BALLROOM DANCE, Anyone?

By: Danny S. Villanueva

Ballroom dancing is in the air once again in Tarlac. Our Community is looking at including ballroom dancing to our upcoming fellowship nights in October and November. Everybody is looking forward to a ball aside form the usual singing and short comic skit presentation.

You bet, here in Tarlac, we got the works- fox trot, reggae, rhumba, mambo, cha-cha, waltz, tango, samba, boogie, swing, LA walk and many more. To be sure that you dance your way out all through out the night with the non-stop live orchestra music, they got people to teach you to dance. No, they are not dancing attorneys nor attorneys-at-dance. They are actually dance teachers for hire. Like real lawyers though, they defend you and keep you from harms way at the ballroom. Don't you worry about you stepping on their toes. These dance tutors are always on their toes to absorb such hazard of their job. No, they don't wear steel-toe-shoes, just plain dancing shoes.

I know what you are thinking, Jun M. No way that you can dance the Manila's "maski-pap (maski papano na lang)." It is no ballroom dance at all. You should acquire the art and that's ballroom dancing. No, it is not bullroom dancing even. But like the bull fight arena, I could imagine Tonino, Kuya Rol, Dn and me would be the graceful matadors dancing and caressing our toros-Dz, Dc, Ate Ludy and Sabrie with Don Dodje on the side, cheering - ole, ole, ole - with a cold glass of mompo. Now I see your point Jun M. You may call it bullroom dancing then. Hahahaha.

I remember when I was with a Rotary club (1990-1996) that some of the Rotarians' Anns (wives) brought along their gay DI's. Instead of the male asking the female to dance, our guys observed that the Anns were the ones asking these dance commissioners (paid with commission fees per hour; hehehe) to dance them. And when they danced, they did it with gusto, non-stop. This likely made the Rotarians feel left out like wall flowers, unwanted and envious (pa drama pa).
Of course, the guys claimed that they were able to dance with their Anns once in a while, though, "kasi lawit dila na ang mga DI's na pinagpapasahan ng mga ladies."

And there was this all night Tarlac town fiesta's ballroom at the plaza where the Anns brought along gay DI's who kept the ladies on the dancing floor all night. I enjoyed dancing with Sabrie the New York New York swing, cha-cha, reggae, the sweet (slow drag) and the very sweet. We also tried the waltz and pasa-doble. She learned these dances from Hector and Chicklet (no, not the sweet and the very sweet dances; I taught Sabrie those ones), the gay DI's who taught our ladies in our community in one of those party-teaching sessions.

In retaliation to their Anns' (spouses') wonderful time with their gay DI's, some of the guys learned to dance with the same gay DI's in due time. And one Rotarian friend quipped to me, "Hey Dan, masmasarap isayaw si Hector at si Chicklet than the girls." Naloko na po kami.

Well, sure I could have danced with Hector and the likes during dance teaching sessions, but not during the actual ball. Dyahi, me dancing with Hector and Chicklet? While it is true that even during a ball, we could not help get instruction from our dancing tutors. No, no, Jun M, it would be impractical for our dancing commissioners to change attires to suit their patrons. Say, from tuxedo pants to mini skirts. If we allow them to do that, mauubos ang oras sa powder room. Hahaha.

So you see, Jun M, we guys may need female commissioners if our spouses could not dance at all. As long we guys would be able to recognize the real ones. Ay mali !!! #DSV