Re: [TANGO-L] Teacher - Student relationships

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

Hi Gibson,

Actually, it is the other way around.  When a person
decides to become a tango teacher, it is usually not
because they deem themselves as a "judge" or an
expert.  They become teachers because they want to
share something that they love and have some knowledge
of.  But by becoming a "teacher" they are also putting
themselves in the public eye to be judged.  They
become open to criticism and other expectations by
those within the community  other teachers, students,
observers, etc.

It is similar to a singer who puts out a new album and
hopes people like it.  And that is basically all a
teacher can do.  They do explain things as best they
can and hope people like it.  They develop different
ways of teaching  and hope people like it.  They
dance at milonga, knowing that they are watched and
judged more often than others in the room.  And those
who are not willing to suck in their ego and be open
to criticism shouldnt become teachers.

At milongas, most teachers that I know just want to be
like everyone else.  They are not there to judge
individuals but to just have fun.  For me, one of the
worse things that can happen at a milonga is if
someone asks me "What can I do to improve my tango?"
or "Was that okay?".  When it comes to individuals, my
teaching hat gets left at home.

The only time my teaching/organizer hat is on at a
milonga is when I trying to ascertain whether I have
done my job as a teacher as I watch the dance floor.
But I am only judging myself (and the deejay or
organizer) and not the dancers because it is the
teacher who either limits or inspires a student or a
community.

I hope you do begin to ask teachers to dance at
milongas.  Chances are they will enjoy being related
to for who they are, not because of what they do.

Trini de Pittsburgh


--- Gibson Batch <gibsonbatch@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Thanks, Lois, for a change in subject.
>
> For me, a teacher is a sort of parent/authority
> figure, and it seems a
> little awkward for me to dance with 'mom' or 'dad'
> or 'professor' or
> 'judge'.
>
> This mindset of course can be self-defeating to my
> true style and grace as a
> dancer.
>
> So I typically avoid dancing with teachers, even
> with those I never have had
> a lesson.
>
> It seems a pity, though, and your question may
> prompt me to make more of an
> effort to dance with teachers in the months ahead.
>
> Gibson
> Minneapolis
>
>

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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