Mambo in Chinatown

Nina was chewing on a big wad of gum again. “Sure. Let me spit this out and I’ll be right with you.” She trotted into the teachers’ room and returned wearing a pair of sweatpants instead of the skirt she’d had.

“Charlie, are you decent underneath that dress?” Dominic asked.

Ryan looked at me with sudden interest.

“I’ll go put on something else,” I said, heading toward the teachers’ room. I was already dreading the whole experience.

“Take off your shoes too,” Dominic called.

I glanced back at Nina. “She’s wearing hers.”

“She is not going to wound anyone with her heels,” said Dominic. “You, on the other hand . . .”

I sighed, then changed into a tight black tank top and sweatpants. I had to roll up the legs since they’d been Adrie

Nina sang, “Because I am a-ma-zing.”

Dominic said, “They are permitted in theater arts and show dance competition, and our dancers are trained in everything. Lifts aren’t for everyone. People are often too scared, too weak or too heavy. All right, Nina, just come at me, turn around and I’ll take you up.”

Nina ran at Dominic, turned at the last moment so her back was to him, jumped and he lifted her into the air. She struck an elegant pose as he turned them both, then he suddenly tossed and dropped her, catching her again around her waist and underneath her straight leg, with her other leg bent in a graceful line. They looked incredible together.

“You didn’t even tell her you’d do the second lift.” I was so impressed. “You know, Nina, I always see you chugging a soda or munching on a hot dog, and I think you’re a regular person. And then you do this. I forget what you’re capable of.”

Nina beamed. “Don’t worry, it’s easy-peasy.”

“Okay, now Nina with Ryan. Ryan, catch her around the lower part of her rib cage and take her straight up. Keep your core and back strong. Don’t worry about the fish dive now, just the first part of the lift.”

Ryan nodded. Nina ran at him, she turned around, he caught her around the rib cage. His fingers fumbled and then he got a better grip. When he picked her up, he turned them both the wrong way. Then he didn’t set her on her feet properly. Still, Ryan was gri

“That was excellent,” said Dominic. “Now, Charlie, with me.”

I took a deep breath, then ran toward Dominic and turned just as I reached him. He put his hands around my hips. I bent my knees to jump.

Dominic drew back. “What’s that?” He traced a few bumps around my waist with his fingers.

“Safety pins. My sweatpants are too big.”

“Too big isn’t a problem, but anything that can poke your partner is. I don’t want to drop you when you’re in the air and I don’t want to be afraid to touch you because you’ve got all sorts of needles hidden on your body.”

“Sorry.” I removed the safety pins and put them on the stereo shelf.

“All right. Run toward me as fast as you can. Jump right here.” He indicated a spot on the floor directly in front of him. “I’ll grab you and lift you straight up. When you’re in the air, keep one arm up and one to the side while I turn us both.”

I did like he said and felt myself go high in the air, suddenly dizzy as Dominic spun us. After a few seconds, he put me down. “Wonderful. Now the two of you together.”

I looked at Ryan for a moment. Then I repeated the move with him and he took me up. It was exhilarating at first, but then my feelings turned into fear. If he were to drop me, I wouldn’t be able to use my arms to break my fall since they were stretched out. As I thought about this, my body realigned itself and I started to flail, off-balance. Ryan caught me in his arms while dropping a few steps back, then we both tumbled onto the floor in a tangle.

“What was that?” Ryan sounded angry.

“Sorry, sorry.” I scrambled off of his chest. “I started thinking . . .”

“I could have hurt you!”

Nina was doubled over, laughing. “The problem is that you guys don’t trust each other.”

“She’s absolutely right,” said Dominic. “You need to do some trust-building exercises. Come here.”

Dominic made me stand in front of Ryan. Ryan extended his arms on both sides of my rib cage. I had to keep my body completely straight and let it fall to the side slowly while Ryan supported me.

I tried not to panic. I didn’t want to get involved in any of this. “How come I have to do all of the trusting here?”

“I’m trusting you not to lose your form and squash me,” Ryan said.

“This is a man,” said Dominic. “He is here to support you. Lean on him, use him.”

I heard Nina’s voice. “Aw, don’t be such a chauvinist.”

We got started. It took a great deal of core strength to keep my body in one line as I tilted to the side. It went against all of my instincts to allow Ryan to hold my weight as I headed toward the floor, but he kept me from falling. Then we leaned to the other side. Finally, hardest of all, I had to fall backward while he held me by the neck and rib cage. He didn’t seem to be exerting himself too much.

Then we practiced the lift again and I didn’t fall on top of him this time. To my surprise, Ryan said, “You went up like a feather. You really helped me get you off the ground. And you’re so lightly built. That was great.”

“Now a more difficult lift, I think,” said Dominic.

Half an hour later, I was lying on my side on the hard ballroom floor, practicing the position I needed to hold. Dominic stretched my entire body backward until I thought it would break. “Arch as far back as you can. Also, you need to keep your left arm by your ear and your other leg bent and pointed at your knee. Hold the arm behind his neck straight. When you feel him starting to put you down, stretch out with your arm toward him so that he can take it to lead you out into the turns you’ll be doing the moment you land.”

“Anything else? You want a hamburger too?” I muttered. Dance was always like this: millions of details to remember while you were spi

I did the new lifts again and again with Dominic while Ryan worked with Nina. Sometimes, for Dominic’s own amusement, he spun us around five or six times instead of the two or three that the choreography required. I had to lose all control, yet at the same time I had to hold my body tight. When he put me down, I often forgot to give him my hand, and I was so dizzy, I could barely find a place on the wall to spot for my last two turns. Finally, I could try one of the lifts with Ryan.

I turned and whirled my outstretched leg toward Ryan as hard as I could. I felt the impact. Ryan stumbled a step backward, then wheezed, “I thought we were dancing, not trying to murder each other.”

Dominic said, “Children, children. This is enough for today. You have enough material to work on. Before you leave, Ryan, pick up the mambo CDs at the front desk as your homework. You’re both going to need help. Since you must not disgrace our studio, I’ll get Nina to work with Charlie and Mateo to help you, Ryan.”

“Ooooh, Mateo’s going to be happy,” said Nina. Ryan covered his eyes with his hand.

“Quiet,” said Dominic. “You’ve made a good choice, Charlie.”

“With what?” I asked.

Ryan rolled his eyes.

Dominic stepped in between us while Nina snickered. “I meant in your choice of partner, Charlie. He has a great deal of work to do, as do you, but you fit well together. Dance is about the architecture of the body, and a flexible mind and soul. People who are control freaks don’t tend to be very good dancers. You must let go, allow yourself to feel and be honest. I think you both have that.” He nodded slowly. “Yes, you are now a disaster together but you are a catastrophe with potential.”