The Tango-L mailing list archive
Digest from 6 Aug 2000
to 7 Aug 2000
Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 03:00:05 -0400
Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 6 Aug 2000 to 7 Aug 2000 (#2000-212)
There are 5 messages totalling 224 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Tango Wedding Story in New York Times Wedding Section
2. Instruction While Social Dancing (4)
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Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 09:34:33 -0400
From: James Murphy <cmurf @WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject: Tango Wedding Story in New York Times Wedding Section
Today's New York Times newspaper (Sunday August 6,2000) has a article in
the Weddings section that describes the role Tango has had in the courtship
and wedding of Yonel Letellier and Nadia Khalilpour.
The article is on the papers web site. (The photos are in color on the web
site.) One of the photos is of Carlos Gavito and Marcel Duran dancing at
their wedding.
The web site URL for the article is:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/style/weekend/080600vows.html
If you are a first time visitor to the web site you have to register but it
is free and easy to do.
If the above URL does not work go to the main site and search for the word
vows. It will take you to the column written by Lois Smith Brady titled:
Yonel Letellier and Nadia Khalilpour
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 13:49:51 PDT
From: Robert Hink <rhink2 @NETSCAPE.NET>
Subject: Instruction While Social Dancing
Hello fellow tango lovers...
As we all know, Argentine Tango is a magnificent
social dance -- a sensual dance, even with the
simplest of moves. And it can be an extraordinary
dance with more involved patterns. Some have =
described it as a 3-minute affair.
But how can you have an "affair" with someone who =
is "trying to teach you" while social dancing?
Occasionally I don't mind comments if they are truly
helpful-- especially from someone who is highly =
skilled and knows what he is talking about.
=
However, my experience has been, that comments come =
from poorer partners, who have an inflated view of
their own tango ability. Having been a ballroom and
social dance teacher for many years,I am troubled by
this apparent rudeness.
Wouldn't it be better if we all just danced at
milongas, and left instruction to the experts
in the classroom? Why can't we be more generous
with whomever we dance?
Anyone who is dancing tango, surely has been drawn
to the dance by its inherent joy, and sees the same beauty
that you and I see. Let's appreciate that, even
if they're not the best artist on two feet. Let's =
not offend or discourage others who are brave enough to =
attempt to dance tango.
Has this happened to you?
Is tango instruction only for the classroom?
Or do you think there is a place for it on the social
dance floor?
Marilyn Sandifur
____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webm=
ail.netscape.com.
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 19:31:56 +0000
From: Carol Shepherd <shepherd @ARBORLAW.COM>
Subject: Re: Instruction While Social Dancing
Growing up I was taught that as a matter of social etiquette you never
ever correct or instruct someone in a public social setting, which
includes but is not limited to dancing.
First because it is rude to demonstrate your opinion that you think you
are superior in knowledge and infer that the other person is therefore
inferior and you are qualified to teach them. Particularly in a public
setting where you are likely to embarass them in front of others
(whether or not they need the instruction, and whether or not they might
actually welcome it in a classroom or more private setting).
Second and specific to dance, because stopping in one place to teach
(which is frequently the case) disrupts the flow of dance and is
inconsiderate because it inconveniences other people and their ability
to social dance and enjoy, now they have to worry about steering around
Mr. Teacher.
Third and specific to dance, giving "audibles" (spoken rather than
physical leads) is a bad habit. Audibles tend to look and feel like
commands rather than leads, ie, a drill sargeant is barking orders at
you. This is likely to be a rude and unpleasant experience for the
recipient as well as other dancers nearby, it interferes with the stream
of consciousness in concentrating on and enjoying the music. Other
dancers are also likely to critically pass judgment on the skills of any
person giving audibles or doing lots of floor teaching (it is a
well-known sign of a leader who can't lead or won't adjust their level
of lead down to the partner's ability).
