[Dixielandjazz] Dancing lessons?

[Jim Kashishian]

Larry asked:
I have noticed a new trend and it happened again Saturday night.   The Bride

and Groom have taken dancing lessons.  Is this something that is happening
elsewhere?


My wife & I took 3 months of dancing lessons to learn the Salsa & the
Merengue before going to our son's wedding in Colombia last November.
Although we never were able to move like the Colombians, we received
compliments from the bride's family for giving it a good try.
We had a ball, and showed up all our kids & all their friends that had come
to Barranquilla with us.  None of them could do the dances!  The groom (our
son) took 10 months of lessons a few years back before his first trip to his
sweethearts home in Colombia.  He is very good, and his bride is
unbelieveable.  The bottom half of my body just doesn't move that way, no
matter what I do!

Anyway, we danced all night at the pre-wedding party (until 4am). You
haven't danced until you've done that in 100 degree heat & 85% humidity! 

We repeated the same amount of dancing again (until 4am) at the wedding
reception, but there was air conditioning there!  

The wedding dinner (for 650 people) was accompanied by a 5 piece band, and
the dance was to a 17 piece band.  During their break, a Carnival band
(tradicional Columbian) came in.  We donned masks & watched many guests
doing a dance where the top of the body doesn't move (they put a whiskey
bottle on their heads!), with all the action at hip level.  

Jim