[Tango-L] Beginners - Intermediate

[WHITE 95 R]

>The beginner has a good frame, good muscle tone in his embrace, knows how 
>to
>lead properly, has good musicality, walks in different ways, navigates the
>floor with dexterity, knows a few figures such as the base (up to the
>cross), front and back ochos. He knows how to stop walking and changing
>direction and how to change the weight of the woman from one foot to the
>other, Figures that utilize a combination of both types of ochos such as 
>"la
>medialuna" (half moon) or "el sanguchito" (the sandwich).
>He turns just walking forward or using "gardelitos" (rocking turns), etc.


LOL, Sergio, you've just described what a huge percentage of regular tango 
dancers can only aspire to achieve..... "how to lead properly,good 
musicality, walks in different ways, navigates the floor with dexterity".... 
These qualities are seldom found in the average "intermediate/advanced" 
attendees to many a workshop. Usually, by the time a dancer has mastered 
those skills, he or she are quite advanced. I know "teachers" who do not 
possess those skills...

Personally, I would not teach anything beyond the most basic of tango 
movements to anyone until they have acquired some skill and dexterity with 
the basics. However, people do get bored and discouraged when struggling to 
master something as simple as a weight change like a corte or arrepentida. 
However, they seem to enjoy struggling with (and totally mauling) things 
such as back sacadas, ganchos, enrosques, volcadas, etc.

I cannot just tell someone "leave this class, you're not qualified to take 
it". I don't think many people   can be so bluntly honest. It's just hard to 
be critical and hurtful, even if being completely correct and truthful. 
Generally, people who take material that's too advanced for them in our 
classes tend to realize it pretty quickly and they go back to basics. I 
think the problem is with people who go to workshops by visiting masters and 
they take lessons above their level. Perhaps it's because in their 
community, their local teacher has allowed them to believe that they are 
more advanced than they are. Or maybe they have no reference to judge 
themselves or maybe even they are blind to their shortcomings.

One possible solution to alleviate the problem could be to require people to 
register with a partner. This way, if they are in over their heads, they can 
fumble with each other and let the more advanced people learn at their 
level. This requires that the teacher be clear about what he or she expects 
in the way of prerequisites so people know that if they are over their 
heads, the teacher will not spend any time teaching them the basics and 
wasting the advanced students' time and money...

Manuel