Ever wanted to learn to tango? Interested in the arts?

The Center of Contemporary Arts (COCA), is recognized by The Riverfront Times as “Best Arts Organization” in St. Louis.

It is located near the Delmar Loop and is accessible by car or metro.

One of the main events is Club 524, geared toward young adults 18 and up. Club 524 is a dance night COCA schedules once a month that utilizes different themes.

On Sept. 5 is the swing themed dance night, during which certified COCA faculty will teach an hour of introductory swing. The night will end with a social dance party.

Other past and future themes have included tango and salsa.

Beginners are welcome and no partner is necessary. Club 524 starts at 7 p.m. and runs until midnight.

COCA also runs a series of theatre companies throughout the year that put on various performances. Scorched, performed by resident theatre company named The Orange Girls, tells the story of two children investigating the mystery of their mother’s life, and discovering the truth about themselves in the process.

Other performances scheduled for the upcoming year include the Stars of Peking Acrobats, a multi cultural display of acrobatic precision and balance and Jason and the Argonauts, a story about a young child’s quest, complete with sea monsters and dragons.

Same Sprit, Different Movements will also be performed.

When a performance of the show was staged in New York City with a different cast, The New York Times called it “a hip-hop revue with killer dancing.”

In addition to all the events and performances at COCA, there are also dozens of classes to take, including dance, theatre and visual arts.

An added convenience for the busy college student is the Fitness and Dance Card.

“The Fitness and Dance Card allows people with busy schedules the opportunity to ‘drop-in’ for classes as their schedules allow,” said marketing manager of COCA, Tom Wickersham.

Acting as a sort of punch card, The Fitness and Dance Card allows students to go to any class they would like, free of commitment to a specific one.

COCA’s main goal is to reach out to the St. Louis community through its artistic programs, helping members of that community learn valuable life skills in the practice of those artistic skills.

“The art fosters creativity in all pursuits, but also helps people develop strategic thinking skills that are transferable to other tasks and projects,” said Wickersham

To see the dates of upcoming events and to learn more about what COCA has to offer, visit their website at www.cocastl.org.