The music tells you when to begin each dance.

The bandoneon (a type of accordion) emits melancholy cries as the contra bass provides a robust tempo for the dance. Violins, cellos and piano add texture to the lilting sound of the tango.

And then it starts with a salida, or exit step.

Then a cross-step, or cruzada. From there, one can flow into a series of figure-eight motions, or a "grapevine" move (molaneta) where a partner walks around the lead.

Next is a brief stop (parada) and then a move during which the lead partner "sandwiches" the foot of his companion between his two feet.

That proceeds to a gancho -- when the woman hooks or swings her leg around her partner -- and then the sequence starts all over again.

Those six steps are the basics of Argentine tango, an exotic, interpretive dance that is flourishing right here in the Northeast.

Since April, milonguero Andrew Conway -- the tango master -- has taught those exact moves to scores of adventurous folks at the Top Hat Dance Studio, 3114 Willits Road, every Friday night.

"Argentine tango is completely improvisational," he explained. "As you study the dance, you learn new sequences of steps and new steps, but they can all be intertwined and changed and strung together in any fashion.

"You can say Argentine tango is like a snowflake, in that each time you dance, it can be completely different," he added. "You may never do the same exact sequence of steps twice."

BE A DANCIN' MACHINE

Under the watchful eye of Conway, described as "a tango god" in one dance-related publication, even those cursed with two left feet will be amazed to find themselves deftly executing dance steps they had thought were impossible after just one lesson.

The key, he said, "is the connection to your partner. The technique and the balance that you need to maintain with your partner is crucial. It's completely different than any ballroom connection. Any of the Latin dances are more or less open. You don't have an embrace. In Argentine tango, we make a connection at the chest and through our arms, and we basically stay in front of each other."

At 8:30 sharp each Friday evening, Conway takes the handful of intrepid folks who journey to Top Hat and transforms them into pairs of graceful dancers.

The environment is welcoming, both to first-timers and experienced tango dancers.

"It's a very warm and friendly community. Everybody is always more than happy to help new people," he said of the Friday night lessons."

One hour later, the real fun begins when the lesson ends and the dance party begins.

Since there are no clubs in the city that regularly feature tango, Conway feels an obligation not only to spread the joys of Argentine tango but to provide an outlet for the discipline and foster a fledgling community for the dance. That's why the lessons serve a dual purpose. He even established the Tango Society of Philadelphia earlier this year to further grow the movement locally.

Classically trained in the Buenos Aires, Argentina, dance studios where tango originated, the Fishtown resident seemingly is the perfect purveyor of tango to American audiences.

He wasn't always.

"It took quite a while for me to become dedicated and deeply passionate about tango," he said. "I had a hard time hearing the music, dancing without looking at my feet and developing the fluidity necessary to do tango."

It is common for newcomers to encounter similar growing pains.

"I do believe that it is harder for people to just let out that flow of energy where they are more or less moved by the music and not trying to remember, 'left foot, right foot, turn here, turn there.' It's definitely a challenge in the beginning," Conway said. "The more you dance, the more you listen to the music, the more you practice, it becomes much easier."

TANGO ALL NIGHT

So impressive are his moves now, said Conway, that native Argentineans even praised the skill of the gringo as he strutted his stuff in Buenos Aires salons, or nightclubs, when he trained three years ago in the South American country.

"After one dance they asked me if I was a professional," he said.

The formal dress of a milonguero is a dark-colored pin-striped suit, shirt and tie, polished wing tips and a crisp fedora. Women normally wear a slinky, form-fitting dress with a slit nearly up to the hip.

His pilgrimage to Buenos Aires to train under the masters wasn't all fun and games.

"It was live, sleep, eat and breathe tango," he explained. "From the minute I woke up in the morning, we danced. It started with a review of what I had learned the day before and then dancing for the next four hours.

"We had a siesta in the afternoon, late-night dinner and then dancing from midnight until five a.m. Then a few hours sleep before waking up and repeating the whole cycle again. That is the lifestyle of a milonguero."

Conway isn't nearly that hard on his pupils, though.

The dancer first came in contact with tango about five years ago during a transitional phase in his life.

A friend invited Conway to a demonstration of the dance, and it "mesmerized" him.

After learning the dance for about a year, he was invited to participate in a Valentine's Day recital. His performance won him plaudits and a part-time teaching job at a dance studio.

As his skill improved, Conway branched into other directions, offering private lessons at his Northern Liberties studio and teaching an adult continuing-education dance class at Temple University.

He traveled to Argentina to study with the masters.

And now he is trying to spread the gospel of tango.

The dance has opened several doors for Conway, whose moves have landed him roles in television commercials, documentaries and even an independent film.

When not dancing, Conway keeps those creative juices flowing by designing exhibits for Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum.

But motion is the true lifeblood of this lord of the dance.

"Argentine tango, in my opinion, is true _expression," said Conway, noting that he rarely choreographs his moves because that would be untrue to the spirit of Argentine tango.

"It is an emotional _expression and an inspiration by the song that you are listening to, the partner you're dancing with, how you feel that night and the venue that you're dancing in."

For more information, visit www.tangogod.com or call 215-634-1101.

Reporter Julian Walker can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jwalker@phillynews.com