Week 6 – tonites class taken by Rory … not as good as Ian but then I think we have been spoilt by having the best (you can pay me later Ian). We did the Latin fitness step and some sort of shuffle with a double hop in the middle. I have trouble seeing how this will fit into any routine I may be considering in the near future.

But enough of boring dance class the real fun is the dance party nights. This Saturday was carnival night. There must have been about 300 people rock up at 7pm. It took until 7.30 just to get everyone through the door! I forgot my card but luckily Dave on the door let me in for the member price. Thanks Dave, and don’t worry I wont tell anyone. While everyone was being fleeced of a whole $8 each, Tarcisio (that’s Guedo’s real name) entertained us with some flashy dance steps and a lot of chitchat that no one except Tarcisio understood.

The beginner’s lesson didn’t start until about 7.45. There were that many people we had to from three circles instead of the usual one. With 300 people in the room it was pretty crowded making conditions very hot and not leaving a lot of space to twirl your partner. I was glad I decided to dress down, choosing to wear a singlet and jeans for the carnival. I felt a bit under-dressed outside but as the night progressed I noticed the boys in shirts were sweating buckets and I was still relatively cool. I think too, that my new super short haircut helped keep me cool.

I felt a lot more comfortable dancing tonight and one more advanced partner ever taught me a few new moves to along with the merengue. When we changed partners I showed these moves to other beginners. They were suitably impressed as we did circles with our arms wrapped behind our heads. From time to time Tarcisio would stop the music and have us introduce ourself to one of the many dance partners. This time I was prepared and after the intro, discussed a pre-arranged meeting place with each partner. So when it came time to find partner number one again it wasn’t as much trouble as last week. I think I am getting the hang of this dance party stuff.

Every second Saturday there is a live band. This Saturday was special as the band played for about half an hour inside and then picked up their instruments and marched out into the street. We all followed in a huge procession that went 30 meters down the street. I was not sure what step we were doing so I opted for my own interpretation of a salsa. There were a few very interesting characters in the crowd. One dancer carried a monkey in a palm tree and another looked like he was practicing for the Sydney mardi grass.

Unfortunately just as the evening was hotting up I had to leave. The following morning I was to go scuba diving and wanted to have an early night. As it happened I was so hyped up when I got home I could not sleep so I stayed up to write this instalment.