On the way to St. Louis Gary and I discussed looking to another venue for Halloween 2010. We loved dancing at Casa Loma last year, but St. Louis is a long drive, and, it’s expensive to stay near the ballroom, at least, if you want a neighborhood that’s safe.
But it’s hard to imagine having a better time. Gary and I had a fabulous, magical evening at the fabled ballroom; we danced until I almost collapsed. Literally. My legs stopped working. We had to quit in the middle of a fast medley, but that was OK. To say that I couldn’t possibly do one more dance was the best feeling ever.
The band, That 80’s Band, was, if a bit too loud, very good. They played 80’s music. Naturally. So we got Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Cher, Joan Jett…all the icons of the 80’s. Good dance music for swing and a few rumbas. It was fun, being Halloween and all, dancing to Thriller, Ghost Busters, and Werewolves of London.
The costumes were wonderful, from the sublime (a jellyfish), to the hilarious (the ENTIRE cast of Carrie…they won), to the er, questionable. You know the expression “her headlights were on?” Well, first imagine a woman in a tight top. Her headlights were ON, shining brightly through the thin material. Funny. We were garbed in Star Trek attire; Gary in a red shirt and me in a red dress. We had regulation pins and bags that looked like tricorders. I even found a pair of black stage boots (Sansha brand) that although were not as comfortable as my dance sneakers were fine for one evening after I put a couple of shoe inserts into them.
The crowd was its weird normal self. We saw some truly expert club dancers (hoping to steal some of their moves), free form expression (aka hopping up and down and having a blast), and of course, the annual beer baptism which luckily occurred when we were sitting down.
I feel freer there than anyplace else. I think it’s a combination of Halloween magic, the historic venue, and the costumes. Is that 20’s era flapper woman sitting next to me in reality a ghost from times past? Or is she even a she at all? We sat next to a table of cross dressers. :-)
You just never know on Halloween. And that’s the beauty of the holiday. Sigh. I wish it wasn’t over.
But it’s hard to imagine having a better time. Gary and I had a fabulous, magical evening at the fabled ballroom; we danced until I almost collapsed. Literally. My legs stopped working. We had to quit in the middle of a fast medley, but that was OK. To say that I couldn’t possibly do one more dance was the best feeling ever.
The band, That 80’s Band, was, if a bit too loud, very good. They played 80’s music. Naturally. So we got Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Cher, Joan Jett…all the icons of the 80’s. Good dance music for swing and a few rumbas. It was fun, being Halloween and all, dancing to Thriller, Ghost Busters, and Werewolves of London.
The costumes were wonderful, from the sublime (a jellyfish), to the hilarious (the ENTIRE cast of Carrie…they won), to the er, questionable. You know the expression “her headlights were on?” Well, first imagine a woman in a tight top. Her headlights were ON, shining brightly through the thin material. Funny. We were garbed in Star Trek attire; Gary in a red shirt and me in a red dress. We had regulation pins and bags that looked like tricorders. I even found a pair of black stage boots (Sansha brand) that although were not as comfortable as my dance sneakers were fine for one evening after I put a couple of shoe inserts into them.
The crowd was its weird normal self. We saw some truly expert club dancers (hoping to steal some of their moves), free form expression (aka hopping up and down and having a blast), and of course, the annual beer baptism which luckily occurred when we were sitting down.
I feel freer there than anyplace else. I think it’s a combination of Halloween magic, the historic venue, and the costumes. Is that 20’s era flapper woman sitting next to me in reality a ghost from times past? Or is she even a she at all? We sat next to a table of cross dressers. :-)
You just never know on Halloween. And that’s the beauty of the holiday. Sigh. I wish it wasn’t over.
Here’s a video of Ella Fitzgerald performing one of her favorites. The band she’s singing with, Chick Webb and his Orchestra, gave Ella her start…at the Casa Loma Ballroom. Enjoy.
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