Mr Tango praises NZ dance

By KATHERINE HOBY

The man who taught Al Pacino to tango says anyone can learn to dance.

"I can teach anyone," Paul Pellicoro says.

"Anyone except the person who refuses to try."

Mr Pellicoro is in New Zealand to visit friends, and agreed to take a few private classes at Auckland studios this week.

He runs Dancesport International Ballroom and Latin Dance Studio, the biggest tango school in New York, and his students have included Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, Robert De Niro and Vanessa Williams as well as Pacino.

Mr Pellicoro choreographed the famous scene in the 1992 film Scent of a Woman where Pacino, playing a blind man, dances a dramatic tango.

"We'd tango for 20 minutes, then take a 15-minute cappuccino break," he says.

"Al was big on breaks."

But Pacino was also committed to learning the sensual dance, and practised blindfold at some points to prepare for the role.

Mr Pellicoro and his long-time dance partner, Eleny Fotinos, have taught many actors and actresses to dance - for movies, commercials or television.

New Zealand has a lively dance scene, says Mr Pellicoro, who was born in New York.

And contrary to the traditional image of the New Zealand male, the men and women of this country are good dancers.

"You have an intuition for dance," he says.

"You are like Americans and warm up to it quickly. Whereas the British get there eventually - they take longer to get close."

Partner dancing is a great way of meeting people, and Mr Pellicoro swears it keeps one young.

He points to Auckland instructor John Young, 71, who has been teaching for more than 50 years.

"He's in great shape and doesn't look like slowing down any."

Tango makes a woman feel feminine, he says. And reminds a man of who he is.

"A woman can relax and feel like a woman when she dances. And the dance brings out the sensitivity in a man. Women admire sensitivity in a man and admiration of women is never a bad thing," he says.

"Hey, we live and we die and we have space to fill in between. Moving together with a partner is a pretty nice way to fill in time."