Manuel can dance. I mean, really dance. He can meringue and do the cha-cha, tap, waltz, two-step, foxtrot, ballet, swing, he can even do modern dance and break dancing. It is truly staggering how quickly he can pick up a new dance in mere moments. He would be a superstar if not for one small problem: he’s a skeleton.
Most skeletons, in old movies and science classrooms have brilliantly white bones. Not Manuel. His bones are more tan, stained by age and the dirt of generations of, well, dirt. He was discovered by Bananas Foster in Madrid, around fifteen years ago. A local tavern employed him as entertainment. A pianist played a medley of tunes while Manuel danced in a medley of styles. The customers were entranced, watching his tibia and fibula prance and twirl across the stage. Until the music ended, and they were reminded he was a skeleton. There was never applause, just muted gasps and grumblings. Bananas approached him after the show one night and discovered Manuel lived in a small crypt just outside of town, alone. Bananas offered him a home at the University of Genial Monsters, teaching dance. Manuel hasn’t looked back since.
He’s not entirely sure who or what he was in his previous life, but he’s pretty sure he had a thin black mustache, and has applied one to his skull with a permanent marker. Other than that, he wears a gray Homburg and nothing else. He’s proven to be a passionate, yet patient teacher. He knows the difference between a student who needs extra care and one who isn’t trying. And in his spare time, he practices dancing, because it is his true love. And you should see him dance!