4808  Sergio Natario and Alejandra

Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 17:35:03 -0600
From: "Lois Donnay" <donnay@donnay.net>
Subject: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Fine dancers, indeed. I've taken some of their classes, though, and I can't
recommend them unconditionally. Sergio passes my criteria of a great dancer
and teacher because he dances with people other than his partner, not only
in class but at milongas. Alejandra is a fine dancer, but embellishes so
much that it is distracting and out of place at a class. Many of the people
in the class came away more confused than edified, even though the move they
taught was fairly simple.

Lois Donnay


-----Original Message-----

Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 09:27:08 +0900
From: "astrid" <astrid@ruby.plala.or.jp>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra
To: "Lois Donnay" <donnay@donnay.net>, <tango-l@mit.edu>


Sergio passes my criteria of a great dancer

> and teacher because he dances with people other than his partner, not only
> in class but at milongas.

You seem very easy to please, Lois. In my opinion in a good lesson it is
often a necessity "to dance with people other than his partner" if a man is
trying to teach. And the people other than his partner usually include the
men as well. Dancing with other people in milongas may mean that he is
friendly, but in my observation usually the main motive is fishing for
(private) lessons. It has nothing to do with whether someone is a great
dancer. It does facilitate teaching, though, but should be regarded as a
fairly basic requirement, not as something outstanding.

Astrid

Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 16:27:49 -0600
From: "Lois Donnay" <donnay@donnay.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Oh, my stars - this is so refreshing to hear!!!

I see so much hero worship of some dancer who comes up with a new move, or
does some showy stuff. To my mind, it doesn't count unless you can lead
it!!!

I can't tell you how many teachers come to me and ask me to sponsor
workshops, or invite them to teach here. Yet they don't think to dance with
me or my students. How can I tell if they dance well? Male teachers who
don't know how to follow, teachers who won't dance with their students even
in a private class, or teachers who run to find their partner to demonstrate
everything - they are definitely out there, and they still have students.

The problem is that so many people sponsor workshops with teachers whom they
have only seen dance and thought it was "cool'. Then more people sponsor
them because they taught somewhere else. Please! This would be my short list
of things to do before you endorse a teacher:

Dance with them.
Dance with their students.
Take a private lesson with them.
Take a group lesson with them, and watch the results!
Talk to the people who take the group lesson and see if they learned
anything.

Any others?

Lois Donnay

-----Original Message-----

From: astrid [mailto:astrid@ruby.plala.or.jp]
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 6:27 PM
To: Lois Donnay; tango-l@mit.edu
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra


Sergio passes my criteria of a great dancer

> and teacher because he dances with people other than his partner, not only
> in class but at milongas.

You seem very easy to please, Lois. In my opinion in a good lesson it is
often a necessity "to dance with people other than his partner" if a man is
trying to teach. And the people other than his partner usually include the
men as well. Dancing with other people in milongas may mean that he is
friendly, but in my observation usually the main motive is fishing for
(private) lessons. It has nothing to do with whether someone is a great
dancer. It does facilitate teaching, though, but should be regarded as a
fairly basic requirement, not as something outstanding.

Astrid

Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 15:06:02 -0800 (PST)
From: "Trini y Sean (PATangoS)" <patangos@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra

> Please! This would be my short list
> of things to do before you endorse a teacher:
>
> Dance with them.
> Dance with their students.
> Take a private lesson with them.
> Take a group lesson with them, and watch the results!
> Talk to the people who take the group lesson and see if
> they learned
> anything.
>
> Any others?
>
> Lois Donnay

- Talk/email with the teachers.
- Check references within your own network (which as saved
us a few times).
- Google them.

Then repeat until it feels good to you.
And never rush. There's always another year.


Trini de Pittsburgh




PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance.
https://patangos.home.comcast.net/




Get your own web address.

Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 23:17 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)
From: "Chris, UK" <tl2@chrisjj.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra
Cc: tl2@chrisjj.com

Astrid wrote:

> "to dance with people other than his partner" ... should be regarded as a
> fairly basic requirement, not as something outstanding.

Agreed 100%.

Lois asked:

> ...
> Take a group lesson with them, and watch the results!
> Talk to the people who take the group lesson and see if they learned
> anything.
>
> Any others?

Dance with the people who take the group lesson and see if they learned
anything.

;)

Chris









-------- Original Message --------

*Subject:* Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra
*From:* "Lois Donnay" <donnay@donnay.net>
*To:* <tango-l@mit.edu>
*Date:* Thu, 8 Mar 2007 16:27:49 -0600

Oh, my stars - this is so refreshing to hear!!!

I see so much hero worship of some dancer who comes up with a new move, or
does some showy stuff. To my mind, it doesn't count unless you can lead
it!!!

I can't tell you how many teachers come to me and ask me to sponsor
workshops, or invite them to teach here. Yet they don't think to dance with
me or my students. How can I tell if they dance well? Male teachers who
don't know how to follow, teachers who won't dance with their students even
in a private class, or teachers who run to find their partner to demonstrate
everything - they are definitely out there, and they still have students.

The problem is that so many people sponsor workshops with teachers whom they
have only seen dance and thought it was "cool'. Then more people sponsor
them because they taught somewhere else. Please! This would be my short list
of things to do before you endorse a teacher:

Dance with them.
Dance with their students.
Take a private lesson with them.
Take a group lesson with them, and watch the results!
Talk to the people who take the group lesson and see if they learned
anything.

Any others?

Lois Donnay

-----Original Message-----

From: astrid [mailto:astrid@ruby.plala.or.jp]
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 6:27 PM
To: Lois Donnay; tango-l@mit.edu
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Sergio Natario and Alejandra


Sergio passes my criteria of a great dancer

> and teacher because he dances with people other than his partner, not only
> in class but at milongas.

You seem very easy to please, Lois. In my opinion in a good lesson it is
often a necessity "to dance with people other than his partner" if a man is
trying to teach. And the people other than his partner usually include the
men as well. Dancing with other people in milongas may mean that he is
friendly, but in my observation usually the main motive is fishing for
(private) lessons. It has nothing to do with whether someone is a great
dancer. It does facilitate teaching, though, but should be regarded as a
fairly basic requirement, not as something outstanding.

Astrid