26  rating system for teachers/visiting BsAs

Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 09:09:35 -0500
From: Lois Donnay <donnay@DONNAY.NET>
Subject: rating system for teachers/visiting BsAs

I've been thinking that these topics could be related.

When choosing a tango instructor, wouldn't you prefer one who has been to
(and danced in) BsAs?

Wouldn't you favor one who goes there frequently? Maybe who was born there
or performs there? One who lives there? One who can also teach in Bs.As?

None of these are required to teach tango (unfortunately), but I'd venture
to guess that most of us want as much connection as possible to BsAs from
our teachers. The more of the above you get, the more you pay. Why
shouldn't we want that ourselves?

I think most of the non-traveler posts had one thing in common-they seem to
think that tango is a dance. When you visit Argentina, you learn it is so
much more.

Lois Donnay
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 08:08:02 -0700
From: Benjamin Kai Kia Koh <benkoh@STANFORD.EDU>
Subject: Re: rating system for teachers/visiting BsAs

On Wed, 20 Jun 2001, Lois Donnay wrote:

> When choosing a tango instructor, wouldn't you prefer one who has been
> to (and danced in) BsAs?
>
> Wouldn't you favor one who goes there frequently? Maybe who was born
> there or performs there? One who lives there? One who can also teach
> in Bs.As?
>
> None of these are required to teach tango (unfortunately), but I'd
> venture to guess that most of us want as much connection as possible
> to BsAs from our teachers. The more of the above you get, the more you
> pay. Why shouldn't we want that ourselves?

Tango means different things to different people. To some it is a
beautiful dance, nothing more. To others it is an expression of the
culture of another society. And so on. Just because you want X from a
teacher doesn't mean that others do too. That's why there are different
teachers; because there are different students.

Yehudi Menuhin might charge $500/hr for a violin lesson, while your local
neighbourhood teacher might charge $50/hr. There is a market for both, and
neither is necessarily better than the other - the effectiveness of a
lesson depends on both the pupil's and the teacher's suitability for each
other. Same for tango.

BsAs is a myth we all like to perpetuate. But coming from BsAs doesn't
automatically make one a great teacher or dancer. Neither does being a
gringo preclude one from becoming a great teacher and dancer. Nature vs
nurture. The same old argument. You may start ahead at the starting line,
but that doesn't guarantee you'll finish first. There are some Argentine
teachers I don't care for, and some non-Argentines I enjoy learning from.
Simply put, I look at the finishing tape, not the starting line. The
completed painting on the canvas is more important than the artist's
palette.

> I think most of the non-traveler posts had one thing in common-they
> seem to think that tango is a dance. When you visit Argentina, you
> learn it is so much more.

Certainly, tango is more than merely a dance. Most people are well aware
of that. But as I've previously posted, some like it that way. You
wouldn't like to be snubbed for eating Peking duck despite knowing little
or nothing about the history of the dish or the way it's prepared, would
you? Tango as a cultural artifact is no different. Let those who enjoy
living on the surface do so. Not everyone wants to delve into the
socio-economic history of Argentina and analyze the hows and whys of
tango's development.

Benjamin

Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 00:38:00 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: rating system for teachers/visiting BsAs

Lois Donnay asked:

> When choosing a tango instructor, wouldn't you prefer one who has been to
> (and danced in) BsAs?
> Wouldn't you favor one who goes there frequently? Maybe who was born there
> or performs there?

The other day I went to a class with Gustavo Saenz in Tokyo, and ran into a
number of Japanese aspiring tangueros there who I had never met before. They
said they were from "Kumi-san's tango circle" or some such. I told them that
I had never taken tango lessons from a Japanese. They asked:"What is wrong
with learning tango from a Japanese ?"
I countered:"Would you try to learn Kabuki theater from an American ?" Their
faces lit up and they said: "Ah, now we know what you mean...!"

Astrid

Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 06:13:09 EDT
From: Timothy Pogros <TimmyTango@AOL.COM>
Subject: teachers

One thing I think, a visiting instructor shouldn't leave the city he is
visiting until he know that the home teacher knows and understands what he
just taught. I miss a lot when I hold workshops with the business end of it.

I think a negative element towards a visiting teacher is he/she plants a seed
in the minds of all the students in this new city they just visited, but
doesn't get to see the fruit of the harvest. It's up to the home teacher to
cultivate and see that everyone grows correctly.

I have persuaded many instructor who don't wish to be video taped to allow me
to, so weeks later the class and go back and review what was taught. Of
coarse I'm not allow to give a copy of the tape to any one, but I have it
should we need it.

Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 01:14:27 -0800
From: lindavalentino <lindavalentino@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject: Teachers

There have been many comments about good and bad teachers in the last
several days. I'd just like to add one. In my opinion, no matter how well
the teacher dances, no matter how fabulous their technique may be, no matter
how many steps they know, now matter how well they communicate, a teacher
cannot be great unless they really LOVE teaching. If you love teaching and
love sharing that which gives you joy, that speaks volumes to your students.
And if you're only teaching because you need to make money, or because you
happen to host a milonga or because you need to show somebody (the students)
how well YOU dance, that also speaks volumes to them. Personally, I think
that the people who really love teaching naturally have the most positive
approach. They truly want the student to succeed, so they encourage and
nurture. I have found this quality particularly in Gloria and Eduardo
Arquimbau and Julio Balmaceda and Corina De La Rosa, among others.
One of my favorite stories from my own teaching experience took place
about two years ago. I had a particular group of 8 students who all started
pretty much around the same time--between March and May. They studied all
summer together and all of them became pretty good friends. They not only
went to classes and milongas together, but they also just ended up hanging
out together for alot of non-tango activities. At the end of the summer one
of them had to move back to New York and decided to throw himself a little
going-away party. He invited his tango friends and all of his non-tango
friends, all of whom had been hearing about his new-found tango obsession
and wanted to see him dance. At one point in the evening I walked into the
small, darkened living room and there were my eight students dancing simply
but beautifully to Pugliese. Each couple was completely absorbed in the
music, the embrace, the moment. There was nothing else. I watched for about
two minutes and then had to leave the room because it was just too
emotionally overwhelming for me. I walked into the other room and cried. I
felt my "babies" had just learned to fly. And that's the real joy of
teaching.