1990  For the Thousandth Time- Tango Is A Very Friendly Dance

Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 16:40:19 EST
From: AHGberg@AOL.COM
Subject: For the Thousandth Time- Tango Is A Very Friendly Dance

Hi Listeros:

Any one who states that there is one and only one way to teach Argentine
Tango leaves him/herself open to severe criticism. There are many styles of as
well as many ways to teach Argentine Tango. The learning process for a muscular
skill involving the coordinated movements between two people, to music, on a
dance floor, in a social situation, can be quite complex. The good Tango
teacher, however must create an illusion that it is "easier than it
looks/appears!" My objective would be to get as many people moving as quickly as
possible....then to smooth out the bumps and refine given the adequate time to do so.
There is a learning curve and it usually takes more time than most beginners
believe could be possible. The learning curve is differently for each person.


The first thing(s) one should try to establish/determine concerning the new
beginner learner is/are: (I will not address business economics costs, Profit
a & Loss in this post!)

1) What (How much, Where, and What kind of) dance experience has the
aspiring "individual" had before encountering you, his first Tango teacher. Are they
analyticals and patiently apply themselves to the new ideas and concepts or
are they overzealous
(let me see it once and I will attempt to recreate or imitate what you show
me!) You cannot teach analyticals using the same method as you would be
teacing the impatient fast-pace learners. (I once asked a Lady Dentist how good
a Tango Dancer she wanted to be! As good as I am at my profession. I am one
of the best! And how long did it take you to become one of the best
dentists. 4 years of college, 4 years of Dentistry School and 14 years of doing
practice} business. I could see her calculating and then answering me with some
reluctance.........22 years! I have not seen her nor heard from her since!)

2) If they (the aspiring pupils) have in their "mind's eye" the dancing
done on the stage by the fabulous fantasia dancing couples in Forever Tango, the
teacher might suggest that this might not be the goals of this class (neither
short term nor ultimately). Suggest that you have some ideas for some
scintillating and even sexy moves for those that might be interested in going in that
direction. But generally speaking there will be no attempts to teach "lifts
nor drops".

3) Determine the pupils objectives and commitment! Some pupils may not
plan to take lessons for more than six or eight weeks. If the class is
sequential and a person may be planning to absent themselves from a few weeks in your
course, provide "make up" classes. This is helpful in solving time-missed
problems. Some times classes are run perpetually and a person attending now and
then might benefit even with impediments such as inconsistent attendance
but each class is $10 per class. Perhaps in a six week (6 hrs for $50 if paid
in advance. No one is charged for a class they do not take.
Get people to sign in each time they attend the class. Give each person a
name address and telephone information card to complete for your records so
that you can get in touch with them via telephone or send them some
informtin in the mail. We do not sell lists to anyone . Be sure that you always have
available an abundance of "Business Cards" to distribute. (When you give out a
business card you might want to date it!
A flyer would help to be able to present to everyone so they can tell their
friends if they like the classes. If you like he classes bring guests. If
they like it they can pay for the class. If not, "So long and be healthy!"
Perhaps the flyer should include a map and directions on how to get to the dance
learning place you hold your classes at.

4) The mission of the teacher whose class the person might be enrolled in
should be clearly and simply presented. If the individual is going to embark
on a course of private instruction, the timetable can vary considerably since
you can teach almost anything for the learning person on a tailor made method
and schedule in privates while there must
be some fairly standardized topics that need to be presented to a group of
learners. Women and Men taking private instruction are taught significantly
different curriculum and using different methods of instruction. Men are taught
a variety of skills which manifest confidence, clarity, decisiveness, all of
which when added together develop into "leading/following and floor craft" in
at least a few diverse situations (living room dancing, restaurant dancing,
larger dance floor dancing (as in Milongas). Organizing and teaching a group
class of men and women requires some significant knowledge about class
organization and command and how and when to utilize the music as a teaching aide. You
must be sure of the class curriculum (backwards and forwards) before you can
teach it. People who come to beginners' classes usually cannot differentiate
between Milonguero Style form and technique and that of Club Style or Salon
Style. Too much discussion will only confuse your pupils if you get too
deeply into the microcosms of the differences. Good Argentine Tango is usually
done in "close embrace". Poise, balance, connection, Appilado as opposed to
"leaning away",
Positions of hands and their variance between different height partners needs
to be presented. No clutching or hanging or leaning (on) ones" partner. No
pushing! No pulling!
No dragging! Sooner or later you must get a pupil to stop looking at their
feet.
Some brief history of Argentine Tango might be presented but not while
your pupils are standing around on the dance floor. It might help in a class to
know the Spanish/English terminology for the Elements you are presenting.
Teaching too much material (or just too much of everything) in the space of an
hour class is the chief fault of inexperienced teachers. There should be at
least one half hour to allow people who have just been taught some new element
to put in practice what they have been taught. Practice should be
supervised. These rules differ for private instruction. Attendance at a local Milonga
should be encouraged. Introduce the idea of Line of Dance (LOD) early on in
your first class and every class thereafter it might me "reminded or reviewed".
Announce in your class that there might come a time during each class when
you will ask partners to select a different partner to enhance the learning
process. Stress that you/the pupils must introduce themselvesf to their new
partner and then try to make the adjustments to his or her individual dance
idiosncrasies.

If you want to present a professional image try listing the Elements of tango
that you propose to present during your first 5 or 6 hours. List them on a
piece of paper with your Name and adddress and telephone number. Stress that
quality of execution is more important than learning a multitude of step
patterns and performing them poorly.
Record 15 or 20 good Argentine Tangos on an Audio Tape and present it free to
each of your pupils so that they might practice what they have learned in
the class. It is good advertisement and certainly good
teaching.....reinforcement. Do not believe that the learning process for a phsical skill takes
place in the space of one hour. Your pupils must "sleep on it" and awaken the
next morning to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes of practice....at home. This
really does work. Always review briefly what you have presented at your last
class!

There might be a few details omitted from the above but......... I teach the
8 count basic and I work on that pattern to develope skills of useage. It is
an absolutely great way to begin a learning dancers tango program. Tht basic
is the very versatile beginning point that enables me to teach almost all
other growth and development. Each class starts with the entire class as a unit
doing about 10 minutes of forward ochos and back ochos; first without music
and then to music. It teaches the pupils to move to the music and teaches them
to regard the others around them with some care. When you straighten out the
ochos you will discover that you have taught most of your beginners to walk
the Tango dance walk.

Be sure to give learners a chance to take a break and sit down or just break
the tension/pressure of the learning environment or just to pee.

I would be pleased to answer questions provided you do not require an
encyclopedic length treatise answer.

Sincerely,
Arturo
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA