special

me: "how come everyone loves dancing with him so much?"

tanguera: "he finds something special in every person."

me: "i will remember this forever."

my current master alternative sets

Here is my current master list of alternative sets.

I would love to hear from you about your favorite alternative tracks!

click me

grin and bear it

dear diary,

i have a bad thought.

i have been following quite a bit. i enjoy (sometimes very very much) some leaders. and then there are those... and i keep thinking, "omg, is what's going on inside my head also in those women who dance with you?"

horrified... what if I am one of those leaders...

ok ok ok snap out of it.

small talk

dear diary,

i don't know what to do. it's one thing that so many of my dances have been fantastic. what's driving me nuts are the moments between songs. there isn't anything that i want to say. i just have this silly grin on my face. i can't even look at my partners, because i know i have this silly grin on my face, thus i look silly. i mean, we just shared a great moment, and now what do i say? "so tell me how are things?" or, "did you hear that piece on npr about oxytocin?" "isn't this a wonderful spring day?"

how do you go from sublime to chitchat??? ????????

so what happens? we dance. we separate. i have silly grin. i don't know what to say. i say whatever. and as quickly as i can, i return to the embrace.

...

i watch him; i do not process what i see, only that i am witness. i strain to not analyze. just take it all in. let it all be inside my mind. let my body learn to express it... in time.

smooth balance

friend: "you know, i dance with you, with tangueroX, with tangueroY, with tangueroZ. you are all martial artists... and all so smooth."

me (nodding)

friend: "i was so surprised in the beginning. i thought that you [plural] would be so strong and tough..."

me: "when i am not smooth, that's when i lose as a fighter."

friend: "hmmm"

me: "it's hard to be in balance right?"

friend: "yes."

me: "now imagine holding that balance when your opponent is trying everything he knows to take that away from you."

friend: "i see."

what men talk about

(three tangueros)

t1 (to t2): "where do you get your pants?"

t2: "it's a long story..."

t1: "i have such a hard time looking for pants that have the right cut..."

t1, t2, t3 (all nod)

t1: "i end up having to buy pants that are just right at the bottom, but way too big around the waist."

t1, t2, t3 (knowing nods, in total agreement)

t3: "so what happens?"

t1: "well, it gets all bunched up at the front."

t2: "or worse, at the back."

t3: "thus explains why no tanguero ever tugs his shirt."

t2: "hey, show us!"

t1 (stands up, pulls up his shirt...)

t2, t3 (burst into loud laughter): "yup!"

buzz

(between songs)

me: "whoa. inspiration! i tried a couple of moves that i had never done before."

partner: "uh huh..."

me: "you know what, i need to wear those buzzer motors, like the ones in cellphones."

partner: "ha ha."

me: "this way, when i do a cool new move, you will feel the buzzer, and then you will say, 'hey! that was a really cool new move.' and i will feel super manly cool."

partner: "ha ha."

(somewhere in the music... i do the cool new move.)

me: "buzz."

april 2010 alternative tango playlist

click me

understanding

partner: "be careful, he is right behind you."

me: "no worries. he knows where i am."

partner (pause): "i see... you guys have an understanding..."

me (thinking to myself): "i love being in the line where there is mutual trust."

license

partner: "they should require licenses!"

me: "ha ha ha!!! yes! like a driver's test, people need to pass a test to earn their tango license."

drool

in the middle of a great set, in close embrace...

oh oh... i release my left arm to quietly (of course she is unaware of this most embarrassing faux pas)...

"just wiping off my drool."

she bursts into laughter.

omg

dear diary,

ever since this, my dances have become omg-wtf-fun-amazing-blissful...

what the heck happened??????

???