liked dancing, but I never danced professionally before. But when I watched a couple of Argentinean tangueros (a person deeply passionate about tango) in Hong Kong, I just knew that this was it," he said.

Many years of training under different tango masters and three trips to Argentina saw him fully dedicate himself to become a tango teacher.

Mendoza not only teaches tango in the Southeast Asian region, but also organizes special tango events and arranges tours to Argentina for those wishing to experience authentic milonga (tango dance parties) in Buenos Aires' tango bars, whilst honing their dance skills through workshops by Argentine tango masters.

"I've also reached Dubai and have started to perform in Bangkok," he said.

Mendoza pointed to Tokyo and Hong Kong as the two main Asian metropolises taking the lead in tango. He is now hoping other capitals in the region will catch up.

"The interest is still somewhat low, and we lack male dancers," said Stefani K., Ogie's dance partner and fellow tango instructor, who lives in Bali and established a tango community on the island.

"We are planning to stay for two weekends in Jakarta to conduct workshops, so it will give people more time to learn," she said.

To kick things off, the first club offering milonga nights was opened recently in Jakarta.

On the opening Saturday night, a group of milongueros (people who love to tango and join milonga) came to enjoy a night of Argentine tango at the W9 Club, in South Jakarta, where couples took turns dancing while others lingered to enjoy the sultry tango tunes.

People are drawn to tango for different reasons. For Nuni, a lady in her 50s, dancing is a form of exercise. Nuni learned many other social dances -- from ballroom to rumba -- before taking lessons in tango.

"I've been learning for a year, but on and off," she said, after trying out some new leg combinations she had learned in an afternoon workshop.

Nuni took up dancing as a serious hobby about three years ago.

"It's good for my health. I used to have high cholesterol ... dancing has helped me lower it," she said, adding that dancing was also good for keeping osteoporosis at bay.

Meanwhile Itang, a salsa instructor, simply wished to add tango to his dancing repertoire.

"Basically, I like dancing, that is enough of a reason," he said.

There are only a few tango teachers in town who hold regular practicas (practice sessions). One of them is Christopher Wibowo.

Watching people dance tango for the first time at a barbecue party in Bali a few years ago, Chris was mesmerized by the music, especially the strange sound of the bandoneon (a free-reed aerophone, a popular musical instrument in Argentina).

"I first thought it was harmonica," he said.

Chris spent a considerable amount of time listening to the music before deciding to learn the dance it accompanied. He learned the tango in workshops conducted by visiting Argentinean tangueros.

Chris now holds practicas in a gym at a hotel in Central Jakarta and regularly brings his students to the Saturday night milongas.

Tango has been spreading globally for quite some time, with Berlin now taking over Paris as the tango capital of Europe, and Tokyo and Hong Kong competing head-to-head to lead in Asia. Tango even arrived in Beijing several years ago -- brought by some expatriates who formed a tango community in the capital of post-cultural revolution China.

"Tango is evolving, now the young generation has brought new influences to the music and dance," said Ogie.

Once a purist of traditional Argentine tango with its signature close abrazo, Ogie is now venturing into the latest trend, tango nuevo, which is a freer style of tango.

In his seminal book, Tango and the Political Economy of Passion, tango expert Dr. Marta E. Savigliano, who will be coming to Indonesia for an international dance workshop in Yogyakarta later this month, examines the construction of the exoticism and the passion of this dance.

Her's is a critical cultural analysis under the pretext of colonialism and racial relations. She says similar to other urban dance cultures going global -- for example, hip hop and capoeira -- tango continues to recreate a new meaning on the foreign soils it reaches.

First and foremost, tango is very personal and intimate.

"Unlike ballroom dancing, where the dancers 'reach out' to the audience, in tango the two dancers seem to intensely converse with each other, and their conversation is what actually attracts the audience to immerse into their act of dancing," said Ogie of the fundamental nature of the dance.

Hence, it takes more than fascination and passion to tango.

"You have to like the music ... you also have to exercise self-discipline," said Stefani K.

A combination of practicas with a good teacher, disciplined training at home and hours of milonga on the dance floor, she said, is the only way to master following the man's lead, which requires flow and improvisation.

For further information on practicas, milongas and tango in Indonesia, see these websites:

- Tango in Jakarta: www.tangojakarta.com

- Tangoxposed: www.tangoxposed.com

- Tango in Bali: www.tangobali.com

- Ogie Mendoza: www.ogiemendozatango.com

- Chistopher Wibowo: www.myspace.com/shinechris

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