[TANGO-L] Daniel Today

["Trini y Sean (PATangoS)" <patangos @YAHOO.COM>]

Hello listeros,

Trini here. As someone who has danced with Daniel and
studied with him, I can tell you that Daniel knows
tango.  And he knows how to teach it.

We had Daniel here in March, and everyone was thrilled
with him.  Several good dancers who have attended
every workshop weekend in the past several years
thought that he was the best teacher of anyone that
had been brought into Pittsburgh.  And there have been
some very talented and well-known teachers here.

As for dancing with him?  He is an excellent listener
who made me feel like I could do anything.  It was a
great and deep conversation.  After our improvised
demo together, I got so many comments about how
professional it looked, whether we rehearsed, how they
had not seen me dance that well before.  Isnt that
what a milonguero is supposed to do?  Make his partner
look and feel great?

Trini de Pittsburgh

-----------

Sean here. Before I met Daniel, my friends who were
trying to teach me tango had pretty much given up hope
for me. I was the classic tango "basket case". Daniel
was my first real tango teacher. I still study from
him every chance I get, and he remains a major
influence on my individual style. Over the years, he
has taught me many things, but the most important is
how to dance with a woman, instead of using her as a
prop for empty step patterns.

About 5 years ago he taught a series of workshops
called "Heart-to-Heart". I still use those ideas all
the time. And that was before "Estilo del Centro".
BTW, it is no secret to experienced dancers that
"Estilo del Centro" is a marketing gimmick. We know he
is teaching Estilo del Lapadula. But it seems that
North Americans respond well to marketing gimmicks. If
it helps build a better community, who will
legitimately complain?

I was at ValenTango this February, and I was duly
amazed by the level of some of the dancers and
teachers there. You might call them the Varsity
Lettermen of the US tango scene. I saw Daniel two
weeks later, still giddy from my Portland experience.
If you will accept that the cream of the Portland
festival is our Varsity team, then Daniel is all-Pro.
As I was watching Daniel dance, I clearly remember
thinking "This is where those guys are heading, if
they can keep it up for another decade."

I once made a comment on this list that this is a peer
group sharing ideas, and that there are no experts
imparting free wisdom here. But Daniel is an exception
to that rule. Perhaps it is a testament to his
generosity that he freely shares expert knowledge
where many others would be trying to make a quick
profit.

Sean de Pittsburgh

PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance.
http://www.pitt.edu/~mcph/PATangoWeb.htm



		
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