Dancing with Somebody

On May 29, 2026, the Gay Men's Chorus of Tampa Bay brought "Love in Technicolor" to Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, and offered one of the evening's most emotionally layered numbers in "Dancing with Somebody." Arranged by Ash, the piece is a mashup that braids Robyn's aching "Dancing On My Own" with Whitney Houston's euphoric "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," with Dan Lastorino stepping forward as soloist.

The genius of Ash's arrangement lies in its tension. Robyn's lonely, four-on-the-floor pulse sets a melancholy floor of close harmony, while Houston's anthem rises against it in bright, open voicings. The two songs argue and then embrace, the heartbreak of watching from the edge of the dance floor giving way to the irrepressible wish to be held.

Lastorino sang with a warm, conversational tenor, leaning into the vulnerability of "I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her" before the full chorus answered with surging hope. The ensemble's blend was supple, with crisp diction carrying the lyric and the lower voices anchoring the dance groove beneath shimmering upper harmonies. Dynamic shaping moved naturally from a hush to a full-throated release.

Allendale's resonant sanctuary gave the sustained chords a glowing bloom, and the building's natural reverb lent the final chorus an almost cathedral lift. The audience, who had been swaying quietly through the verses, broke into rhythmic applause as the two melodies finally locked together, then rose to cheer Lastorino and the singers.

Within Act 1's "Love & Heartbreak" arc, "Dancing with Somebody" captured the whole spectrum in a single song: the sting of longing and the joy of connection. It is exactly the kind of number that affirms the chorus's mission of visibility, chosen family, and the simple, radical right to dance with somebody who loves you.