Embrace Your Inner Tango
lizzpeterson
There was a “Tango on the Street” Festival yesterday in Santa Monica. No, I didn’t go to tango (although the music was quite infectious). I went to watch and support one of our transfemoral patient models as she made her dancing debut. Brenda was dressed in a bright red, sequined dress with a white silk ‘robe.’ She looked radiant. She joked that she was the only dancer that brought her own pit crew: Her husband was in charge of adjusting her foot after she put on her tango shoes, one of her friends was in charge of the camera, and another was in charge of her cane while she was dancing. And she had a cheering section, too.
Brenda got a little quiet and nervous when her tango instructor told her and her partner that it was time to line up (she’s usually chatty with a smile). Her cheering section got a little giddy in anticipation. Before Brenda went onstage, her instructor said a few words. Brenda was part of the Embrace Project, whose mission states: “Sharing the joy of Argentine Tango dancing with the amputee community by connecting through the tango embrace.” Then the music started.
I love watching Tango dancers because it makes me want to dance just like them. I wish I knew tango terms to be able to describe all the great dancing that I saw. Brenda danced backwards and forwards. She pivoted on her left toe; she pivoted on her right toe. She swirled and kicked her foot. Her microprocessor knee performed beautifully as well. My description really doesn’t do the dance justice. When the dance was over, Brenda and her partner were greeted with monstrous applause and a standing ovation. Brenda walked over to the microphone and started telling the audience how she lost her leg a few years ago. Up until a few months ago, she was using a walker. She had no idea that she would be tango-ing on the streets of Santa Monica one day. And she thanked her instructor for the opportunity to do so. A few audience members were crying, along with a few of her friends. It was an amazing moment. I don’t think my smile could have been any bigger. Brenda is truly an inspiration to all of us around her. I can’t wait to give her another big hug the next time she comes into school.