790  BEING ASSURED OF A DANCE

Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 20:50:35 -0400
From: DANCE MORE TANGO TEES 'N THINGS <24tango@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: BEING ASSURED OF A DANCE

Astrid wrote:

> Yes, it is extremely discouraging to show up at some new milonga, pay a

high

> price ar the door, and then spend the evening being ignored and stuck on a
> chair, because men there will only dance with women they already know, or
> those new ones they want to "pick up" or "check out".
> It's almost a catch 22 for female newcomers, either you have to bring your
> own friend to dance with, or find someone to introduce you, or present
> yourself as a competitive part of the meat rack. What if one does not know
> anyone and just wants to dance ?

If you are unfortunate enough to have to go to the milongas alone, instead
of with a local woman who everyone knows, then it is a wise idea to sit for
awhile and watch the dancers, zeroing in on someone you think is a good
dancer. Try to get their eye and play the game. You only have to dance
one tanda so the other dancers can see how you dance. Unless you have
only one leg there is no excuse for anyone to sit on the sidelines. Other
valid reasons would be that you are ugly or really fat. You may also make
sure that you are realistic in the milongas you choose to attend. If you
are
over the age where your jeans do not attractively expose most of your lower
torso then dont attend those types of milongas.

And by the way, the milongas are so cheap now that even if you go in and
stay an hour and leave, there is not much lost.


regards to the list,
norma

>

Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 05:16:05 -0700
From: luda_r1 <luda_r1@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Being assured of a dance

Norma wrote in reply to Astrid's recent post:

"....Unless you have only one leg there is no excuse
for anyone to sit on the sidelines. Other valid
reasons would be that you are ugly or really fat...."

And not even then! :)

I would like to share with you a story about a couple
which I consider one of the highlights of my entire
dancing life.

This happened on one of the Caribbean islands,
Trinidad or Tobago, I think, some years back. I was at
a rather swank gathering which featured one of the
best local steel bands. Everyone was dressed to the
teeth, the setting was glorious, on a terrace
overlooking the ocean...palm trees everywhere, and the
music...well...to die for! Lots of people danced. Not
just calypso, a varied repertoire, geared for an
international crowd. However, there was one black
couple which stood out, head and shoulders, above the
rest. Literally! They were both ENORMOUS! At least 6.5
feet each. Or so it seemed. Anyway, they both towered
at least a head above everybody else in the room, you
could see them from everywhere, and they both weighed
about ... hmmmm... 350 lbs. each! Maybe more. It was
hard to tell. They looked quite well-proportioned.
Just ... large.

And it didn't matter one bit! They both moved so
gracefully, so beautifully, so elegantly across the
dance floor, it was like watching poetry in motion.
They put us all to shame. I was mesmerized, and so
were apparently quite a few other people, judging by
the appreciative glances cast their way. They moved
rather slowly and deliberately, slower than the rest
(they had more "mass" to work with :)), following the
beat perfectly, with a regal, majestic bearing, using
steps which were probably of their own invention for
the most part, tuned only into the music, and each
other. The tenderness with which the man led the woman
was incredibly touching, as if she were a fragile,
delicate flower, liable to break, if not handled
carefully. Inspite of her size. And all this while
sweating profusely, in the sultry tropical heat. It
was a sight to behold. I've never seen anything like
it, before or since. I would have given my right arm
to dance with that guy, but none of the people in my
group knew them, so they couldn't introduce me.

Later I learned that this particular couple had been
married for umpteen number of years, but you couldn't
tell from the way they were dancing with each other.
:)

Luda



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