[Tango-L] Social vs. Stage Classes

[tangosmith@cox.net]

Several instructors here have expressed understandable frustration with
students whose expectations are to be taught more flamboyant steps.

Has anyone considered restructuring the format of the classes they offer? 
Instead of the usual beginner, intermediate, and advanced, perhaps a more
useful and appropriate divide would be between social and
stage/performance.  The performance class could be told that the steps they
would learn were not danced in social settings and that they would not see
them nor would they be appropriate in milongas.  If that was what the
student was interested in, then so be it.  Instructors could teach them
steps until their money ran out.

Social classes could be directly focused on producing dancers for milongas,
with topics such as walking, connection, floorcraft, and musicality. 
Turnover might be higher (hopefully) among these students but if the
instructor was being successful at producing good milonga dancers, word of
mouth would insure a ready supply of new students.

Has anyone tried this type of approach?   (With perhaps a very basic 101
class directed at all students new to dancing could also be offered prior
to taking either track.)  I also suspect some students might end up taking
both tracks.  

There is some precedence for this approach.  In my experience, in Lindy
swing, aerial classes (jumps, drops, twirls, etc.) are always taught
completely separate from social dancing.  In every aerial class I have
attended, the instructors have emphasized that the steps are not for social
dances, only for jams or performances.  Most have a requirement for a
certain level of proficiency at social dancing before attending. 

WBSmith    


--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .