Boot Scootin' Boogey

We found a place to dance in Boise. We went to the Eagles Lodge #115 off Overland Drive. They were having their singles mixer on Sunday night, but we went anyway. There was a pretty good crowd even though the Western Idaho Fair is going on this week. There is an excellent hardwood floor and lots of space for dancing. It was pretty inexpensive too. On Sunday night there was a five piece band called "Deep Water". They did a great job. They played country and western music with waltzes, foxtrots, rhumbas, some cha-cha, and of course the "Boot Scootin' Boogey".

We liked it so much that we went back on Wednesday night taking Doris' niece and her Dad. This was billed as their "Over 40" night. This was pretty generous. They could have advertised an "Over 70" night and still been honest. The band for Wednesday was "The Rebels". They were even more country than "Deep Water". Along with the "Boot Scootin' Boogey", they played mostly country two step and country waltzes and swing.

We had a great time. Especially with the mixer. They would have all the gentlemen get in the center of the dance floor and all the ladies in a ring around them. When the music started the ladies would choose a partner. After a couple of minutes the music would stop and everyone would circle the room two-by-two. When the music started again the gentleman would partner with the lady two spots ahead in line. When the music stopped again everyone lined up four-by-four. Then the gentlemen would switch partners within their foursome. We really met some nice folks. But then, you always meet the nicest folks when dancing. They also have a dance on Saturday nights but we won't be in town for that one.

I Tango, You Tango, We Tango

We made our first foray into Argentine Tango last weekend. I saw an ad in the Weekend Section of the Washington Post for a performance of I Tango at the Lisner Auditorium down at George Washington University. We had been hearing about Argentine Tango, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to see what it is all about.

For the performance The Argentine Tango Society flew in 12 of Argentina's most accomplished Tango dancers in a premiere event. After the performance, the Argentine Embassy hosted an authentic Milonga, a Tango party. Also appearing were the young dancers from the American Ballroom Theater Youth Performance Company, who starred in the documentary movie, Mad Hot Ballroom. It was two hours of some excellent music and dance. These couples can really move. Both the dancing and music were world class.

We had planned on going to the milonga, but the traffic and parking around Dupont Circle defeated us. We should have taken a cab from the auditorium to the Embassy.

We continued our foray last night by going to the Dance With Me studio in Herndon for a group lesson in Argentine Tango. We were instructed by Susan Cox. She is a great instructor, especially for beginners. She taught us enough in a hour and a half to do the basic step and even added a fan and a turn.

Here is an interesting article about Tango from the Society of Neuroscience.