Partners who know each other well obviously relax this rule and help
each other out in practicing figures and it's fine as long as they are
considerate and think first about the enjoyment of all the other
dancers, ie, don't get into disagreeable scenes and don't disrupt the
flow of traffic on the dance floor.
In my personal experience, leaders who floor teach me on the first dance
are usually trying to make me follow some kind of complex pattern. Or
it's not a social dancing move which is truly leadable and followable,
but fancy "choreography" that they know and I don't, and I missed the
point of the gesture that passes as a dance lead for that move. If
floor teaching happens the first time I dance with someone in a social
dance, and he persists after I try to charmingly persuade him that I
don't like it, there won't be a second time, and I will get out of the
rest of the tanda by saying "Excuse me, but I am going to have to leave.
You are not listening to me and I am not enjoying myself, I really do
not want to be instructed in the middle of the dance floor" and I will
retire to the rest room.
--
Carol Ruth Shepherd
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 21:38:12 EDT
From: Timothy Pogros <TimmyTango @AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Instruction While Social Dancing
This subject is seen everywhere, and it's hard sometimes to get past it.
I have always been taught, that on the tango dance floor, you can talk during
a tango lesson. You can talk during a practica to help your partner, but you
don't talk during a tango in a milonga setting.
Should one of the parties involved make a mistake in the dance, just dance
through it. No bells or sirens will go off because one of you missed a led.
No one sitting down watching you will stand up and say, Hey you made a
mistake, you should have done this instead.
Just keep dancing. Remember the saying,"Dance like no one is watching."
I think one of the biggest problems is that the persons stop in the middle of
line of dance to communicate, for what ever the reason. It would be nice if
the man was telling the lady how beautiful she was. How soft her skin felt.
How deep he's falling into her eyes, but it usually is to give a mini tango
lesson. And that is the biggest problem. It must be awful for some followers
to have each and every man she dances with, giving her a tango lesson. And
It's usually the same lesson, but with a different viewpoint.
"Excuse me, but my lead is so bad, I need you to do this when I do that."
Most instructors I'm sure find it hard to teach, how do you communicate with
the lady without using words. Once you do learn how to do this, NOW your
dancing the tango.
A lot of ladies in my area do, after missing a led, ask me, what should I
have done. My usual answer is, Quiet, just feel me. Now let's try it again.
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 23:47:40 -0400
From: "Sa, Na-W, Na-C, Na-E, Misc" <tangomaniac @JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Instruction While Social Dancing
I offer my comments are great risk of attack. Generally, I agree with all
the previous comments about not correcting on the dance floor. But
sometimes, the dance is so bad my partner and I can't move as a team and
can only go a few steps before we have to stop. (This is extremely rare,
thank goodness.) What causes it to be so bad? My partner doesn't brush
her knees so her back steps aren't straight back.
It would be preferable if students were told to brush their knees when
moving to ensure they move in a straight line. Dancers think they are
moving straight but they really aren't. One foot goes diagonally to the
right and the other goes diagonally to the left. They dance like a pool
ball ricocheting off one side of a pool table to the other. In my
situation, since the woman doesn't collect her weight onto one foot
because her feet are so far apart, we can't move nor can she do ochos nor
the cross. Despite my best efforts, I can't keep her in front of me. I
have to say something because we can't move and both of us know it. I
will whisper "Brush your knees so you go straight back and not
diagonally." I rather say that than call attention to ourselves not
being able to move by stopping in the middle of the line of dance holding
up traffic.
While not ideal, I'm trying to make the best of a very bad situation.
At Daniel Trenner's Tango Locura in Montreal, I had a chance to talk to
Diego DiFalco. He told me that his first 1.5 years of tango was walking
AND NOTHING ELSE!!
IMHO, if students (and teachers) can appreciate that knowing how to move
is more important than the figure itself, dancing tango will be even
better for all.
Michael
I'd rather be dancing argentine tango.
End of TANGO-L Digest - 6 Aug 2000 to 7 Aug 2000 (#2000-212)
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