2275 Tango practice groups
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 15:14:39 -0500
From: Ender Malkoc <ender@PAGOS.COM>
Subject: Tango practice groups
I am a beginner in the tango scene and it seems like the only way one
can progress is to practice hard. One can progress in some areas
practicing by himself/herself, but I think practicing with someone is
more important than practicing alone especially after a certain point.
Practicas is a great way to practice. You get to dance with people from
various skill levels who have different styles. But for a beginner this
can get a little bit frustrating, because he/she has too many things to
concentrate on. By the time you adapt to your partner, the dance is over
and you never get to concentrate on your mistakes. At the same time you
tend to avoid practicing new things till you adapt to the person.
From what I read or heard so far, practicing with a regular partner
(especially for beginners) is not a very good idea, because you end up
adapting each other and have difficulties dancing with other people.
So being that analytical person I am thinking maybe beginners should
form practice groups of say 3 - 4 couples (Maybe this is not something
new but I've never seen people doing this, or teachers recommending...)
I think this would help beginners progress faster in many ways. For one
there would be a community aspect of it where people in the group
teaching each other. Also because of the higher comfort level between
partners, practicing would be so much easier. And group can take classes
from instructors, which are targeted at their level.
Before geting carried away, I wanted to hear what people in this
newsgroup think about this idea.... Is this something people already do?
Or is it a bad idea?
Ender
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 13:38:58 -0800
From: Carlos Rojas <Crojas@HACIENDACDC.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tango practice groups
Ender,
Welcome to tango and the frustrations of learning it. From my personal
experience I can tell you that:
Many of us have gone through what you are now going, we all have
practice for hours in several formats, i.e. different partners,
different number of couples, music, floor, exercises, etc.
I personally think that all practice is good, and unfortunately there is
no other way of learning, we all have spend time practicing and miles in
the dance floor, and you may find for a while that they more you learn
the more you still need to learn.
Just be patient (for a few years), take your time, practice and listen
to what your partner(s) tell you. If you are a leader, then my strong
advice is:
"Learn from now to take blame for all and any mistakes in the dance
floor".
Even when you think or know that is her fault. The sooner you can do
this, the sooner your dance level will improve, when a follower tells
you that she did not understand the lead, then take it as a challenge
and think how you could have done it better, practice until she is
satisfied.
And then, one day, you will notice that even after the song and/or tango
has ended, followers are still holding on to you, not wanting to let you
go, you will know then that all that time you spent practicing, have
finally paid off.
Carlos Rojas
Portland, OR
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 12:15 PM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [TANGO-L] Tango practice groups
I am a beginner in the tango scene and it seems like the only way one
can progress is to practice hard. One can progress in some areas
practicing by himself/herself, but I think practicing with someone is
more important than practicing alone especially after a certain point.
Practicas is a great way to practice. You get to dance with people from
various skill levels who have different styles. But for a beginner this
can get a little bit frustrating, because he/she has too many things to
concentrate on. By the time you adapt to your partner, the dance is over
and you never get to concentrate on your mistakes. At the same time you
tend to avoid practicing new things till you adapt to the person.
>From what I read or heard so far, practicing with a regular partner
(especially for beginners) is not a very good idea, because you end up
adapting each other and have difficulties dancing with other people.
So being that analytical person I am thinking maybe beginners should
form practice groups of say 3 - 4 couples (Maybe this is not something
new but I've never seen people doing this, or teachers recommending...)
I think this would help beginners progress faster in many ways. For one
there would be a community aspect of it where people in the group
teaching each other. Also because of the higher comfort level between
partners, practicing would be so much easier. And group can take classes
from instructors, which are targeted at their level.
Before geting carried away, I wanted to hear what people in this
newsgroup think about this idea.... Is this something people already do?
Or is it a bad idea?
Ender
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 13:27:04 -0800
From: Trini or Sean - PATangoS <patangos@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango practice groups
--- Ender Malkoc <ender@PAGOS.COM> wrote:
> So being that analytical person I am thinking maybe
> beginners should
> form practice groups of say 3 - 4 couples
I've found that limiting it to two couples works best.
With 3+, you may end up with one leader that ends up
"teaching" the others, which is not fun for him/her
after awhile. It can also dilute the learning
experience. The likelihood of finding 3-4 compatible
couples is low.
Be careful about picking the other couple. You want
to find a couple who are taking the same
classes/workshops, etc. as you are. As you get more
experienced and get a solid foundation, this can
change.
People also learn differently (abstract thinkers who
ruminate on, say, the philosophy of tango versus
concrete thinkers who may just want to do steps).
Find out which you are and pick practice partners
accordingly.
Having private tango parties is a nice way to find how
compatible you are with other dancers/couples.
Socializing after a class or practice (drinks, dinner)
is also a good start.
Good luck,
Trini de Pittsburgh
=====
PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance.
https://www.pitt.edu/~mcph/PATangoWeb.htm
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 20:53:43 +1000
From: John Lowry <john@LOWRY.COM.AU>
Subject: Tango practice groups
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 13:27:04 -0800
