It was a dark and stormy night, and danger lurked far and near, there and here, in the air, and everywhere. From the haunting of the risen dead to the seductions of sirens and vixens and vamps, from the batwoman's bite to the spiderwoman's snare, from wild indians to wild women to wild men with axes, to demons and devils and ghouls, oh my! Strangely enough no vampires, but there were cats, and bats, and ladies in hats. And to make matters worse, the tango police were on the prowl: beware of infractions, you'll get fined and frisked! And possibly busted. And perhaps the most dangerous of all, sultry sirens to enchant you with their glamorous allure.

Even the music, while haunting, was itself haunted. There was tango witchcraft afoot, casting its eerie spell over technology. When the music stopped suddenly, the dj for the evening nearly lost his head over it.

To be sure, there were islands of serenity amid the storm of chaos: a brilliant blue belly dancer and a luminous snow princess both glowing like beacons in the gloomy darkness; a benign alien from Planet B & B in a gorgeous gown of ghostly gray; elegantly dressed couples gliding around the floor with unearthly calm; the friendly visage of Mr. Clean haunting us from the past; masked men and women of unclear intent but with great smiles (we even had Zorro to help chase away sorrow); all provided momentary solace from the hazards and perils of this fearsome night.

The only safe place to be, and a tenuous one at that, was on the dance floor. And dance we did, with gusto and delight. Not that there weren't hazards there also. Crazy costume pieces made for some inventive dancing: ever try to tango in brogans? how about while wearing an over-the-head mask? or with a flighty creature whose wings keep blocking your view? More than one person nearly lost an ear to the axe-wielding dancer (a certain Mr. P. Bunion) during a fast turn in a tight spot. Then there was the two-faced man, who thought he could see where he was going when he was dancing backwards. And I suppose those split-personality types on the floor could dance any way they wanted. We had it all: ghostly tango and ghoulish tango, ghastly tango and groovy tango. All in all, a great evening, and thanks to everyone for making it so!

And here's the evidence: enjoy! (Click any image for a larger view.)