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How do you feel in milongas?
On the 28th of February, we are opening an online circle to explore this together.
Tango Sensaciones
February 13, 2026
I still remember that milonga.
For a couple of long hours, I suffered — overthinking every step, tightening with every tanda — until I decided it was safer to stay in my chair and just watch.
But sitting didn’t calm me. It made everything louder. The anxiety. The urge to leave.
I didn’t go home.
Something happened during the last song of the night that made my body move from contraction into aliveness.
With the floor already half empty, my friend came straight towards me. She took my hand, leaving no room for refusal.
As I opened into the embrace, a thought cut through: To hell with tango. I’m going to dance as I know.
It wasn’t really a thought. It was a sensation. A decision in the body.
I am a good dancer. I know rhythm. I love music. But I had been letting the “not yet great” technique shrink me. For one song, I stopped correcting. I let my body move with what I have.
It was a deliciously imperfect walk.
On the way to the car, Natalie said, “That last song — that was tango. You were going somewhere.”
What I know is this: in that walk, I felt alive.
That night, I realised something simple. A milonga is not always the place to fix. Sometimes it is the place to inhabit.
If what you know is walking — walk.
Because milongas bring sensations long before they bring steps.
Fear of making mistakes.
Fear of not being chosen.
A subtle bracing in the chest.
And also anticipation. Softness. A quiet tingling. Joy.
As Alla Petcheniouk shared with me:
If I go to a milonga where I expect it to be difficult, I feel my body contract even while I’m getting ready. I’m already bracing.
When I enter a milonga where I know people and it’s relaxed, my body opens. My chest moves slightly forward — I want to arrive faster. There’s softness. A small tingling of anticipation. And a huge smile.
Before the first tanda, before the first embrace, the body already knows.
So how do we actually feel in milongas?
On the 28th of February, we are opening an online circle to explore this together.
Not to analyse tango.
Not to improve technique.
Simply to notice.
To slow down.
To listen.
To speak from the body.
We’ll meet on Zoom at 5 pm UK time.
Stay attuned
Jesus Acosta
What is Tango Sensaciones?
Tango Sensaciones is an online space for tango dancers who are curious about what they feel while dancing — not only what they do.
Each time we gather, we aim to create a warm and welcoming space. In our first circle, it was tender to hear Aydan Dunnigan, a tango teacher from Canada, share his experience with all of us.
Visit our new website: https://www.tangosensaciones.com/