Re: [TANGO-L] Teachers who lead and follow

["Christopher L. Everett" <ceverett@CEVERETT.COM>]

Lois Donnay wrote:

> Last night I was at a salsa venue and I saw a woman leading another woman in
> salsa - she was really good! I was sitting next to another salsa teacher,
> and he was watching closely. When the song was over, he ran over and asked
> the woman to dance - but to lead him! I thought that was fantastic!
>
> In the professional level of ballroom dance instruction, all teachers lead
> and follow. There is no question that a professional teacher would not be
> competent in both roles. I see this less in non-professional teachers, and
> have rarely seen this in salsa until last night.
>
> This brought me to a question - when you pick a teacher do you verify that
> they can do both roles? Is it important to you?
Yes it is important to me for a single teacher working by themselves.
However, I
assume that anyone hanging their shingle out as a teacher can both lead
and follow.

> I am also constantly surprised by women who whisper to me after a dance
> "That was really good! Better than most of the men!" I think first of all
> that they don't need to whisper - are men's egos really that delicate? And
> also, shouldn't I, as a teacher, be expected to be one of the best leaders?
I'm not surprised.  At the mini-festival in St. Louis last November, more
than a few women were leading at any one time dring the milongas, and
they were all clearly better than I am.

It's easy for men to take it in a negative sense in terms of feeling
competed
against.  A better frame might be to consider that it's a sign that men
aren't
doing their job properly if so many women take up leading.  I think
that's at
least partly true, but not the whole reason so many women lead.

However, I also take the percentage of female leaders who dance well as
proof that following well is a real advantage to learning the lead.

However it's also true that men today have limited opportunities to learn
following.  Enough men feel awkward dancing with other men and enough
women simply aren't interested (yet?) in leading that the only time I can
count on getting practice following is during workshops during practicas or
when short of women for a class.

Also, in newer/smaller communities, beginning men get pressed into service
as leaders right away.

> Oh, yes - in the myth-busting mode - last time I was in Buenos Aires I led
> my male partner (an Argentine) at a regular milonga and was not immediately
> thrown out into the street. As a matter of fact, the people who saw us loved
> it!
LOL.  Premature generalization is the root of much evil.