The Tango-L mailing list archive

Digest from 30 Oct 1999 to 31 Oct 1999

Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango          <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Date:     Sun, 31 Oct 1999 03:00:10 -0400
Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango          <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject:  TANGO-L Digest - 30 Oct 1999 to 31 Oct 1999 (#1999-50)
There are 2 messages totalling 129 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. Tango Professor Certifications
  2. Our Tango and Arts Funding.





Date:    Sat, 30 Oct 1999 19:28:37 -0500
From:    Stephen P Brown <Stephen.P.Brown @DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Tango Professor Certifications

     Many of us are aware of some unscrupulous ballroom instructors who
     pretend to teach Argentine tango--and in some cases have used
     certification rules to prevent those who actually know Argentine tango
     from teaching.  We may be also aware of some Argentines who use their
     nationality and lessons (they call "training") from a well-regarded
     master as credentials to tour about teaching tango.

     In the past, several people have argued that certifications might help
     prevent beginners from being misled about an instructor's
     qualifications.  Several organizations now offer training in teaching
     tango along with tango teacher certifications.  Two such organizations
     are the Argentine Tango Master's Association (Ive Simard) and Bridge
     to the Tango (Daniel Trenner).

     One might argue that the training offered by these programs is
     worthwhile.  For instance, Bridge to the Tango offered advanced
     training from Gustavo Naveira and Olga Besio in 1999 and will offer
     advanced training from Osvaldo Zotto and Lorena Ermocida in 2000.

     But does the formal certification itself really mean very much?  I do
     not think so.  For one thing, informal networks already provide a
     substitute for formal certification.  I have observed that informal
     networks of dancers and professors in the tango community act very
     much like certifications.  Those affiliated with the network and
     endorsed by either the top names, the local instructors, or the more
     skillful dancers in the network have an informal certification that is
     probably more valuable than a piece of paper.  Of course, those
     relying on a network must continue to maintain their standing, which
     is likely to require more skill and work than earning a piece of
     paper.

     Furthermore, in the arts--which tango is--talent alone provides
     sufficient credentials.  Few certification processes truly reflect
     talent, instead they reflect the ability and willingness to do as one
     is told.  With some judgement, a willingness to ask others, and
     exposure to real Argentine tango, most of us are completely able to
     judge whether a person can dance and teach real tango.

     --Steve de Tejas





Date:    Sun, 31 Oct 1999 00:10:28 -0400
From:    Don Kelley <don.kelley @ATT.NET>
Subject: Our Tango and Arts Funding.

Dear List,

My first known exposure to Argentine tango came from a PBS/Boston Pops
program that devoted itself to OUR DANCE. What follows discusses a petition,
especially germane in the U.S., that supports funding for National Public
Radio (NPR), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the Public
Broadcasting System (PBS).

On NPR's Morning Edition earlier this month, Nina Tottenberg said that if
the Supreme Court supports Congress, it is in effect the end of the NEA.
Next, there's the question of Congressional funding for NPR and PBS, which
are facing major cutbacks in funding.

In spite of the efforts of each station to reduce spending costs and
streamline their services, some government officials believe that the
funding currently going to these programs is too large
a portion of funding for something which is seen as not worthwhile.

Currently, taxes from the general public for PBS equal $1.12 per person per
year, and the National Endowment for the Arts equals $.64 a year. A January
1995 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll indicated that 76% of Americans wish to keep
funding for PBS, third only to national defense and law enforcement as the
most valuable programs for federal funding.

Both the Senate and House Appropriations committees each have 13
subcommittees with jurisdiction over many programs and agencies. Each
subcommittee passes its own appropriation bill, including NPR, NEA, & PBS.
The goal each year is to have each bill signed by the beginning of the
fiscal year, which is October 1.

EXERCISING THE RIGHT TO PETITION is the only way that our representatives
can be aware of the base of support for PBS and funding for these types of
programs is by making our voices heard.

Please add your name to this list and forward it to friends who believe in
what this stands for. This list will be forwarded to the President of the
United States and the Vice President of the United States.

This petition is being passed around the Internet. Please add your name to
it so that funding can be maintained for the NEA, NPR & PBS.

(SIGN &) FORWARD: IT'S EASY. Please keep this petition rolling. Do not reply
to me. Please sign and forward to others to sign. This is for anyone who
thinks NPR/PBS is a worthwhile expenditure of
$1.12/year of their taxes, a petition follows. If you prefer not to sign,
please send to the e-mail address indicated below. (DON'T WORRY ABOUT
DUPLICATES.)

If you sign, please forward on to others. If not, please don't kill it--
send it to the email address listed here:

         wein2688 @blue.univnorthco.edu
         <mailto:wein2688 @blue.univnorthco.edu>
         or kubi7975 @blue.univnorthco.edu
        <mailto:kubi7975 @blue.univnorthco.edu>

Forward this to everyone you know, and help us to keep these programs alive.

Thank you!

NOTE: It is preferable that you SELECT the entirety of this letter and then
COPY it into a new outgoing message, (COPY & PASTE) rather than simply
forwarding it. In your new outgoing message, add your name AND LOCATION to
the bottom of the list, then send it on. Or if option is available, do a
SEND AGAIN.

(785) Donald M. Kelley, Lakewood, OH 44107


Art is a man's nature; nature is God's art.





End of TANGO-L Digest - 30 Oct 1999 to 31 Oct 1999 (#1999-50)
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