5453  Dance/Language Acquisition

Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:03:33 -0800 (PST)
From: Mario <sopelote@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] Dance/Language Acquisition
To: tango-l@mit.edu

Well, I've only completed four months as an aggressive Tangobaby student/dancer howevrer I have a lot of experience in studying/teaching second language fluency and already I can make a comparison between both.
Just as no Spanish Language teacher expects to see a second language fluency in their students, also no dance teacher expects Tango fluency in theirs. It's all about more classes and it's all about what is best for the teacher.
The above is of course a generality and my own opinion but in my own progress I've noticed that I can already dance the Milonga with fluency and fun, something that I cannot say about my Tango dancing. The BIG difference between the two is that I've never taken a class in the Milonga. I can assure you that I'm going to keep it that way and although the Vals doesn't particularly grab me, I've decided to go for mastering the Vals now before I ruin my chances by taking a class in it.
sincerely, .Mario


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Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:25:19 -0800 (PST)
From: Mario <sopelote@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] Dance/Language Acquisition
To: tango-l@mit.edu

Just as most language classes have nothing to do with language fluency, most dance classes have nothing to do with dance fluency, Both tend to look more like a frustrating attempt to read engineering schematics. I say that both areas of 'education' SLOW DOWN the progress of the students, teach them BAD HABITS, and erect barriers that they will be hard put to solve in the future....in other words the last thing that 'education' wants to see are students that are fluent in their language/dance and 'students' that don't need more classes. I'm not saying that this is the conscious intention of the teaching industry but it sure is their product.
There is an alternative to this mess. I hold that 'fluency' is best learned by practising 'fluency' and not by splitting the dance/language up into tiny conceptualized pieces to be examined, practised out of context and later re combined (with music) to form a beautiful whole...this is not going to happen.
My experience in the language arts shows me that most students who go on to fluency do not really know and are not aware of how they have attained that fluency.
I am also an oils painter. I am used to the withering criticism that comes from the painting community and I see that same competition here on Tango-L in spades. Well, I'm not afraid of it. I have 25 years experience in the theory and practise of language acquistion. I see it's relevance in Tango acquisition and I have something to say about it. If you don't like that, tough.
I'm already receiving hate mail saying that I'm claiming to have 'mastered' the Milonga. My Milonga ability brings me lots of fun and smiles on the faces of my partners. That's a good enough mastery for me at this point. I can't say the same about my Tango dancing after four months of lessons. I'm sure that someone out there can relate to this. If not, so what. sincerely Mario