Wanna Dance?

When I was growing up in Sta. Ana, I heard old folks talk about the Sta. Ana Cabaret.

During the American occupation, Sta. Ana Cabaret used to be THE place where generals and politicos whiled the night away. Then the Japs came and the cabaret became a Japanese garrison.

After WWII, the cabaret operated again, but this time, it slowly became a sleazy joint. It was dubbed "kabaret," where bellas came from far flung provinces and the patrons ranged from the moneyed class to the lower ranks, even jeepney drivers trekked there on weekends.

Gone were the uniformed men and scholars.

Finally, Typhoon Yoling tore away the place in 1970. And during the Marcos era, Madame Imelda built a Bliss Housing at the site of the cabaret.

Such a waste! This grand old place could have been preserved.

These days, if one wants to go dancing (the elegant dances such as rumba, tango, cha cha, waltz, etc), one has few options to consider. At Conway in Shangri La, the serious dancers have to settle in between the sets of the band to dance Manila swing, rumba and the other steps. Bykes, the other place where ballroom dancing used to be alive, and Club Filipino, I think, have become ghost towns as far as dancing is concerned.

In Toronto, when one wants to go dancing, there are quite a few but very elegant places to unwind and show what one has learned from the dance classes. And the people who go there are mostly dressed to the nines.

I miss dancing and dressing for the dance.