[Tango-L] Learning versus teaching

[Stephen.P.Brown@dal.frb.org]

Keith Belltaylor wrote:
>> I learned tango in Buenos Aires, here you select the style of tango you 
wish to dance, then the teacher/s you wish to learn from .  You will be 
taught musicality, how to navigate the floor, how to use small steps and 
how to use tango figures, it does not matter what style you are talking 
about. ...   It seems to me that you are talking about teaching tango in 
the late 80s. early 90s.<< 

That is quite interesting.  I am not sure that pedagogy has advanced as 
far in the United States.  As tango is taught in the United States, by 
Americans and visitors from Argentina, the style and pedagogy are quite 
often a package deal.  To OVERGENERALIZE: Salon is most often taught as 
tango figures.  The emphasis is on refining technique, and not much 
attention is paid to navigation or musicality.  Milonguero is most often 
taught as small elements with an emphasis on musicality and navigation, 
but not much attention is paid to putting the elements together.  Nuevo 
was orginally developed and taught as system for analyzing the structure 
of tango.  Now many people teach it as tango figures.  Either way, not 
much attention is paid to navigation or musicality.

A few teachers (who are enlightened or insane) integrate a variety of 
pedagogic approaches in their teaching.

Earlier Keith wrote:
>>It seems to me that here we are talking about defective teaching and 
defective learning.<<

Absolutely, that is exactly my point.  The dancer who wants to own tango 
cannot rely purely on instruction.  As Chris and Bruno noted, the dancer 
who is seeking self expression and freedom in their own dancing needs to 
look past the limitations that are inherent in any pedagogy.  In that 
regard, good teaching facilitates self-discovery and self-learning.

Salud,
Steve 

I am a bit surprised by the closing salutation with the unmentionable 
tango.