Friday, February 14, 2014

Smoke gets in your eyes


Do you remember how romantic it was, dancing Tango on an empty dance floor to The Platters?*
*This was back in 2011, before Irene lost 15 pounds and before Man Yung gained 15 pounds!

We usually dance Tango to Tango music in Milongas...but sometimes, in small doses, we have had a wonderful time dancing Tango at unexpected times in unexpected places to unexpected music.

"Remember when we first started dancing Tango?  There was no milonga one night so we went to the local Chinese restaurant which was hosting a ballroom social.  It was quite interesting watching all the Chinese ballroom dancers fudge their steps and running back into the same corner of the dance floor to start their step sequences all over again!  And yes, don't forget the Face Dancing!"

"I remember that, they were very funny!  But wasn't it great when they played Rod Stewart's 'Have I Told You Lately' at the end of night?  We danced just the few steps of Tango we knew to the song.  Even though we couldn't dance well at that time, it was magic. The whole world slipped away and it felt like it was only us on the dance floor."

"How about that time in Montreal at the brunch buffet at the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth?  There was a singer with a guitar, singing Spanish songs to a crowd too busy eating to care. We asked him in Spanish to play a Tango, and he smiled and played 'Sur' for us.  We danced on the carpet in our street shoes."

"There was that time at the cinema...we were there before the movie started.  I think we were watching "Before Sunset".  There was no-one in the cinema yet, and there was music playing.  I don't remember what song they were playing, but we liked it, and we got up to dance on the empty space just in front of the screen."

"That was a lovely moment.  I also liked sneaking into the big hall with the wooden floor at Trinity College just before your "Marx" class.  You'd play some music on your phone and we would practice steps trying not to make any noise so that we wouldn't get kicked out!"

We have danced in deserted gazebos in parks all around town.  We have danced on a flurry covered porch, and in the snow right next to a bus stop.  We have danced in the airport next to the gate, waiting for our flight.  We have danced to Mayumi Itsuwa, Eva Cassidy, Carole King, even the Beatles.  We have danced before breakfast, during lunch break, and we have even stopped to dance while eating dinner.  Even when we are asleep, we sometimes dream we are embracing each other to the music, moving with our eyes closed.

All it takes is a knowing look into each other's eyes, a shared smile, and a loving embrace - we can take our romance with us wherever we go, just because of Tango.

It happens to be Chinese Valentine's Day as well as Western Valentine's Day today.  There are at least three Valentine's milongas going on tonight in Toronto, but we didn't go to any of them, we stayed home and cooked a delicious home-made seafood dinner.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!



7 comments:

Preen and Ogle said...

Do I see Man Yung doing one of Osvaldo's leads at 1.20 min.

Irene and Man Yung said...

Dear Preen and Ogle,

Yes, Man Yung is dancing some of Osvaldo's steps there and quite a few times throughout the song too.

Thanks for your comment!

Irene and Man Yung

jessiechung said...

Dear Irene and Man Yung,

Dorian always pushes Jessie to dance at odd times and places. It feels extraordinarily romantic when dancing on the deck of a cruise under the glaring sun. We share with you the romanticism and the special bond that allows you to dance together anywhere anytime. Your little dance to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was sweet, gentle, and most endearing. We had a hasty Valentine's Day dinner followed by a barefoot Tango (for Dorian) and booted Tango (for Jessie) for we didn't prepare to dance but couldn't hold back when we got to the milonga. Maybe, with your inspiration, Jessie will accept Dorian's invitation more often now at odd places.

Cheers,
Jessie and Dorian

gabylasheras said...

Hi! my name is Gaby I am from Buenos Aires, Do you have an email where I can write to you in private?

Gracias!!!
Gabriela.

Irene and Man Yung said...

Dear Jessie and Dorian,

Hope that you have lots of opportunity for romantic, spur of the moment tango! Just last Sunday we were ready to leave the milonga before the last tanda and had our coats and sweaters on - but the music was particularly inspiring so we danced in all those winter clothes with without tango shoes. We looked like bears with all our clothes!

Thanks for your comment!

Irene and Man Yung

Irene and Man Yung said...

Dear Gaby,

You can reach us at ireneandmanyung(at)gmail.com. Talk to you soon!


Irene and Man Yung

Martha said...

Lovely! and so romantic!
Martha
marthasapartment.blogspot

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