[TANGO-L] Progress Report

[Miamidances @AOL.COM]

Hola to all that teach this wonderful thing called Tango. I don't remember if I told the list of the changes that have been made at my Milonga in Miami.

After all the discussions on starting with walking vrs the D8CB, I decided to try something different and made the change. I have a new group that have been comming regulary for 3 months. Teaching them in open position to start does not work. They will arm wrestle and stare at each others feet and never learn to dance properly.

After two months of only teaching them to dance in close embrace, from the start has had amazing results. Yes, it does work. First impressions are lasting. If they start in the open  position they will probably stay open for the rest of their  dancing.

The new students love it, the students that have more that one year of open embrace are having the hardest time with it.

After classes and during the Milonga the new students are working at, and staying in close embrace. The old timers go right back to open arm wrestling looking at their feet and their bad dancing. Those that are working the close embrace have made real progress.

To get them to accept the first change I asked the group a simple question. Who is learning to dance Tango to perform on stage please raise your hand, nobody did. I then asked who wants to learn to dance Tango as they do in BA and someday be able to go to the BA milongas and dance AT, everybody raised their hands.

This is comming from a former D8CB instructor, If you are not teaching the close embrace and walking from the beginning, before any type of pattern, your inhibiting your students progress.

Tango Forever

Randy

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REMINDER: Announcements of Tango events or products should be sent to
Tango-A and not to TANGO-L. To subscribe to Tango-A, send the
command "subscribe Tango-A Firstname Lastname" to LISTSERV  @MITVMA.MIT.EDU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------