A new dance has taken Oberlin by storm.

Unlike the wild gyrations popular in the ’Sco or the individual interpretations of modern dance, the tango requires more discipline, respect and selflessness than the average college student can muster. Proving that Obies are far more than average college students, they flooded the Argentine Tango ExCo with applications, eager to learn not only the steps but the mannerisms and etiquette that make up this sensual, controversial dance.

Taught by Tim and Joanne Pogros, a pair brought together by the romance of the tango, the class meets on Saturday afternoons in the Cat in the Cream. Though only in its second semester on campus, word of mouth has made this one of the most popular ExCos this semester. 175 students applied and 60 were accepted. Tim Pogros believes that the tango’s popularity at Oberlin stems from a longing for physical contact and social interaction.

“Not many kids learn how to dance socially. They want to know, ‘How do two bodies act as one?’” he said.

Originally danced between two men in secret with the intention of impressing prostitutes, the dance was later embraced by the French aristocracy and became popular. The class at Oberlin focuses on the milonguero style of tango, which Tim Pogros touts as the oldest, most authentic social form of the dance.

“This is not the flamboyant stuff that you see on TV, tossing the lady up in the air and all that,” he said. “What we teach is how it’s danced on Saturday night in Buenos Aires.”

To give students the true Argentine experience, Tim and Joanne Pogros first introduced cabeceo — the art of asking for a dance with one’s gaze.

“If I ask her like this,” he said, subtly making eyes at a student, “then no one will know if she turns me down. My machismo isn’t hurt.”

The couple, who has traveled to Argentina every year for the past five years, believes that these cultural norms are “part of the dance.”

“For Argentines, tango is life,” said Joanne Pogros. “Their whole culture is reflected in the tango — the respect, tradition and closeness. They kiss hello, they kiss goodbye. That’s their way, very warm.”

The pair has found that teaching the cultural implications of the dance to American youth has been harder than teaching the dance itself.

“American women don’t want to surrender,” he said. “This is a dance where the woman has to totally surrender to what the man leads. She can’t try to lead or she’ll steer the man off course.”

This surrendering is not the only difficult aspect for Americans.

“Another aspect of tango that is difficult for us to wrap our minds around is being in the moment, which is part of surrendering,” she said. “It’s about paying attention to your partner’s body language. If you’re thinking, ‘I have a test tomorrow and a party and…’ you’re taking your focus away from your partner, which is counterproductive. You need to focus 100 percent on your partner.”

Unlike dances that students may be used to, tango is a true partnership.

“It’s also about trust,” he said. “The woman has to trust the man, because he could easily let her fall on her face.”

As explained in the class syllabus, to dance tango is to “give the gift of one’s self for three minutes to each other, without speaking a word.” Despite the themes of “passionate longing” in the dance, Tim and Joanne Pogros use humor to communicate the basic steps. Analogies such as “pretend she’s a refrigerator” and “act like you’re holding a beer at a party” were common in the first class.

Though the full “Argentine Tango” class often struggles with the Cat’s cramped dance floor, frequently bumping awkwardly into tables, chairs or one another, Tim Pogros asserts that this environment is best.

“Tango is made for crowded spaces,” he said. “On a wide open dance floor it would be dull and boring. The best dancers can dance on a single tile.”

As it did last semester, the class plans to hold several social dances in Peters Hall in the upcoming months, including a special event on April 27 where Oscar Casas, a famous Argentine dancer, will lead a workshop.

Tim Pogros hopes that such dances will facilitate the community that tango requires.

“When I’m dancing, I’m not just dancing with my partner. I’m dancing with everyone on the dance floor. The whole floor moves as one,” he said.

The ’Sco dance floor is sure to be spiced up with Tango ExCo students converting the awkward masses into suave milongueros.