TBT. Buttercup.

I thought buttercup was just a piece of muffin-like goodie,

then I heard the song "Build Me Up Buttercup' by the Foundation, over and over, in dances and karaoke sessions where people love the 60s and 70s tunes.

But no, buttercup is a kind of plant from the Ranunculacea family which produces yellow or white flowers.

And lately, buttercup became a character in Toy Story, even a princess in the Princess Bride.

But more than this, Buttercup has become a term of endearment by guys to gals, and a fave dance number throughout the years.

Confirming Flight, Etc in a Day.

Yesterday, I confirmed my flight for a trip this coming Fall. The clerk at the airline was rude, an "I don't care attitude," which I felt even through the airwaves. I screamed at him, and that made him more amenable.

I hate waiting or being told by a recording that "all representatives are busy and attending to other customers." So that guy got my peppery mood because his company made me wait for fifteen minutes.

Am I flying with them, again? Maybe not. There are many options available; I might travel back to P.I. with my sister and bro in law who already booked with Eva Air from Washington.

After that morning fiasco, we headed to the mahjong table and in the afternoon, had a karaoke session over beer and Ding Dong. As we were deserting the microphone in favor of the early evening news edition, I suggested going to a dance, a plot that got postponed for a million times already.

It was six thirty, and the first set at Conway's starts at eight, so we cleaned and dressed up in a hurry. Luckily, C5 was not as congested as I thought. But the traffic at the ramp and on to Paseo was heavy.

We arrived at Conway's at 8:30 pm, and found a good table fronting the bandstand. The band for the night was Behind Closed Doors, with a female vocalist.

It was a night of retro music, and the band's play list was curved for ballroom dancing. As I'd hung my dancing shoes for quite a while now, and without my regular dance partner, we spent most of the night listening to the band and drinking beer and iced tea.

Conway's menu has changed a bit. The food we ordered was breaded calamari blended in a spicy and creamy concoction of vinegar and mayonnaise with enough spinach and the second plate was bruschetta.

As the night progressed, we saw gorgeous female Brazilian? models on the dance floor.

Danceable music could not contain our lack of practise, so in the middle and last sets, we made contact with the dance floor, although we didn't "ballroom," but danced anyway.

Two of our friends who were supposed to join us were tending to their ailing mother, and promised to show up next time.

Blame it on Rio.

Dancing is such a fun activity.  Last night, after a long absence, we went to Conway at the Shagri La, to test the dance floor once more. I was hoping to shrug off the effect of the ague.

Even with a terrible sore throat I managed a few numbers but made a big mistake by drinking beer which aggravated my cough upon hitting the hay.

The band Spirit of '67 didn't disappoint the crowd.  Our group which was bigger this time, with the addition of another sis and niece and more friends, got going until almost 1 a.m. 

When I came home last September, I  was looking to replace my original dancing shoes with a new exciting pair I found on the Net.  But I was not able to claim it.  It got lost. 

Having a good pair of dancing shoes is essential to good dancing.  I remember one contestant in the show Dancing with the Stars who refused to wear dancing shoes and who got booted out early on.

A good pair of dancing shoes makes body movement easier and prevents pain. The pair I was dreaming to own is somewhere out there; I just hope no one else is wearing it.

Blame it on something - the loss.  In my case, it was an unclaimed item.  If it had been claimed, the story would have been something else. 

Which reminds me of the Mardi Gras in Rio.  It is an event replete with wild dancing. Blame it on the sultry Brazilians who are the inventors of samba and tango. 

"Also known as "Fat Tuesday," this pre-Lenten festival is celebrated in Roman Catholic countries and communities. In a strict sense, Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, is celebrated by the French as the last of the three days of Shrovetide and is a time of preparation immediately before Ash Wednesday and the start of the fast of Lent. Mardi Gras is thus the last opportunity for merrymaking and indulgence in food and drink. In practice, the festival is generally celebrated for one full week before Lent. Mardi Gras is marked by spectacular parades featuring floats, pageants, elaborate costumes, masked balls, and people dancing in the streets.

Mardi Gras originated as one of the series of carnival days held in all Roman Catholic countries between Twelfth Night, or Epiphany, and Ash Wednesday; these carnivals had their origin in pre-Christian spring fertility rites. The most famous modern Mardi Gras festivities are those held in New Orleans, La.; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nice, France; and Cologne, Germany.

The first American Mardi Gras was celebrated near modern-day New Orleans on March 3, 1699. It wasn't until the mid-1800s did official parade organizations start to form with the Mystick Krewe of Comus in 1856 and the Krewe of Rex in 1872. The tradition is still carried on in New Orleans with many other krewes represented on floats in a myriad of parades. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold (representing justice, faith and power).

Mardi Gras celebrations can start as early as January 6, on the feast of Epiphany. The festivities end at midnight on Tuesday--the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras day falls on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9.

Like Ash Wednesday, the date Mardi Gras falls on depends on the date of Easter--always occurring 46 days before Easter. "

In the Philippines, the closest thing to Mardi Gras is the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan.

Even for people who don't like dancing, I'm sure they'd catch the fever once they gyrate to the soothing and eclectic sound of the brass and jazz.

Then maybe, they'd claim and treasure their own dancing shoes. 

