1210 Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 10:23:14 -0400
From: Alysa Hunton <hunton@OAKLAND.EDU>
Subject: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Hello All,
I have had only two tango lessons so far, so I guess I'll have to be
patient, but does anyone have any advice for losing my nervousness out on
the dance floor? I love tango music so much! And I do love to dance, but
usually only dance to techno, which is totally free - you don't follow or
dance with a partner and can do anything you want, which is probably why I
am having a hard time following because with techno I am "leading myself,"
so to speak.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Alysa
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 19:14:35 GMT
From: michael <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Fw: Re: [TANGO-L] Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Alysa:
1) Accept that you're a beginner and you're not expected to
do fancy figures. If you are expected, go find a different
leader, one who respects your skill level.
2) Take a deep breath after you get into the embrace.
3) Try to clear your head of everything and direct all your
sensory perception to your chest and shoulders because
that's where you're going to feel the lead. That's
where you should receive the lead.
4) If something goes wrong, keep on going as if nothing
happened. DON'T JUMP TO THE CONCLUSION IT WAS YOUR FAULT!
I've learned from experience that a woman cannot follow
what a man cannot lead.
5) Practice good walking technique whenever possible. If you
walk well, (no space between the legs, collecting your
weight after every step) with your feet pointed out for
good balance, you'll have LESS to worry about on the
dance floor because you'll have good technique.
6) Remember: You're NOT the only beginner who gets nervous.
The leader could be just as nervous as you are.
Michael
Washington, DC
--- Alysa Hunton <hunton@OAKLAND.EDU> wrote:
Hello All,
Does anyone have any advice for losing my nervousness out on
the dance floor?
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 12:35:18 -0700
From: Rick FromPortland <pruneshrub04@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Alysa,Here's my 2 cents... 1. As much as possible, try to relax, have fun & enjoy the experience.2. If it doesn't impair your dancing ability, perhaps a glass of wine or beer?3. Try to dance with considerate leaders, who are: * sensitive to you as an individual * sensitive to your ability level * can lead basic stuff well4. Remember, you get to choose close or open embrace, not the leader5. Feel the music & the dance & try not to let the critical part of your mind short-circuit/get_in_the_way_too_much of what you're doing.6. Relax & have fun! Take care & hope you have a great experience...Rick
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 23:21:49 +0200
From: "Kohlhaas, Bernhard" <bernhard.kohlhaas@SAP.COM>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Hi Alysa,
in addition to some of the advice already posted, I'd like to
add my 2 cents as well:
Take classes from teachers who focus on fundamentals & technique,
rather than fancy steps. Your abilities to follow well will improve faster.
Also in a true fundamentals class (sometimes wrongly labeled as "beginning" class),
Dancing with your fellow students in a milonga is probably less nerve-wrecking,
since you already know them from the classes. And since your fellow students are
also more interested in technique rather than fancy steps (that's why you're taking
classes from a teacher that focuses on technique), they probably won't
try to impress you with all thirty-something fancy steps that they know within
the first two minutes of your dance.
When I started dancing, I took the "beginning" class before a milonga. Many times
the classes weren't really that good (which I didn't know at the time), but I
would take a mental note of who came to that class and ask them later during the milonga.
After attending few milongas I also started asking other people to dance.
Bernhard
P.S.: If you love tango and techno music, you might find the CD
"La Revancha del Tango" by "Gotan Project" a very interesting mix of both.
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 19:48:53 -0400
From: manuel <white95r@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
> but does anyone have any advice for losing my nervousness out on
> the dance floor? >
> Any advice would be appreciated!
>
> Alysa
>
Hi Alysa,
Welcome to the tango world ;-) I think you'll llike more and more specially
if you already enjoy the music so much. I guess yoiu already know this, but
there are very few shortcuts available to learn tango. The more you know how
to dance, the more confident you are going to feel. I suugest you give
yourself some time to learn and if you have not done this yet, check out
teachers or dancers who dance rhythmically and simply. A good leader can
have you dancing very nicely almost right away, alas, the leaders part is
harder to learn... No matter how good the follower, it's not easy to lead
well right off the bat. Just keep taking lessons and practice a lot.
Best luck with your tango,
Manuel
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 17:16:58 -0700
From: Razor Girl <dilettante666@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Hi Alysa,
I think everyone has been giving you good advice.
I agree that it is important to just relax and have
fun. Dance with people you like who make you feel
comfortable.
Don't let leaders intimidate you.
Don't take too seriously what people you dance with
tell you, they will all tell you something different
and contradictory and if you try to make sense of it
it will just drive you crazy.
Be a lioness!! (as Graciela Gonzales says) Stand tall,
be proud of yourself, let the dance bring out your
beautiful, powerful, seductive wonderful self.
Think of group lessons as a way to build friendships
and meet partners but try to dance with leads who are
better than you.
Make friends with the girls! Sometimes it is harder
because you aren't dancing with them and some can be
kind of cliquish. But really I think most tango women
are warm and friendly once you get to know them...plus
they can introduce you to the guys they like to dance
with and they can share advice about shoes and
stretches and posture etc...
If you can, take private lessons. Mostly, group
classes do not teach followers what they need to know.
Like I think I heard someone else say, find a teacher
who will help you with technique.
