[Tango-L] What Does It Take to Dance Tango?

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

Hi Caroline,

I think you haven't heard that much today about women
training because there is no point in arguing with people
who will only listen to their own viewpoints.  In other
words, they believe that their experience is the only valid
experience.  They haven't figured out that they only have
part of "the truth" and they seem unwilling to have those
truths challenged. Same old, same old.

As has been discussed before, women do need training.  I am
currently teaching a women's technique class that focuses
on the quality of movement.  Yesterday, we were working on
the spinal movement regarding the pivot (which minimizes
using muscle to pivot) and it opened a lot of eyes.  I
heard several times from women about how it was something
they hadn't thought of before.

By the way, I do teach the women that while men can be
sweet and try to be helpful, they can also get a lot of
bulls**t from guys who do not know how to follow.  So I
also make suggestions on how they can tell the difference
between the helpful stuff versus the c**p.

Also, I agree with Astrid's comments about women learning
body technique as opposed to steps.  I like it when the
guys surprise me with a new step during a dance.  Having
good technique usually allows me to follow them if they
lead it well.

Trini de Pittsburgh


--- Caroline Polack <runcarolinerun at hotmail.com> wrote:

> I'm astounded, so far, there's been several responses to
> my first post today 
> - both private and public and seems to me that the
> general consensus among 
> men who responded is that women do not need instructions
> or training to 
> dance the tango! That in fact, the less training, the
> better.
> 
> I would like to hear from more women on this subject and
> I would also like 
> to say to the men that unless you've gone through an
> entire week of Milongas 
> only as a follower - only then would you be able to
> empathize with how much 
> training (or none) a woman/follower needs. When I first
> went to a Milonga 8 
> months ago - I had hardly any training at all and I had
> never felt so out of 
> place and lost and quite frankly, stupid in my life. I am
> actually so glad 
> that I did take classes. So that's why I'm so surprised
> by the responses 
> I've gotten today from the men.
> 
> so men need training and women don't? Is that the general
> idea?
> 


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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