[Tango-L] Revised List of North American Tango Festivals

[Chris, UK]

Stephen wrote:

> there are three principal methods for learning Argentine 
> tango: step patterns, small elements, and structural systems.  

Those are merely three principle subjects of /instruction/.

> These three approaches are analagous to three pedagogical approaches ...

Sure, but note that pedagogy is instruction/teaching, not learning.

People, let's not mistake instruction for learning, and especially...

> Those who only learn step patterns often appear to show good depth of
> composition and form, but find trouble with improvisation, navigation and
> rhythm.  Those who only learn small elements often have good navigational
> and rhythm skills, but the dancing can lack a sense of composition, form,
> style or depth of improvisation.  It's just noodling.  Those who only learn
> a structural system understand a complex set of possibilities, but may lack
> form and have trouble fitting the concepts to the available space or the
> rhythm of the music. 

... let's not mistake dysfunction of instruction for dysfunction of learning.

Chris



-------- Original Message --------

*Subject:* Re: [Tango-L] Revised List of North American Tango Festivals
*From:* Stephen.P.Brown at dal.frb.org
*To:* "el turco" <shusheta at gmail.com>, Tango-L at mit.edu
*Date:* Thu, 15 Jun 2006 15:28:26 -0500

After many years of highly active participation, I have been mostly absent 
from Tango-L over the past two years.

Burak may have a point that identifying events as emphasizing social 
dancing can be interpreted as partisan on Tango-L--particularly after all 
the endless and pointless debates about salon, milonguero and nuevo tango 
styles.  Personally, I don't accept any of these styles as being 
preferable.  IMO, these so-called "styles" are dialects that have largely 
resulted from incomplete learning.

To recapitulate an idea that I expressed on Tango-L some time ago:
>>I think there are three principal methods for learning Argentine tango: 
step patterns, small elements, and structural systems.  These three 
approaches are analagous to three pedagogical approaches that are used in 
learning to play jazz music.  Learing step patterns is like learning to 
play memorized pieces of music including complete compositions and the 
solos played by great jazz artists.  Learning small elements is like 
learning to play in short tasty phrases.  Learning structural systems are 
like learning scales and chord progressions.

Those aspiring to play jazz study complete compositions and the solos 
played by great artists, short tasty phrases and the scales and chord 
progressions.  No one would expect to develop sufficient skill in taking 
only one of these three approahces. 

In tango, however, many dancers develop most of their knowledge of the 
dance through only one of the three principal approaches of learning 
Argentine tango.  What is the consequence?  Those who only learn step 
patterns often appear to show good depth of composition and form, but find 
trouble with improvisation, navigation and rhythm.  Those who only learn 
small elements often have good navigational and rhythm skills, but the 
dancing can lack a sense of composition, form, style or depth of 
improvisation.  It's just noodling.  Those who only learn a structural 
system understand a complex set of possibilities, but may lack form and 
have trouble fitting the concepts to the available space or the rhythm of 
the music. 

With persistent work, many people will break through the limitations of 
the method by which they learned tango, but I think it is much easier to 
develop a well-rounded mastery by pursuing all three methods of 
learning.<<

Personally, I dance in a community that is largely non-partisan with 
regard to style (we prefer to keep or partisanship personal), and I have 
the arrogance to consider myself not limited as to style.  Consequently, I 
really don't think about the highly partisan aspects of Tango-L.  My 
identification of festivals known for emphazising social dancing was 
simply intended to refer to those festivals that emphasize milongas over 
classes--as is underscored by the heavy reliance on instructors who lack 
performance credentials to lift them to prominence,  (Some of the nuevo 
and nuevo-milonguero festivals don't neatly fit such classification.)  Of 
course, the people organizing the events that empasize affordable dancing 
over instruction are marketing their events as being for social dancing. 
That is what they have to offer.

With best regards,
Steve
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