Re: [TANGO-L] Memorized Patterns and Improvised Tango

[Bruce Stephens <bruce @CENDERIS.DEMON.CO.UK>]

bailadora2000  @EXCITE.COM writes:

> The same can be said about any dance.

True, but in some dances the patterns really are part of the dance.
In Argentine tango you can dance by walking around the room, but in
International slow waltz you really need to know at least some steps.

> Beginners and Intermediate dancers are never going to be able to
> learn a partner dance just by telling them to improvise.  If we all
> started out improvising...well, tango wouldn't look the way it does,
> neither would salsa, swing, etc.  All dance forms have to have a
> foundation to start.

The foundation (for tango) needn't be a set of patterns.  There'll
probably be patterns included, but it's certainly possible to teach
beginners while teaching very few patterns---I've seen it done.

> The hard part for any dance teacher is to teach the student to
> really feel the dance and begin to improvise.  Some people will
> never get it.... they just aren't built that way.

I suspect some teachers just don't know good techniques for
encouraging improvisation.  So some students will get it, just by the
teacher teaching some pattern and then saying "now play around with
it", and some won't.  I suspect with the right teaching techniques,
almost everyone can get it.

> So, we can't beat our heads trying to be sure everyone learns how to
> improvise.

I think you're right.  There are limits---not everyone who wants to
learn tango is going to succeed.  However, improvisation isn't
something that most of us seem born with---we each have a collection
of learned strategies---and these can surely be taught.

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