Dank U

That's Dutch for thank you. And this is in relation to the "why won't he dance with me" thread. I've called a few tangueros across the States, as well as beyond the States to survey the answer.

One thing I hadn't thought of was this - I won't dance with a woman who offended one of my friends. Some people are loyal to a fault when it comes to their friends. I can well understand my dislike of someone who offended one of my bosom buddies. And I have shunned a few dancers in my day because of this very reason. So my dear ladies, be careful of who you're rude to - or better yet, it is a better policy to be rude to no one.

A woman's aroma - though rare- my affect some people the wrong way. Too much perfume will nauseate, some perfumes are just so heady it is overwhelming to the senses or some gentlemen even prefer women with no perfume. And by the end of the sweaty night, even the most well groomed of women may become an embarrassment. To err on the side of caution, I bring along a small bottle of soap smelling eau de toilette. No one objects to the clean smell of soap, regardless of the most discriminating of nostrils.

Sigh - tango is indeed a two way street. Just because one person feels a connection doesn't mean the other person feels exactly the same way. Although I have a funny story to tell on this one.

------ I was dancing at a local favourite. A gentleman of great esteem found himself smitten with me after a time. This was a few years ago. I just found out about the crush along the grapevine a few months ago. The gentleman is American - a significant factor. I've always believed that the push for equality and political correctness in this country went too far and the mating rituals and rules got really fuzzy down someone's toilet. Where I come from the males and the rituals are a little more clear. Generally if a males sees a female he likes/adores he goes after her with due attention. Makes perfect sense to me.

The grapevine that told me of this long ago crush made me smile with irony. I had a crush on him too, around the general time he had a crush on me. However, I believed since he didn't give me any indication whatsoever that he had any partiality towards me, I summed it up as a dead end endeavour. Ships passing in the night, I guess.

Onward we go---

Mark dear, it's such a sad, sad thing to hear you won't have a tangeura who's better than you. You're missing out. I've danced with many beginners, some good, some bad, some extremely regretful and some wonderful. A tango is a tango is a tango - all precious when done right. As for the intricate movements, the fancy boleos, double ganchos, they're just window dressing. To me, those things are like Christmas presents - pretty wrappings, but hardly the present itself.

One of my favourtie dancers is Robert Hauk out of Portland (he teaches too). He's not into the fancy stuff and some women confess they don't know why he's so popular. To be honest, he's no Homer or Murat, but the ladies who have danced with him say something like this...

"An ocho with Robert, is no ordinary ocho. It is the delicate and sublime movement of your body in accordance to music and man." Hmmm... Yum.

It's not what you know my dear, it's what you do with it, and most importantly HOW you do it. I've had sublime dances that were just mesmerizing walks and slow, sensual turns about the floor.

In the end it's how you feel that matters most.