School Page: Two to tango

Boys on one side of the school cafeteria, arms folded. Girls on the other side, hands held neatly together in front. But at Ric Volpe's command, "Grab a partner," the gap disappears.

Boys on one side of the school cafeteria, arms folded. Girls on the other side, hands held neatly together in front. But at Ric Volpe's command, "Grab a partner," the gap disappears.

Frank Sinatra sings "Witchcraft" out of a speaker, not so loudly he drowns out the soft shuffle of fox-trotting feet and conversations between couples. Volpe makes the rounds, dispensing praise and pointers to dancers who bear broad smiles or foreheads furrowed in concentration.

"Two people leading will end up in a collision," he sagely advises the dancers.

The class is offered through the Adult and Community Education Department of Collier County Public Schools, and is held on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Barron Collier High School in North Naples. It's popular, too, drawing as many as 40 dancers or more each session to learn the fox trot, waltz, rumba, swing and tango.

Some, like Doug and Penny Foster of Naples, have taken the class before. As well as learning, Doug Foster said, they come so they can have a chance to dance.

"You don't really get to dance like this a lot," he said.

Between songs, the dancers return to their rows on either side of the room and wait for Volpe to show off the next step, or how to hone one they are already attempting. And it does take practice, he reminds the class as they dance. It takes plenty of that.

Unlike other pastimes where a person can practice and err in private, Volpe said, ballroom dancers must practice in pairs -- it really does take two to tango. As a result, learning can unnerve potential partners, making them steer clear of the dance floor.

"This is very intimidating, especially for the men, because we have to make mistakes with the women in our arms," he said.

For some, though, the promise of being able to swirl like Fred and Ginger is too much to resist. Jim and Chris Square of Golden Gate Estates took a cruise last year, and were struck by the number of dancing vacationers.

"We said, gads, there's a lot of people out there who really dance well," Chris Square said.

This March when they take their next cruise, they want to be prepared.

In addition, they agree, it's something they can do together. But partners aren't necessary, Volpe said; dancers who wish to learn are welcome to attend alone, and couples often trade off partners, too, giving everyone a chance to dance.

By the end of the two-hour class, some dancers are ready for a break. Others are just getting warmed up, adding their own steps and singing along to the standards, which include a healthy dose of Old Blue Eyes and more than a sampling of swing.

Annette Mazzeo of Naples and Gary Eskin of Fort Myers held each other close as they danced.

The couple is dating, and this is their first foray into ballroom dancing together. Mazzeo has taken some ballet; Eskin took ballroom dance classes at age 11 at the urging of his father, who told him it would give him the grace of baseball great Mickey Mantle.

"It's something we can do together," Eskin said of the classes, "in addition to all the other things we do together."

Volpe has taught the class for 12 years, since it was first offered. Some who attend are retirees, he said, looking for a fun hobby; others are young couples on their way to the altar who wish to wow the audience when they dance their first song as newlyweds.

Mit and Dimple Desai of Naples were married a few years ago; when they danced their first dance, Mit Desai recalled, "we felt like robots out there."

They still sort of feel that way when they dance, they agreed. That's what drew them to the class.

"Usually we just sit down and watch everyone else," Dimple Desai said.

Volpe encourages others in the same predicament to do as the Desais did and attend. Give ballroom dance a twirl and a try, he said.

"It's not so painful," Volpe said. "And if you watch, they're having a good time."