I'm going to be honest with you. I am obsessed with the tango.

The fluid yet intense drama of the music. The passion that emanates out of an utterly technical and complicated piece of choreography. The ebb and flow of two entangled bodies in the throes of dance.

Nestled among the shops of Old Sacramento is a place where the steamy dance halls of Buenos Aires have taken up residence in a local Northern California dance studio.

Tango by the River is the brain child of Donna Williams who founded the dance studio seven years ago as a reaction to her own deep affection for the dance that was born in Argentina during the mid-1800s.

From the regular class instruction on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings to the Argentine Tango Dance Parties known as Milongas held on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, Williams, along with her dance staff, treats her students to an experience that has been described as mystical and sultry.

While I have yet to take my first, rhythmic strides down the hardwood floor, I am thrilled to have found this gem hidden in our fair city. I'm even more delighted by the prospect that the offerings at Tango by the River will provide an exciting and budget-friendly means to indulge my obsession. For a listing of class schedules and pricing I strongly urge all interested parties to visit them on the Web at http://www.rivertango.com/index.html.