Cleveland Scene Magazine - Clinic Doc Doubles as Tango Expert

CLEVELAND SCENE MAGAZINE - 8/30/06
Night & Day

During office hours, Jeannette Potts is a joke-cracking urologist at The Cleveland Clinic. But after work today, she peels off her scrubs to become Dr. Tango for the weekly Street Beats performance series. “It’ll be like a piece of art on the sidewalk,” says Potts. “It’s like bringing a little piece of Argentina to Cleveland.”

Potts learned to tango in 2001 after watching an exhibition of Latin dance. Since then, she’s been teaching several styles of Argentine tango to fellow physicians and corporate leaders. “It no longer seems inaccessible. It isn’t far away or exotic anymore,” says Potts. “It’s a fresh form of dancing, and that’s what brings in the passion.”

Next year Potts publishes Tango: Lessons For Life, a book about the link between traditional tango and modern medicine. “In a surgical or emergency setting, the thought is ‘don’t just stand there, do something,’” she says. “But a seasoned dancer is not uncomfortable with silence and savors the moment to regroup with a partner. That’s what doctors should do with their patients.”

Dr. Tango performs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on West Sixth Street, between St. Clair and Frankfort Avenues. Admission is free. Call 216-426-7335.