Leandro Palou and Romina Godoy @ Crypt

Quick class review: I went along to this pre-milonga guest-class on Saturday because Leandro and Romina's one on Wednesdays has been recommended to me by several different people.

The class was very large - at least forty people - and of very mixed ability. They managed that well, with presence and management rather than shouting. It began with a warm-up in the form of a simple technique drill, walking forwards and backwards. Then they showed us a sequence which was not especially difficult, but was carefully thought out so that people at very different levels could all get something out of it. They added a bit of extra spice with a gancho, but emphasised that if you were not comfortable with the plain version you should not attempt the gancho; I think this is a good approach to the problem we were discussing here.

They sought questions and both responded to them well, answering the question that the person would have asked, had he or she already understood the answer.

Romina gave lots of time and attention to followers' technique, her advice was clear and useful, and she made sure that everyone got a good view of what she was doing. Her demonstrations with Leandro also included some ornaments that were a little different each time, but were not made into a distraction.

A lot of time was spent on the leader's and the follower's steps seperately. I know some leaders find this very helpful because it makes it easier to understand what is being demonstrated. It's also good for me as a technique and balance drill. But I always worry that this method can be taken the wrong way by some followers, who end up doing the same thing regardless of what is led. However, at different times both Leandro and Romina did spell out that you shouldn't do this. I have no reason to think that anyone did get the wrong idea.

I've heard good things about Leandro and Romina's teaching from many different sources. I thought this class was well pitched, well presented, well put together, and very professional, and I was told that the content and the presentation were typical of their regular classes. I wouldn't hesitate to take their Wednesday class, especially because of the attention to followers' technique. However, all the drills and repeated calesitas made the class quite tiring before a milonga, and I was glad to go home before my last train.

Their website is tangosoul.co.uk and you can see some didactic demos from their regular classes here.

The performance was very enjoyable, and her dress was stupendous. I know someone filmed it, so it may pop up on YouTube in time.