David Magallanes
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By David Magallanes / Guest contributor
My cousin Eugene (“Gene”) and I are cousins twice: on our fathers’ and mothers’ sides. That is, our fathers were brothers (may my uncle rest in peace) and our mothers were sisters (may they also rest in peace). Gene and I share the same four grandparents. We also share many common interests and, as a result, very independently from each other, we tend to take on the same kinds of projects.
Gene is a man of many talents: he was a mechanical engineer during his working years; now he is an artist of portrait paintings, having been taught by my mother, who had learned from her father — that is, our maternal grandfather; he plays various musical instruments; he is a public speaker; he just published his first book; and just to top things off, he’s a salsa dancer.
In fact, his book portrays the adventures of a middle-aged man in the salsa dance world. As you can imagine, the experiences of a twenty-something young man or woman in this environment are much different from those of a happily married man in his sixties. His book is entitled, “Confessions of a Middle-Aged Salsa Dancer.” It is a collection of 40 short stories that relate his fascinating and hilarious adventures in social dancing in today’s enthralling salsa scene. This is an ideal book for people who are contemplating diving in to the complexities of the social dance world, especially all the middle-aged men and women who have doubts about participating in any kind of dance community.
I invite you to explore my cousin’s web site related to his book. Having been part of a dance community for many years, and knowing my cousin as I do, I know that all his stories are true. You may see the video that he made to introduce his book and the dance environment. Of course, you can also purchase the book, in traditional or digital form, at www.salsaturkeys.com.
Have fun reading—and dancing!
Bailando Hacia la Edad Mediana
Eugenio es hombre de muchos talentos: fue ingeniero mecánico durante sus años hábiles; ahora es artista plástico, instruido por mi madre, quien había aprendido de su papá—o sea de nuestro abuelo maternal; toca varios instrumentos musicales; es orador público; acaba de publicar su primer libro; y para cerrar con broche de oro—es bailarín de salsa.
De hecho, su libro expone las aventuras de un hombre de la edad mediana en el mundo del baile salsa. Como podrán imaginar, las experiencias de un chico o una chica de veinte años en este ambiente son muy distintas a las de un hombre felizmente casado que anda en sus sesenta. El libro se llama “Confesiones de Un Bailarín de Salsa de la Edad Mediana”. Es una colección de 40 cuentos breves que relatan sus aventuras fascinantes y divertidísimas en el mundo cautivador de la salsa. Es un libro ideal para las personas que están contemplando meterse en el ambiente del baile social en toda su complejidad, sobre todo las damas y caballeros de la edad mediana que tengan cualquier duda sobre la participación en cualquier comunidad de baile.
Les invito a explorar el sitio cibernético relacionado con este libro de mi primo. Habiendo formado parte de una comunidad de baile durante muchos años, y conociendo muy bien a mi primo, yo sé que todos sus cuentos son verdaderos. Pueden ver el video que él hizo para introducir su libro y el ambiente del baile social. Por supuesto, aquí pueden también comprar el libro, o en forma tradicional o digital: www.salsaturkeys.com.
Diviértanse leyendo—¡y bailando!
– David Magallanes es un escritor, orador y profesor jubilado de matemáticas. Se puede comunicar con él por e-mail a: adelantos@msn.com.
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