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Strictly West End style ... how tango is sweeping the dance floor at local classes

West End school comes alive with the sounds and sights of tango as Glaswegians flock to learn dancing

S trictly Come Dancing has been firing the passion for tango dance classes in Glasgow's West End, according to one dance school.

Glasgow Tango has been running classes from Notre Dame Primary School in Dowanhill for seven years, which attract pupils from across the West End and further afield.

Alistair MacDonald and his partner Shona Barr teach three types of classes: beginners, improvers and intermediate.

Watch: Glasgow Tango holds dance lessons at Notre Dame Primary school in the West End on Wednesday evenings.

Alistair said: "Shona, my partner, and I have been teaching tango classes since 2009 but we came to classes that started here in 2003, so tango has been going for a while here in Glasgow.

"It's something that is always different. So we learn principles just as a jazz musician would learn chords and scales, but then you dance with somebody and you are improvising with the music and with your partner.

"It's endlessly fascinating, there's always something more to learn."

He said the popularity of the BBC dancing show Strictly Come Dancing had inevitably ignited interest in all forms of dance.

"I think Strictly has been hugely important for social dancing in the UK. All sorts of dance classes have taken off since Strictly came to the screens," Alistair told Glasgow West End Today.

Steps: Alistair and Shona have been taking pupils through their paces since 2009.

"Certainly class numbers have risen since Strictly has been on. People have thought 'oh I could do that, I want to do that'.

"They see ordinary people dancing with professionals and think with a bit of practise that is something I could really enjoy. And yes, anybody can dance."

Alistair added: "Tango is fun, it's engaging. You're not just learning sequences of steps that will be the same every time you go out on the dance floor.

"It's something that you have to really get your teeth into, it's fascinating. It's not easy, but it is lots of fun. It's not impossible."

He said: "The next lot of beginners' classes begin in September so if you look at Glasgow Tango on our website you will see details about that and we are always looking for new people to come and dance.

"For people who have got some experience already they can come to one of the other levels, but for beginners we have a new group three times a year.

For more details about Glasgow Tango and lessons locally visit: http://www.glasgowtango.org.uk

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