A Very Different Holiday.

I had been feeling absolutely testy regarding various issues lately that the taste of Red Horse Beer beckoned in the early evening hours some days ago. And I totally forgot I had a tooth extraction the following morning, and because of the alcohol in my system, the anesthesia didn't work they way it should.

Then again, the restlessness never abated and I told my sister I had to go out and relax. So I joined her and her amigas last night for a night of dancing and a birthday celebration at the Conway at the Shang in Makati.

It was good the band Spirit of 67 was playing, so the music was so...60's, which I love. I even requested for the song FLY ME TO THE MOON to be sung, and the band did a very good Frank Sinatra rendition. You should have been there either dancing with me or just simply being with me.

My two other sisters and a brad in law were supposed to join us later, but the other sister fell asleep.

There were quite a few handsome couples (D.I. and patron) who really went for the ballroom dances. Since I didn't have my dance partner, I could not really dance ballroom. My sister who dances a little cha cha picked up easily the basic rumba I taught her last night. Swing, both Manila and the international style, and boogie were both favorites in our group.

My sis and her amigas were all great dancers.

I missed my dancing partner. In ballroom dancing, having your regular dance partner is very important. So most of the dances I did were based on the music - maski pops and twist and boogie and swing and cha cha and jerk and maski pops again.

But it was fun. At least for about five hours, the cares and worries and frustrations were temporarily tucked far, far away into the deepest section of the memory lobes.

And of course, absolut vodka helped, in a way too.

Let's Dance

The joy of dancing is an acquired feeling. It is like a taste for some food or cuisine, as in acquired taste for sushi, Pad Thai, or Mediterranean couscous.

I would venture an assumption and say that we, Filipinos resort to dancing, not because we love to dance, but because it is a way for us to acquire friends, and to expand our social horizon. And then in the process, we'd discover the fun and real joy of dancing.

Back in Manila during my elementary years, part of the school's curriculum included a yearly "field day." Field Day was a full day of programs centering mostly on song and dance. Whole classes prepared for this field day for weeks and presented song and dance renditions, and special numbers by talented students who'd been handpicked and trained to star in special song and dance, skits and drama. So, this became the first exposure to dancing during my youth.

During the early 60's when the Beatles and other mop-head bands became popular, local neighbourhood "kombos," also became a craze. I was a bit young during those years, but I recall that my older sisters belonged to a social club which held regular dances during summer and weekends.

So, we young ones were relegated outside the fence or got crammed in windows, watching the neighbourhood girls and guys danced to the local "kombo's" rendition of "When She Was Just Seventeen, A Hard Day's Night or I Saw Her Standing there" in some rich people's gardens or lawns.

Years before, local bands such as Electro Maniacs ruled the airwaves, and faint memories of tagging along with my siblings on weekend evenings to watch live performances of similar bands come to mind.

Years later, television shows such as Night Owl Dance Party and Dance O'Rama would be born.

Then in high school, soiree became the thing to be in during weekends. And a nightly dance show featuring caged dancers in mini skirts and Twiggy looks dominated six o'clock TV.

The disco era started in the 80's. Gloria Gaynor became the queen of disco songs. Penthouse Live with Archie Lacson at the dance helm became a top ranking show.

But what type of dancing took place during those varied years?

In the late 50's, during Elvis Presley's popularity, boogie was the sensation. Boogie was really a take off from the Swing (Ballroom dance). The 50's dances also featured the cha cha.

Swing was really a music genre, and later became a dance. It was popular during the Big Band era of the 30's and 40's, of Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.

Much later on, dances would include the twist, jerk, mash potato, boogalo and the maski pops , or the whatever dance popular at discos.

But especially during the disco era, these dances required no fancy training, except for cha cha, perhaps.

Ballroom dancing made a comeback in the 90's. Ballroom dancing was first popular during the Roaring 20's, then the 30's and the 40's.

There are two forms of ballroom dancing. One, the American ballroom and the other, the International ballroom, also roughly called sport dancing.

Ballroom dancing requires special training. But even then, Filipinos took to ballroom dancing instantly. As there were no dance schools at the onset, DI's or dance instructors became a new job in the Philippines. And Manila swing became a new dance.

Today, ballroom dancing in Manila has somewhat plateaued; the remaining loyals trek to places such as the Bykes and Club Filipino.

Last week at the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day in Malacanang Palace, a Rigodon de Honor was held, and I assume there was ballroom dancing after that.

In North America, and here in Canada, ballroom dancing has enjoyed a re-birth, and has never been as popular as before. I suspect this is because there are more and more baby boomers entering retirement.

And again, because there are more and more ethnics migrating to both US and Canada, and they bring with them, especially the Europeans (Eastern Europeans) and Asians ( Filipinos, Chinese, and Indians) the zest for dancing.

In Toronto, ballroom dancing lessons are being offered at the local board of education. They offer classes in ballroom, strictly Latin, swing, Argentine tango and lately, line dancing. They even offer belly dancing, salsa and club dancing. For a nine-week class, 18-hour course, you pay about $140.

There are also the more expensive one-on-one courses being offered by professional dancers and dancing champions. These are usually held within ballroom clubs and dance hall, and the charge is per hour.