Above all else...just dance from your heart. When you
are dancing, listen for your partner's music. See how
he feels it, don't worry so much about the steps as
understanding what he is hearing in the music. When
you become more comfortable, this is the thing that
will make all the difference in your dancing. Some
women have perfect technique, but never dance with
soul. I'm sure you already have this from dancing
free form styles of dancing. Following, does not
insist that you give up your own expression, you can
still feel the music in your own way...the only
difference is that you are communicating with another
person and before you can communicate you have to
understand how to speak their language.
Hope this helps,
Rose
Portland, OR
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 15:05:42 +1000
From: Serkan Alasya <s.alasya@EFFECT.NET.AU>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Hello Alysa,
If you dance to techno like I do you probably move a part of your body
to every beat or every second beat or every third beat of the music. In
effect you already know how to move to music and following the beat, all
you have to do is to learn to apply what your body already knows to a
completely different kind of dance and music (not to mention add a
partner to the equation). It will take time (and time is relative) but
you already have a head start compared to some who start tango.
All the advice given so far has been great. Just a couple of things to
add;
-Let your partner set the pace! Especially during ochos and turns.
Knowing the mechanics of these steps is fine, resist taking over. When
you develop the trust in your partner your tango will improve immensely.
-When walking backwards (which you'll be doing a lot :) ) extend the leg
you are stepping with as far as comfortable without bringing your
upperbody into play. When you walk this way 'extending' every step
you'll allow the leader to adjust the size of your steps; the more he
pushes the bigger your step be and conversely if he pushes less your
step will be smaller. The same principle applies when you are stepping
to the side and forward.
-Most important of all; enjoy yourself. Do not be too serious about it
that it no longer is fun and don't be too casual that you stop learning
and extending yourself.
Cheers,
Serkan
PS: I would have liked to use another word instead of 'Push' above, but
couldn't think of one while typing. English is my second language
afterall!
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 12:23 AM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [TANGO-L] Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Hello All,
I have had only two tango lessons so far, so I guess I'll have to be
patient, but does anyone have any advice for losing my nervousness out
on
the dance floor? I love tango music so much! And I do love to dance,
but
usually only dance to techno, which is totally free - you don't follow
or
dance with a partner and can do anything you want, which is probably why
I
am having a hard time following because with techno I am "leading
myself,"
so to speak.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Alysa
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 09:50:32 -0700
From: elena <erobles@ENC.K12.IL.US>
Subject: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
Congratulations!!!!!!
Reading those replays, I just realized, why anybody should to go to the
classes and practicas.
According to some people, it looks like it, they can even teach over the
internet.
If anybody cares to know, any beginner in Buenos Aires would not even
dream to
dance in their milonga's, especially after just a few classes. The
reason is very simple, the teachers
and the other more experienced dancers teach them so. They know the
experience, in most cases, can be very disappointing and very
embarrassing. Not to mention disruption on very crowded BsAs dance
floors.
I guess here in US we have better teachers who want to reinvent the
wheel.
Having a good intention and trying the help, is very nice gesture, but
sometimes can do more damage.
Danny
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 09:48:51 -0700
From: Marisa Holmes <mariholmes@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
--- elena <erobles@ENC.K12.IL.US> wrote:
> Reading those replays, I just realized, why anybody
> should to go to the classes and practicas.
> According to some people, it looks like it, they can
> even teach over the internet.
Oh, don't be a jerk! Almost no one who responded to
this question tried to teach tango. Some of them
tried to give advice about how to learn tango, but
most of them responded to the question, which was how
to become less nervous while dancing. And most of the
advice was good, welcoming, and even loving.
> If anybody cares to know, any beginner in Buenos
> Aires would not even dream to
> dance in their milonga's.... They know the
experience, in most cases, can be very disappointing
> and very embarrassing. Not to mention disruption on
very crowded BsAs dance floors.
Toughies. The U.S. is not Buenos Aires, so advice to
a new dancer should differ in the two places. In many
U.S. cities, the dancer is fortunate to have a choice
of two teachers, or a practica as well as a class, not
to mention more than one venue to dance. If your
choices are to go to one class a week and that's it,
or one class a week, plus a milonga, you should
certainly go to the milonga if you like. You can meet
people, dance a little, watch what tango looks like,
hear the music.
In addition, the beginner, leader or follower, is much
better off working with a better dancer if they can
land one. In case any one has forgotten, there is
just about nothing more rotten than dancing as a
beginner with someone who is as bad as you are - or
worse. The ideal situation of course would be that a
beginner could attend classes and practicas any day or
night of the week, and that they could do so in a
community which provided support in the form of
regular partners sufficiently advanced so as not to
compound the beginner's problems. Then in a little
bit they would be a delightful addition to the
milongas. But this is not an ideal world.
As for disruption on the floor, in my experience it is
not usually caused by beginning followers, but by
leaders with more experience.
Marisa
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 11:24:44 -0400
From: NEW <newtotango@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Any advice for complete and total beginners?
on 4/28/03 10:23 AM, Alysa Hunton at hunton@OAKLAND.EDU wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I have had only two tango lessons so far, so I guess I'll have to be
> patient, but does anyone have any advice for losing my nervousness out on
> the dance floor? I love tango music so much! And I do love to dance, but
> usually only dance to techno, which is totally free - you don't follow or
> dance with a partner and can do anything you want, which is probably why I
> am having a hard time following because with techno I am "leading myself,"
> so to speak.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated!
>
> Alysa
>
TIME! All you need is TIME.
If you love it so much, give it the necessary TIME to mature, to sink in.
Good things take TIME. Stick around and it will come, I guaranty it.
Listen to your instincts. Tango is more of an emotional, instinctive dance,
than a technique.
Good luck.
NEW
