Cat-astrophes

For the first time there was a ratio of two men for every gal at salsa last night...but that didn't really matter anyway because I was helping the instructor - which meant I didn't have to rotate from partner to partner.

This has good and bad points. It's great because obviously my instructor can lead, and so it helps perfect your moves. Bad because obviously not every man leads like a professional, and sometimes is good to learn how to make room for their mistakes. (Apparently I'm one of the favoured partners because I don't stop mid step when my partner makes a mistake to drop hands and say 'what are you doing??') I mean learn how to recover from a mis-step so that it doesn't look like a mistake.

ANYWAY...we were doing a little routine with a show-dip at the end (one that you probably wouldn't do on the dancefloor unless you knew your partner well as the lead is quite subtle). It basically meant that the girl spins under the mans arm, toward his armpit (scary if you don't know what's happening.....very scary after 2 hours of class...) where he catches her last minute, and throws her into a low dip.

It looks very effective, because it starts with what you expect to be a tangle of arms and suddenly slips into a really graceful move. Anyway, after practicing 16 of these (yes, I counted) the instructor started to check out the technique of the men. I thought I'd duck in the circle and even out the ratio a little....

Boy did I get a shock. Now, I happened to be the tallest girl there, and taller than half of the men (teehee...anyone who knows me would know I'm not tall at all....). The first partner I had was fine, he was a few centimetres taller - a little jerky in his lead but it all fell together. The second one was a centimetre shorter than me - and when my head lodged under his armpit I screamed. Not a way I want to die.

The third partner was a good 10 centimetres shorter. It was here I realised how important height really is when it comes to such moves. Now I know very little about wrestling, but let me say I know a clothesline when I see one....or feel one for that matter! Ouch!

Now I'm very understanding when dancing - if a man makes a mistake, as I said I make room for it - guys have the hardest job not only focusing on their steps but leading also. This particular dancer refuses to be wrong...hands on hips "you go under".

Moi- Pardon?
Him - You need to go under, under!
Moi - You'll need to lift your arm higher, I can't fit under.
Him - No, you go under.

Grrrrrrrr. He did the move again - the arm didn't go up, and again I get an arm to the throat. He tosses my hands away again. "UNDER!" My blood was boiling...

Luckily, the instructor was watching this time. He grabbed my hand, did the move quickly and it was fine. "She doesn't go under" Mr Narky-pants exclaimed. Mr Instructor asked him to show how he does it.

Again, clothesline... "lift your arm a little higher"

Oh look....it works....a little awkward, but I could spin under...I bit my tongue....

So Mr Narky-pants decided he had mastered that one and proceeded to try his own routine...I followed the first three steps and cried out in pain when he tried to snap my arm back from the elbow.
"You're supposed to do a reversed double barrel roll"
I lost my temper.
"That's not the lead for it!"
"yes it is"
"If it was the lead, I would've done it - that was a dislocation"

I think the dance ended there...

xxx