El Meneaito

Frank's fabulous photo of the Tango which is not the subject of this post.

The seductive tango has drawn millions of tourists to the dimly lit, steamy milongas of Buenos Aires to master the sultry moves or simply to gawk at the sexy dancers.  Tango, however is not the dance that has captured my attention.  Rather, it is the more direct, accessible, and downright adorable El Meneaito.

I was first introduced to the dance in a boliche during Easter vacation, while my friends and I were visiting the coast at Mar de Ajo.  Entranced from the start, I watched people fall into rhythm dancing el meneaito.  The second time I witnessed this phenomenon was at Hee's wedding.  Again I drooled.  Think La Macarena but infinitely cooler and with dance floors full of men who know how to shake it.

Though I vividly described the scene, complete with wiggling hips and humming the bass beats, to my friends, none had a clue as to what I was referring.  In fact, I didn't a name for this magic until last week when  I confessed my obsession to one of my coolest students, Victoria.  Within seconds, she gave me the name!

As soon as I got home I youtubed El Meneaito, sure enough, that's it: the key to my heart, a tune that gets my heart beating faster than a double espresso.  Before you follow the link, a few words of precaution:  if you are reading this while working in a middle school, a church, or Bangladesh, better save it for another time.  It's straight 80's with gratuitous flesh, gyrating, and glowing neon.  I justify linking this video because it's the original, straight from the horse's mouth.  (In this case the horse is Gaby, I suppose.)  While the dance in the video is not precisely the same as what can be seen in discos or weddings, it's hilarious nonetheless. Use your discretion and enjoy!