Who Are You Dancing For?

When we watch YouTube most of what we see is exhibition dancing. Two workshop instructors strutting their stuff for the audience seated around the perimeter of the room. This is really a presentation of credentials, and a commercial exchange. It’s not lead and follow, it’s rehearsed and practiced. Who are they dancing for? I think they are promoting their brand, dancing for their customers, and prospective customers. That’s not a crime, but I don’t think it’s something that we necessarily want to copy for our own use. For the most part these demonstrations are overly complex, deliberately difficult so that they are exclusive, and partner connection is often not a high priority. Said another way, in these exhibitions the partners objectify each other a lot more often than they connect.

Below is a link to Melina Plebs dancing at one of her workshops. Nobody does fancy sacadas, showboating enrosques, and machine gun boleos better than Melina Plebs. However, this clip is not about that. This is casual, everyday lead/follow dancing that is a model for dancing inside of the body, connection to your partner, listening to your partner, keeping your axis, and understated elegance. Who is she dancing for in this clip?

Isn’t what we’re watching actually two conscious minds sharing the same thought?
https://www.facebook.com/MilenaPlebsTangoCo/videos/vb.500901023287953/964205376957513/?type=2&theater