1573  outgrowing the community

Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:24:58 EDT
From: Charles Roques <Crrtango@AOL.COM>
Subject: outgrowing the community

Robin Thomas wrote:

"people have been complaining that in new york we have
too many teachers and too many milongas competing
against each other.....we simply have too few tango
dancers".

Uhh...I think that's one and the same thing. For the number of people who
dance tango in NYC we do indeed have too many teachers and milongas competing
with each other. Everyone wants a piece of the pie and it isn't big enough to go
around. Everyone thinks they can do it better. If we increase the number of
dancers we will probably continue to proportionally increase the number of
milongas as well. It is really about egos. The real problem is that there are far
too many entrepreneurs and would-be teachers instead of people who just like to
dance.

"i remember something like this in
bs.as. two and a half years ago when all these famous
teachers were teaching for free,"

Yes and that is exactly the point. There they had famous people with a lot of
experience teaching for free. NYC has far too many people without the same
skills or experience who want to teach. Bs As is a excellent example to follow
in this case but unfortunately people are not following it, at least not from
the experience and skill standpoint.

And BTW there is yet another new milonga opening up tonight.

Cheers,
Charles

Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 09:27:05 -0700
From: sarah La Rocca <danzisima@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: outgrowing the community

Hi List,

I just woke up and am still a little incoherent. Ironically, I was out late at the opening of another new milonga here in NYC.

We DO NOT have too many milongas or tango teachers in NYC. Yes, we have a lot of each, thank God. But reality check please-this is NYC-we have a lot of everything. That is why we pay such incredibly high rent to live here. I prefer to think we have something for everyone 24 hours a day.

Consider: We have a practica just for women who lead, a practica for nuevo open style, a practica just for beginners, and practicas for everyone else. We have informal milongas, fancy milongas in restaurants, free milongas in public places, all night milongas and early milongas, milongas in studios with huge floor, milongas in small clubs, milongas with live music, milongas with DJ's and milongas with alternative music, even a milonga on a roof top of a hotel. No matter what you like there is a place you can identify with. The public can decide for themselves where with whom they want to dance. Less choice is not going to make the community better. I have lived here since 1997 and I have witnessed the level of dancing improve each year. People are learning faster too and the community is growing. The growth rate of milongas and teachers are only helping us along. Yes, we still need more new people coming into the mix. And as discussed here before, attention has to paid as to how to
keep them once they discover it.

The spirit of my town is one of entrepeneuership. ( did I spell that right?)It is the dominant force that drives this city and makes it great in all areas- from art to finance. We are a city of eager beavers, not slugs. NYC is no place for the complacent, the small minded or those who dont like competition.

As for teaching for free: you can't compare the USA to Argentina. Here dance studios are usually the center for learning to dance. Studios are businesses and have expences to pay. Another reality check please. I think most people reading this list have spent a lot of money learning to dance, and happily so. As Robin Thomas stated the real problem is publicity and letting more people know that tango exists and that there is a big community full of fun teachers and milongas waiting for them.

Sincerely,
Sarah La Rocca
NYC