[Tango-L] Teachers - couples versus singles?

[Ron Weigel]

On 9/19/06, Lois Donnay <donnay at donnay.net> wrote:
> Do you prefer that your teachers teach with a partner or alone, using the
> students to demonstrate moves? Why? What are the advantages or
> disadvantages?
>
> Lois Donnay
> Minneapolis, MN

Teaching with a partner is definitely preferable, for several reasons.
The couple has been teaching together and is familiar with the
material. Both the leader's and follower's parts can be demonstrated
by a couple that has worked together.

It is quite annoying when an instructor teaches alone and pulls a
person out of the group to demonstate with and the person cannot
adequately demonstrate what is being taught. There is no way the
leader's part can be demonstrated by a person in the class who is
unfamiliar with what is beging taught, so the person who is pulled
from the class is inevitably a follower. Thus, followers are often
cheated out of a having a good model for what they are being taught.

This problem is less serious if, for example, a visiting instructor
works with a local instructor as an assistant. In such cases it is
even possible for a woman visiting instructor to demonstrate the
follower's part to the class. The teaching partnership may be ad hoc,
but at least the partners usually have the requisite skills.

Ron