3524 Solutions to Navigational Conflict (?)
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2005 14:27:02 -0600
From: Ron Weigel <tango.society@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Solutions to Navigational Conflict (?)
There has been a lot of discussion about the causes of navigational
conflict (fastasia dancers out of control, noodling milongueros), but
few specific solutions.
Here are some and I offer others.
Sergio Vandekier writes:
"Milonga codes must be followed because they are created to allow all
participants to be able to dance without interference from other couples.
These codes must be enforced by the organizers of the milonga. It is best to
give general instructions so that nobody can take it personal.
These general instructions should become more and more specific as needed."
=> It can be risky for a milonga organizer to enforce rules. Nobody
believes they have poor navigational skills. To point this out to
someone is more likely to cause this person to leave a milonga or,
worse yet, continue in denial or defiance with the same behavior. This
strategy only works for the worst offenders (recognized by the
commuity as such). Too much interference can make the organizer appear
to be the tango police and this can kill a milonga (and a community).
So this suggestion isn't practical.
Tango Chino writes:
"The only thing that I can see a milonga host can do to lessen
navigation problems is NOT to make the dance floor too big. I believe
a smaller dance floor contains the energy, and encourages better
navigational behavior. Confronting bad navigators should not be done,
unless the person becames dangerous."
=> This appears logical at first glance. However, this assumes that
bad navigations change their use of space with the amount of space
available. The problem is, many (perhaps most) poor navigators never
learned to adapt their dancing to small spaces. So actually larger
dance floors are safer because the bad navigators usually drift to the
center of the floor, allowing a safe ronda at the edges.
To find solutions, we need to address the main causes of bad
navigation. Let's assume (for the sake of argument) that most bad
navigators are ignorant rather than defiant. This ignorance comes from
mostly 2 sources (1) bad instruction, and (2) no instruction.
Bad instruction: If local instructors do not instill navigational
skills in their students, they will not learn them. What can one do to
counteract this deficiency?
One option is to openly discuss the problem. Many tango communities
have tango discussion e-mail lists like Tango-L. Make people more
aware of the problem. Knowing that a lot of people are upset with cuts
and bruises may cause some dancers to stop and think more about how
they navigate.
Another option is to invite visiting instructors (that attract a lot
of students) into a community and have them emphasize navigational
skills. This means to bypass most "stars of the stage", who mostly
teach figures, not navigation.
No instruction: Is it not true that many of bad navigators quit taking
classes and workshops after (let's say) 6 months because they felt
confident they were good dancers? Inviting exciting visiting
instructors may bring some of thse dancers back to the classroom.
Don't use stage performances to recruit people to tango. This attracts
people who tend to be exhibitionist. It also gives everyone a first
impression of tango as a performance dance, not a social dance.
Don't get involved with placing students into performances. This again
emphasizes the importance of the performance aspects of tango. If you
feel a need to be involved in a performance, make tango part of a
story and minimize the theatrics.
Instead recruit people to tango for the social aspects - couples
enjoying dancing together, singles enjoying dancing as a way to meet
people.
Minimize alcohol consumption at milongas. Alcohol affects balance and
judgement - leading to more collisions. (Yes, I know, there are at
least 100 of you out there who can drink and dance. It's the ones who
can't that we're worried about.) Hold milongas in alcohol free
environments.
Don't give lessons in bars (for the same reason).
Minimze the amout of free instruction that is given. People commit as
much as they pay. People who take free lessons will rarely become
regular students. They will learn a bit here, a bit there, but not
enough to function on the floor.
Any other ideas for solutions that can reduce the number of bad
navigators in a community?
Ron
Urbana IL
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2005 17:42:13 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Solutions to Navigational Conflict (?)
Ron from Urbana writes:
> Minimize alcohol consumption at milongas. Alcohol affects
> balance and judgement - leading to more collisions. (Yes,
> I know, there are at least 100 of you out there who can
> drink and dance. It's the ones who can't that we're
> worried about.) Hold milongas in alcohol free environments.
That sound you hear is the entire Phoenix
tango community and half of Tucson and Sedona
picking up their half-empty wine bottles and
leaving.
Huck
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2005 02:51:47 +0200
From: "Christian Lüthen" <christian.luethen@GMX.NET>
Subject: Re: Solutions to Navigational Conflict (?)
Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU comments:
> Ron from Urbana writes:
> > Minimize alcohol consumption at milongas. Alcohol affects
> > balance and judgement - leading to more collisions. (Yes,
> > I know, there are at least 100 of you out there who can
> > drink and dance. It's the ones who can't that we're
> > worried about.) Hold milongas in alcohol free environments.
>
> That sound you hear is the entire Phoenix
> tango community and half of Tucson and Sedona
> picking up their half-empty wine bottles and
> leaving.
"Everything is poison,
nothing but poison,
only the dosis is making it not to be a poison."
Paracelsus
Being a non-drinky at milongas and in regular life (but still enjoying a
good glas of wine or a "copa di champa" in moderate consumption) I can
imagine that a little bit of red wine might help some folks to get a bit
more relaxed, grouded ... but the border line to being not only grounded but
an anoying slow of reaction person is very small ...
Christian
.
--
christian@eTanguero.net
https://www.eTanguero.net/
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