Feel my heart beat

>> Amber Goodwyn and Sherwin Tija celebrate
the slow dance and invite you to reach
out and touch someone

HOLD ME NOW: Slow Dance participants

by MARITES CARINO

Remember your first slow dance? Was it ecstasy? Agony? For me, it was velvet heaven dancing to Corey Heart’s “Never Surrender” with Luke—who incidentally sported the teen heartthrob’s spiky do. Ahhh, flashback to school gyms, crepe streamers, limp balloons and suspicious teachers surveying from murky shadows. You too can resuscitate that pain or pleasure at Slow Dance Night, an evening hopelessly devoted to that rite of passage that eases everyone into getting a little closer—quicker.

“It’s sexy to automatically be close to someone,” says Amber Goodwyn of Lickety Split smut zine. Last fall, she and local artist and writer Sherwin Tija came up with the idea for the nostalgic event during a seven-hour car ride down the 401. “What we’re hoping to do is provide a happy ending to a sad high school story—a kind of reenactment where you find victory instead of defeat,” laughs Tija, who recounts his first experience.

“It was awkward as hell because we were friends and I remember as the song ended, she quickly walked away because she was awkward and feeling embarrassed. That was my first slow dance.”

For the co-organizers, it’s a priority to make the evening as painless as possible. “I find that Slow Dance Night is a good opportunity to go and touch strangers in a completely safe environment, and be touched,” explains Tija.

All attendees receive a pocket-sized dance card, complete with “Rules of Engagement,” which allows people to reserve a dance in advance. “You already know what songs are going to come up in the evening and who you’re going to dance with, so it makes it all the more easy to slow dance with people all evening,” explains Goodwyn. And for those hiding in the corners, there is hope. Forget designated drivers, a handful of designated dancers will rescue and revive the limpest of all wallflowers.

At this queer and senior friendly event, expect a set list of about 50 slow dance numbers with smooth tunes like Sinéad O’Connor’s version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Madonna’s “Crazy for You” and the Led Zeppelin slow dance classic “Stairway to Heaven” that will inevitably close the soirée.

For Tija, slow dancing is a novel alternative in the dreaded dating game. “In speed dating, you have to go through this train of people. Whereas here, you have this short date with whomever you are attracted to. It’s limited. It’s three or four minutes per song. In a way it’s like speed dating, but it’s slow dancing, which is charming in its own way.”

Share a careless whisper at Le Cagibi (5490 St-Laurent), 8 p.m. this Sunday, Feb. 17. Five dollars will get you in the door with a dance card. Also, don’t forget to bring some change for breath mints or a condom corsage for that special someone who tickles your fancy.

Save the date of April 11 when Tija and Goodwyn team up with Worn Journal for The Slow Dance Prom, at la Sala Rossa. Get the details here: slowdancenight.blogspot.com.

Montreal in love

>> Love and loathing in the city
this Valentine’s

PRACTISE SAFE SLOW DANCING:
Condom corsage and dance card

by SACHA JACKSON

Valentine’s Day is one of the most celebrated and hated dates of the year. For many of us, it was the annual high school Valentine’s Day dance that initiated the paralyzing fear. (If your school was anything like mine, the dance was preceded by the students swapping roses or heart-shaped lollipops, an event that could be particularly mortifying.) Reclaim those lost wallflower years tonight, Feb. 14 at Rock ’n’ Roll High School (435 Beaubien W.). The party kicks off at 10:30 p.m. and features DJ Pat Dynamite, Adam Soulnerd, slow jams by DJs Fritizi and Jay Watts III and teen angst tunes from Ramones cover band the Gabba Gabba Hosers. No school dance would be complete without the perfect outfit so break one out and receive a discount on your entry ($5 with costume, $10 without). And in true selfless teenage spirit, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Mile-End Mission.

If taking it off is more your thing, make your way to la Tulipe (4530 Papineau) tonight, Feb. 14 and tomorrow, Feb. 15 for Blue Light Burlesque’s peeler sensation La fête de l’amour. Retro revivalist Mlle. Oui Oui Encore and her troupe (which includes both ladies and gentlemen) will be slowly and tastefully stripping down to pasties and garter belts in this sensuous tribute to a bygone era. Harmonica ace Bharath Rajakumar and His Rhythm Four will be setting the tone with their brand of ’50s style Chicago and Arkansas blues. www.bluelightburlesque.com for ticket info and times.

Kicking up the sex factor and riding in on the triumphant hot pants of the Pussy Cat Dolls, Montreal’s The Pinup Saints present One Night of Pleasure One, Naughty Show, a special Valentine’s cabaret at Théâtre Corona (2490 Notre-Dame W.), featuring their trademark erotic moves and live music. www.pinupsaints.com.

Owner of a lonely heart?

Some of us are left sheepishly holding an undelivered Valentine come this time of the year, but that’s no reason to finish off the Häagen-Dazs and watch the next episode of Lost alone (though, when you look at it that way, Valentine’s is starting to look pretty good). Meet Market Adventures is hosting what could be one of the biggest singles bashes in this city tonight, Feb. 14 at Boodha (1401 Mackay). The hunt gets underway at 6 p.m. (luckily the dress code is business casual) and continues well into the early hours of the morning with drinks, DJs, prizes and singles. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Head & Hands will be hosting their fifth annual drag show and dance party, Sex Ed Is Not a Drag, at the Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent) tomorrow night, Friday Feb. 15. The money raised will go towards supporting sex education workshops and peer education training. Drag kings Nat King Pole and the Mumbo Kings will be in attendance and you can cut a rug to the tunes of DJs Julie D., Toothnecklace, Dirtyboots, JP and Xavier T.

If exhibitionism isn’t your bag, head over to Kola Note (5240 Parc) on Saturday, Feb. 16 for some aural erotica. Madpoetix Productions Presents The Art of Performing Aural Sex X2 featuring Rock Baby of Def Poetry Jam fame, who will be tantalizing the audience with his own mix of erotica, comedy and poetry. Part of the proceeds go towards the Centre for AIDS services of Montreal, tickets cost $25 at the door, $20 in advance.

The SAT (1195 St-Laurent) keeps things low-key, unveiling their winter-spring programming starting at 5 p.m. and rounding off the evening with music from Vincent Lemieux, Jan Pienkowsky and video projections from VJ Sindre.