5563  The Challange in Teaching Newbies [Was Breaking the

Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:35:13 -0600
From: Stephen.P.Brown@dal.frb.org
Subject: [Tango-L] The Challange in Teaching Newbies [Was Breaking the
'paso basico']

Tom Stermitz wrote:

>On a social dance floor, the 8CB w/DBS is COMPLETELY non functional.
>When you are social dancing, you have to break the pattern every two
>steps, so why bother to learn a useless pattern.

The challenge in teaching newcomers/beginners is in providing some
semblance of success in dancing tango while providing a foundation for
future learning. The 8CB w/ or wo/DBS isn't helpful at all on either
front. It is more like an obstacle that one must overcome to show a
desire to learn. It shifts learning from an integrated mind/body
experience linked to the music to a mostly intellectual experience that is
disconnected from the music.

Even when the 8CB is mastered, its execution creates all kinds of
navigational problems because the beginner who has mastered it wants to go
through the entire sequence whether there is room or not. The DBS adds to
navigational problems.

For most learners, tango is best taught to beginners in small elements
that can be executed rhythmically. It gets them moving to the music. The
small elements can be combined to provide a taste of improvisation right
from the beginning.

With best regards,
Steve