I’m just now getting around to sharing this lovely video taken by Richard Escobedo at a master class taught by Susana Miller earlier this summer. Susana is considered one of the most important influences in tango, and it is always instructive and inspiring to learn from her. For those of you new to tango what you’re seeing is a demonstration of a milonga (a type of dance) in practice hold, where Susana and K’ai are connected by the arms. Practice holds are helpful when you are trying out something new and don’t want to complicate matters by using your normal social embrace.
If you watch carefully you’ll see how smoothly K’ai follows. This is because she is not trying to anticipate Susana but rather staying receptive and in the moment. This is really hard!
I happen to love milongas – they are so cheerful I can’t help but want to dance to them. And of course I can’t recall the name of this one so if you are reading this and know the song, please leave a comment!
PS You’ll see me seated in the corner in grey leggings, taking in the fun.