When Al Pacino literally swept Gabrielle Anwar off her feet during the passionate tango number in “Scent of a Woman,” everyone in the room turned their heads to watch.

And rightfully so.

When the tango is performed the traditional Argentine way, it is something to watch. The live display of seemingly effortless twirls, dips and fancy footwork, accompanied by a deliberate Argentine pulse, cries out for attention.

So when Maestro Osvaldo Requena of Buenos Aires had the idea in 1986 to create a group for the specific purpose of performing variations of this dance with others, his venture was bound to be successful.

Tango Buenos Aires was originally created for the “Jazimnes” festival at a famous Buenos Aires cabaret called “Michelangelo.”

“The group came together as a result of this event,” Paul Ferrone, director of performing arts programming at the Iowa State Center, said.

After the group was established, Requena began to write music for the group to dance. He used the skills he had obtained from working with some of the best tango and folkloric performers in his country to create originals and arrangements of well-known tango tunes.

Requena’s brainchild quickly spread around Argentina, and it wasn’t long before it spread even farther.

Eventually, the group, which currently consists of six musicians and eight pairs of dancers, decided to branch out to perform at festivals and other venues all over Latin America and the United States.

Finally, in 1989, the group expanded its touring base to places in Europe, South America and Asia, and for the past decade has continued to perform all over the world.

On the troupe’s 1999 touring schedule is a stop in Ames at Stephens Auditorium on Saturday night. Such an act is not normally common to the Stephens stage, however, Ferrone said due to the resurgence of dancing in America, he thought central Iowa residents might enjoy such a performance.

“There have been a number of shows on Broadway that have featured the tango,” Ferrone said. “We wanted to bring in something directly from Argentina.”

Ferrone added that the hispanic population in central Iowa has been growing rapidly, and it’s necessary to bring in something to react to this growing population.

“[The hispanic population] should have the opportunity to see performances that speak to their heritage,” he said.

But Ferrone said people from all heritages should value the opportunity to see live cultural dancing, especially cultural dancing that involves a band that plays on stage while the dancers tango.

“It’s quite visual,” Ferrone said. “The musicians are part of what you see on stage. It’s a great chance to enjoy watching the tango being performed by professionals.”

Ames residents can get another opportunity to see the tango performed live at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Four of the Tango Buenos Aires dancers, along with local dance teacher Valerie Williams, will be conducting a free tango dance class in room 196 of the Forker building.

“Once you see [the dancers] there, you’ll want to go to the show,” Ferrone said. “Bring your boyfriend or your girlfriend. If you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s a great way to get back together again.”

Tango Buenos Aires will dance into Stephens Auditorium Saturday night for a performance at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $7.50, $10 and $12.50 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets.