At 5′10″, I’m no vertical miracle, but I’m also not the shortest man on the planet. I’ll tell you how I lost a temporary inch in height if you follow me on my journey to the City of Brotherly Love this past Sunday.

Brunch: the Most Important Meal of the Day

Actually, my first stop isn’t Philadelphia, it’s just 15 minutes outside the city in New Jersey at the Atrium Dance Studio for their Sunday Tango Brunch. Did you know that New Jersey does not have an official state slogan?

All I see from the parking are bushes and flowers and a glass roof. Did I arrive at Longwood Gardens by mistake? It says dance studio on the sign, so this must be the place. Time to explore…

Once inside, I’m surrounded by a pathway of plants that leads me to the entrance of an ornately-decorated ballroom. As I enter the middle of the dance floor, I notice more foliage hanging from the ceiling and see Jackie Stahl setting up the music in the far right corner next to, you guessed it, more plants.

Jackie and I only briefly introduced ourselves over the phone the night before and spoke again this morning trying to straighten out directions, since Google Maps had me chasing imaginary traffic circles for 20 minutes!

Three other early-birds arrive ready for their morning warm-up session and we begin stretching just after 11am. Twenty minutes of deep breathing and stretching later, I’m ready to eat and dance.

Note to milonga organizers: This is a brilliant idea! I feel completely spoiled and don’t think I can attend another milonga that doesn’t stretch its dancers before actual Tango dancing takes place. Just a thought

After a short, and very useful, Tango lesson from Jackie, the milonga begins as guests start showing their faces. I’ll just fast-forward through the highlights:

• The excellent food is prepared by both the studio and the guests.
• The crowd is wonderfully warm and makes my experience memorable and very pleasant.
• My shoes have stretched and are too big for my feet. With a full stomach and loose shoes, I’m a mess on the dance floor (in my head).
• Judie gives Allison a recipe for the apple crisp and potato casserole dishes that make us go back for seconds and thirds!

The other dancers tell me that the milonga brings in about 45 people each week, but I don’t stay long enough to see the new faces.

I’m amazed that for $12 a person, I can enjoy a much-needed warm-up session, delicious food, and a milonga with traditional, and alternative, Tango music in one location. If you’re a whiz in the kitchen, bring your own dish and get half-price admission.

With only an hour and half drive from Baltimore, and no traffic on Sunday mornings, I’ll be seeing the Philly Tango crowd again soon; maybe next time with a dish from the family bakery.

Pounding the Philly Pavement

Did you figure out how I shrink yet? Keep thinking, then, while I review my Philly trip in a quick, bulleted list:

• I do the usual sight-seeing even though much of the city is closed on Sundays. Walking begins…
• I read too many signs for Early Bird Parking Special and fear that I paid too much for parking. Walking continues…
• I walk up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the same stairs Rocky Balboa uses for training in his movies! I’m… still… walking.
• From a street vendor, I devour a tasteless hot dog, topped with bad mustard, on my way to getting pizza. Yes, it’s fuel for more walking…
• Before leaving the city, I inhale a gigantic slice of veggie pizza topped with bright green broccoli stalks. Walking finally ends.

Allison and I hobble to our car just in time to sit on our butts for two hours of traffic. Joy.

What pattern did you notice? Walk much?

It’s no mystery that walking on concrete for long periods of time in bad shoes is bad for your hips and knees. Sprinkle in a sugary brunch and an unhealthy fast-food dinner, and you’ve got an upset stomach, too!

Did I mention I have braces that like to stock food in them in case a famine breaks out?

That’s me, in a nutshell, after my Philly trip: a hunch-back with broccoli stalks renting an apartment in my mouth.

By now, you know me well enough to guess that I have a routine to relax my muscles and restore my posture. In case you’re wondering, I have a routine to clean up the braces, too.

Watch as I kill two birds with one stone:

Thankful for my inversion table and electric toothbrush,
Panayiotis Pete Karabetis

You May Enjoy These:

1. Near Death Tango Kills at the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival
2. Chuck Liddell’s Knock Out Tango Performance on Dancing With the Stars
3. Dancing in the Dark is good for your (Tango) Health!
4. The Tango Foot and the Alternative Milonga
5. 3 Tips for a Closer Close Embrace in Tango