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    A web series + blog about travel, dance, and chasing your dreams

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    • ALL POSTS
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    • To the Heart of Dance in Cuba
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    Episode 6: The Beautiful Heartbreak of Tango
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jun 9, 2019
    • 1 min

    Episode 6: The Beautiful Heartbreak of Tango

    The final episode of Season 2: BuenosAires. As my time in Buenos Aires wound down, I realized that tango had surprised me in what it had to teach. As with all dances, learning the steps was not the most powerful lesson. Tango showed me how to live in the duality of longing and intimacy, loss and fullness, and sadness and bliss. Learning tango in Buenos Aires was an amazing, life-changing experience that I will never forget. And I know I will be back someday. #tango #BuenosAir
    Episode 5: A Tango Performance Challenge from the Heart
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jun 9, 2019
    • 1 min

    Episode 5: A Tango Performance Challenge from the Heart

    Part 2 of my tango performance challenge! Preparing to perform tango in front of friends and strangers at a milonga brought up some VERY intense emotions about LOVE and GRIEF that I didn't expect. I'm used to stage fright, but this was something very different. I was fortunate though - the whole emotional experience created one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. (Haven't seen Part 1? Watch Episode 4!) #tango #BuenosAires #Season2 #MelissaMansfield #travelblog #webse
    Episode 4: Fernet & Coke + Learning to Perform Tango
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jun 9, 2019
    • 1 min

    Episode 4: Fernet & Coke + Learning to Perform Tango

    Part 1 of my tango performance challenge! After 5 weeks of lessons, I find a professional dance partner to teach me how to perform an improvised piece in just 4 weeks. (The incredible Facundo Gil Jauregui :)) First steps? Learning more advanced technique, figuring out whether I have what it takes to improvise with my partner, and trying an iconic Argentine cocktail at Facundo's favorite milonga! #tango #BuenosAires #Season2 #MelissaMansfield #travelblog #webseries #dancer
    Episode 3: Milonga Life & the Tango House
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jun 9, 2019
    • 1 min

    Episode 3: Milonga Life & the Tango House

    In Episode 3, I move to a "tango house" and immerse myself in the tango scene of Buenos Aires: the milonga. Taking what I learned in the classroom out onto the dance floor was NOT easy. Not only was I still learning how to dance, I was still learning the "codigo" (the rules)! It was an emotional ride, but definitely a challenge worth taking on! And living in Casa del Sol (the tango house) was an unforgettable experience. #tango #BuenosAires #Season2 #MelissaMansfield #travelb
    Episode 2: Tango 101 in Buenos Aires
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jun 9, 2019
    • 1 min

    Episode 2: Tango 101 in Buenos Aires

    In Season 2, Episode 2, my tango journey in Buenos Aires begins! As a new student at DNI Tango, I knew learning tango would be hard, but I didn't anticipate how ANGRY I would get! It brought up so many intense emotions and challenged me to move every part of my body in a completely foreign way. Did I learn to love it? You'll have to watch to find out! #tango #BuenosAires #Season2 #MelissaMansfield #travelblog #webseries #dancer #tangostudent
    Episode 1: Welcome to Tango in Buenos Aires
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jun 9, 2019
    • 1 min

    Episode 1: Welcome to Tango in Buenos Aires

    Escape with me to Buenos Aires, where the heart of tango still beats with a passion. In Season 2: Episode 1, we get an introduction to the city and the roots of tango culture, and I set my dance challenge goals for the season! #tango #BuenosAires #Season2 #MelissaMansfield #travelblog #webseries #dancer
    The Story Behind Season 2's Tango Title Sequence
    Melissa Mansfield
    • Jan 24, 2019
    • 1 min

    The Story Behind Season 2's Tango Title Sequence

    The title sequence to Season 2: Buenos Aires is special to me. Once I started studying tango, I knew there was one thing I wanted to convey in each episode: the embrace (el abrazo). For Season 1 in Havana, I don't even remember what I told my editors regarding the title sequence. I'm pretty sure I asked them to make it fun and colorful and reflect the energy of the streets of Havana - which is exactly what they did. But tango - and Buenos Aires - felt different. I arrived as
    Going Backwards Is Part of the Process
    Melissa Mansfield
    • May 25, 2018
    • 2 min

    Going Backwards Is Part of the Process

    Do you ever feel like you're going backwards in some aspect of your life? Or maybe just in life in general? During my first week back in #Cuba in April, I was at a dance class at Casa del Son. We were sharing a classroom with two other couples and afterwards I talked to the other women - two of whom recognized me because they had seen Follow My Lead - in Denmark!! One of the women was having a hard time in class and thought back to the part in Episode 3 where I'm crying becau

    © Follow My Lead and Melissa Mansfield 2010 - 2021

    Photo credits: Sophia Heinke and Diana Manning

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      • SEASON 1: HAVANA
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