[Tango-L] Women and Classes

[Deby Novitz]

I can look at this from two vantage points: First as one who has been 
there, and Second, as one who is now teaching. (sort of)

I started tango I think in 99, maybe 98. It was the first dance that did 
not come naturally to me. I tried all the local teachers and settled on 
a couple of them. I went to milongas and practiced. After about 6 months 
I had my first private with Hernan Obispo. He was wonderful. I learned 
many new concepts. I started to go to Tango weekends and festivals. I 
felt like a part of the movie "They Shoot Horses Don't They" I would 
take as many workshops as I could and dance at the milongas. My feet 
would be a mess. I was always in blissful pain from a weekend of tango. 
Then I met Daniela and Armando. I took all of their workshop classes and 
then decided to take a private with Daniela.

After my first private with Daniela, I stopped going to group lessons 
and tango festivals. I lived in San Francisco and they were in LA. Twice 
a month I would go to LA to have 1 or 2 private lessons with her. I felt 
then and I still do, that group lessons do not encourage a dancer to 
develop. If anything you pick up more bad habits. A private lesson 
focuses on your defects and hopefully a teacher who can correct them and 
move you forward as a dancer. I strongly believe that 4 private lessons 
with a good teacher is better than 12 group classes. Group classes can 
only teach a pattern and a minimal of the basics. The focus has to be on 
getting through the class.

I was lucky because when many of the teachers would come to the Bay Area 
I would translate for them. In return they would give me a private 
lesson. That and my frequent trips to BA really guided my dancing along. 
In 2003 Jorge Nassel started to dance with me every time I came to 
Buenos Aires, 6 days a week for 2 hours. They were practicas, not 
lessons. I am not sure what his motivation was. He was always a 
gentleman to me. He never charged me, I paid for the rehearsal space. 
Once a friend of mine asked me if she could practice with him. He told 
her that she still needed lessons. I only needed to practice.

I asked him about this. He said that you can only learn so much. Then 
you need to practice. He said that people take so many workshops and 
classes hoping to get better. They take from every teacher hoping to 
become a better dancer. In his opinion the only thing that happened was 
they became more confused and never became better dancers.

I have been dancing with Roberto for a year and a half now. I started 
teaching with him earlier this year. Here is what I have noticed. We 
mostly teach private lessons. In the lessons with men, we find that they 
generally are serious about improving. Most of them are willing to work 
very hard. They take the criticism whether it comes from me or him. They 
ask lots of questions. They do not make excuses. Because I learned in 
the U.S. I know why our American students do things a certain way. The 
men usually do not counter a correction with "Well my teacher in the US 
says....or this is how I learned to do it" They accept and move forward. 
Most of them improve.

The women students are generally not as easy if they consider themselves 
to be good dancers. They do not accept criticism. If you explain to them 
why they need to hold themselves differently you get many excuses why 
you are not right or why they cannot do it. Several women did not want 
any comments from me at all. One woman told Roberto she did not come to 
Buenos Aires to take lessons from an American. He was more insulted than 
I was. (Personally I thought it was kind of funny) In general we get 
more resistance from the women about accepting and moving forward. It is 
almost as though most of them want validation.

Our European students vary from the Americans. Americans are crazy about 
being perfect and doing it 100% right. Europeans seem more relaxed. 
Argentine students come to us because of Roberto's reputation or they 
saw us dancing in the milonga. They want to dance his style. They either 
stay as students or leave. Rarely are there any comments. Of course this 
is just our students. I have nothing else to compare to since this is 
the first time I am teaching, and I am in Buenos Aires.

This being said, these are generalizations to be sure. We have had male 
students who blame me for their not being able to do the movements 
properly, others who insist on showing Roberto how the step should be 
done. (He had a whole class once of a male student telling him, well 
that is your step, here is mine.) There have been women who were very 
serious students and were thrilled to find out the reasons why they were 
not able to move as fluidly, and requested I work with them 
independently on posture and movement. We had difficult European 
students and Americans who were wonderful and Argentines who have been 
told no more classes are available.

With regard to the balance of men and women in classes. I think it comes 
in cycles, and it also depends on who the teacher is. When I lived in 
San Francisco, the classes were heavier with women regardless of the 
level. In LA they were heavier with men. Go figure. With some teachers 
there would be more men, others more women. This is true here as well. I 
have had people tell me that one day a teacher's class drew all 10 women 
and 3 men, and on another day 12 men and 4 women.

I think the decision to continue to study is a personal one. Once my 
rehab is through I will be studying with someone to correct what Roberto 
calls my "little defects." I have not had a structured lesson in over 3 
years. I am excited to study to continue to learn how to improve my 
dance. No one can ever know it all.
The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn. Some people 
plateau and eventually move forward, others just stay at the same level.

And to Melanie who said "I'll never be the dancer I want to be, but will 
continue to try." That is all any of us can do...and you just never 
know, you might surprise yourself one day.

I personally agree with Igor who says. " If you are happy with your 
dancing, whatever level you are, skip this message. You are doing great! 
It is most important - to be happy. More classes will not make you happier"