The Argentine ambassador’s milongas are always very special events. Not just for the privilege of being able to dance in such splendid surroundings, but also because the Argentine culture is very much present.

When it comes to the warmth and zest for life, I always feel like a little bit of Buenos Aires is alive under the grey skies of London …

Also very authentically Argentine were the timings. The championship finals taking place before the milonga significantly overran, but that was all part of the fun of the evening!

On the dance floor too, there are pockets of BsAs. When you find yourself between the right couples, it’s a delight to enjoy that feeling of dancing together as each of you dances within your own space and advance around the ronda together.

Of course, there was also … London tango. I was talking with a follower friend very early in the evening, and she said that she had already been kicked twice. There were a number of leaders on the floor doing very large open-embrace movements, taking up the space of three or four couples, and oblivious to those around them. When I found myself between two of those, then I felt like less like a dancer and more like a bodyguard.

Fortunately, the crowds thinned out over the course of the evening to the point where there was enough space for London floorcraft standards, and the experience transformed from dodgems to dance.

Luciano’s DJing was absolutely amazing – just tanda after tanda of beautiful music. The last couple of hours with civilised floors and waves of lyrical songs was a real joy.

I danced an intercambio tanda with Tina. I’m certainly a long way short of qualifying for these in terms of my following, but it was a fun taster of things to come … one day!

I also got to dance with some follower friends I haven’t seen for a very long time. This included several of those from my very early days in tango, and reconnecting with them always feels special. It’s a very tangible reminder of just how far we’ve come in this wonderful journey.

Many thanks to the ambassador for graciously hosting the event, and to Luciano, Elena and the rest of the team for all their hard work in making it happen.