Silvia

I really can't get enough of teaching at this level: she's perceptive, and expresses herself clearly, even forcefully in English. She's straightforward about what she sees and feels, and it's never flattering. I lead and follow; she's a strong, clear leader. She reinforces in detail what Pedro says about dancing with the body, and she can both show me and tell me directly. She expects a much more intimate, sensual feel for the dance: the embrace is a lot more than a chest-level connection. She starts by demonstrating a gentle roll of the shoulders, asking what it feels like; it's very pleasurable. I've noticed this gentle shaking before she and Tete started to dance, kind of a settling-in even when they were just going to demonstrate something in class. She talks of holding the partner as gently as holding a baby; you don't want it to wake up and start crying. The energy of leading has to be both gentle and totally confident. & she won't accept anything that isn't danced without total attention to the music.

Pedro leaves me feeling confident and cheerful, but I walk out of this class feeling very thoughtful. I dance close embrace in London, but not like this: I'm not sure anyone dances it like this in London. I've never before had the experience of dancing with someone who can both show me and tell me how the embrace and the dance should feel, and I begin to realise how wooden my dance must feel to partners here. & I can't help wondering how a more sensual embrace might go down back in London. I've often felt that I learn the most from comments by partners I'm dancing with, and this is more of the same; much, much more.