February Follies

Hear Ye, Hear Ye - next week, in the local newspaper, our newly married Couple will be featured in their Hook Wedding insert. It seems our photographer knew someone who knew someone who thought they had a romantic story. What a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day, right? Being a true romantic at heart, I had always celebrated the day at home, even sending Valentine's goody boxes to both kids when they flew the nest. My daughter, however, never liked cupid's day, preferring to repeat her Dad's mantra of calling it a "Hallmark Holiday." Smart women who are single through most of their 20's, or may have dated one semi-monogamous-commitment-phobic man after another, are rightfully jaded by cupid's bow. The Groom in fact, knowing my daughter's true feelings about Valentine's Day, ignored the day that first year they became a Couple...much to her dismay. You see, secretly she wanted to be wooed, who doesn't? Instead, he surprised her with flowers, candy and a hand-made card on President's Day! I told you he's a keeper.

Here is a small tease about the featured wedding article; when asked to describe their love story in one sentence or less, this was her reply:
"We met in anatomy lab while dissecting a cadaver, how could we help but fall in love?"

And last night, I fell head over red T-strapped heels in love with the Tango all over again. My husband and I had a much needed night out on the town with good friends. A delicious dinner in a fancy restaurant on the pedestrian mall, followed by an exhilarating performance of the Tango Fire Company of Buenos Aires at The Paramount Theatre. I turned to my friend mid-milonga and said, "This is sex in clothes!" I'm not sure why, but I fell in love with the accordion player (also known as a bandoneon) in the band and made a decision immediately to study the Tango. Years ago, we took some ballroom dancing lessons, which included your basic American Tango, but this is the apex - the supremely divine Argentinian Tango. The women were ravishing and actually smiled with pleasure instead of looking off and away disdainfully while they danced. The dresses were to die for, slit up to here with a touch of Vegas thrown in, and the men. Ah, the men were real men! Dashing and dark, strong and engaging, strutting like peacocks across the floor. It was ballet, with passion and desire, longing and pain mixed with ecstasy. It's hard to describe the Tango, it's something you must feel for yourself. And being an old modern dancer, who was once a student at the Martha Graham Company, I felt reborn.

It snowed last night. On the way to the theatre my husband's cell rang. It was the Bride. She was walking two miles home in a snow storm, since cars were piled six floors back trying to get out of the hospital's parking garage. I knew she was a New Englander at heart. And by the time we left the show, it was snowing here too. Just enough to keep cars in the left lane doing 30 miles an hour in our Southern town. So February, come on, show me what else you've got!

The name of the show was: "Tango Inferno — The Fire Within;” ten dancers, four instrumentalists and a vocalist. http://www.tango-fire.com/COMPANY.html