King of the Prom

Since Keating doesn't speak Spanish (he studied French in high school...oops!) we decided that it would be a wise investment to sign him up for the 6 week intensive Spanish course offered at UNAM. In addition to the basic language class, he was asked to choose two cultural electives from a list of three options: pronunciation, salsa, and folk dancing. We're still trying to work out how "pronunciation" is a cultural elective as opposed to a kind of recitation section, but those were the options. Surveying the options, Keating decided that there were few forces on earth that would induce him to become a Mexican Folk Dancer. (The only real advantage to taking Folk Dance was that it would allow him to take the afternoon Pronunciation section, thereby giving him an extra hour of sleep in the morning. No small incentive considering our hour-long commute to school.) The result is that he has Pronunciation 8-9 M-F, Basic Spanish 1 9-12 M-F, and Salsa dancing 12-1 M-W.

Most of Keating's Salsa class is filled with students from Korea, Japan, and China, students who have had very little exposure to Latin music. Given his description, it sounds as though many of the male students have had very little exposure to dancing of any variety. Despite having a dancing edge on most of his class thanks to swing dancing and musical theater, poor Keating has been feeling incredibly awkward and self conscious: the reflections in the dance room mirrors highlight for him just how much bigger, and blonder, he is than his classmates. He insists that he feels like a lumbering giant looming over his classmates. On Wednesday, after a particularly grueling hour of learning the Electric Slide crosssed with what appears to be a dash of Jazzercize (yeah, I don't know why that's in a salsa class either, but the daily performances of what he's learned are a riot!), Keating felt like he was in need of a long break and a cold drink. As he gathered up his things to leave, one of the petite Korean girls in his class marched right up to him, looked him in the eye, and said in forceful (if broken) English:

Girl: "You. You're my partner now. You have grooooove."

Keating: (flabbergasted) "Uh, ok?"

And with that, the stunned Keating (who had felt like the elephant in the room) was crowned King of the Prom. He had been claimed, and in no uncertain terms. I think he'll enjoy Salsa class more now.

Now if I can just claim him back at the end of the class so that I can go dancing with him....