I’d been considering cutting back from three milongas a week to two, allegedly to give myself a saner schedule, though the smart money would be on me using the time to try new milongas.

However, last week had cast doubt on the idea of giving up the Tuesday one. Plus, when I think about it, there’s a very long gap between Sunday and Thursday …

Notable elements this evening …

A very crowded pista, and a completely chaotic inner ronda. I made the mistake of entering it one tanda, to discover half of us thought that’s where we were while the other half considered themselves to be in the free-for-all section in the centre. It wasn’t pretty.

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A tanda with a follower with a significant BO problem. I don’t normally dance in open embrace, but I did then. Very open.

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Chatting to a leader, he pointed out one follower he’d danced with earlier and said it was terrible as she just did her own thing. Which could mean one of two things: a follower who totally ignored the lead, or an active follower. I decided to take a chance, hoping for the latter. It was the former.

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A tiny piece of vocabulary on which I’ve been working suddenly clicking smoothly into place, even if I’m not entirely sure on the terminology there. Is step two a parada or a sacada? It feels like technically it’s a parada, but as it creates the illusion of throwing out the follower’s free leg, does that make it a sacada? Answers on a postcard, please.

• Lead a side-step to my left
• Bring my right foot between her legs and into contact with the inside of her right foot
• Pivot to my left and then back

Done slowly, it creates a planeo with parada. Done quickly, it creates a boleo.

Anyway, I’ve been doing it a little clunkily up to now, but tonight it was working really effortlessly. I was also able to use it as the exit to a giro, which I think is pretty much the same thing Fede showed me in a private last year.

(I didn’t feel that the planeo we did in my most recent private was something I wanted to attempt in a milonga just yet: we’ll pick that up next lesson, then I’ll try it in a practica first.)

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I also had my usual lovely dances with my usual lovely followers!

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Thursday is the intermediate class, this week on contra-giros. I’ll have to decide where to go immediately after that: Tango Space drinks, or Tango Terra. I do very much enjoy the drinks, with much more of a chance to socialise than at a milonga, but I think I know where I’d suggest you put your money. We’ll see!

Image: Shutterstock