1689  Instruction on Videos and Otherwise

Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 18:48:04 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Instruction on Videos and Otherwise

Perhaps the single greatest difficulty in using videos to learn tango is
that nearly all the videos convey tango as a series of step patterns to be
memorized and then executed while dancing -- with both the leader and
follower dancing their memorized parts. The difficulty with this approach
is that social tango is improvised and made up of relatively small and
simple walking and turning elements.

In the past, some people have expressed the concern that people who learn
step patterns will lock into those patterns as their way of dancing. I
have certainly seen evidence of that among beginners and relatively
inexperienced dancers at some milongas, but I don't dance that way, and I
haven't for many years. What I think is the case for most of the
instructional videos is that the viewer/dancer must be a seasoned tango
dancer to put the material into the proper context.

I think that is true of much of the material being taught in workshops
here in the United States too. From my own experience and what I have
been told by others, many touring and local instructors teach as social
dance as a scaled-down version of stage dancing -- with a verbal reminder
to observe the line of dance. They still use the eight count basic with a
back step, they still teach step patterns which the students memorize; and
they still teach figures with 180 degree turns that take their students
against the line of dance.

None of these things would be a problem per se, if the students were to
take complete ownership of the material they learn. Memorizing a step
pattern is not complete ownership. Personally, when I attend workshops or
watch a video to learn, I work on whatever is being taught. If I like the
material or some aspect of it, I take it apart and incorporate the pieces
into my own dance. Those pieces are then available for my use when they
are needed. That is what I find that gives me sufficient ownerhsip of the
material.

With best regards,
Steve