[Tango-L] Leading the cross/teaching tango

[Lois Donnay]

I think the confusion comes from our tendency toward "hero worship" - some 
teacher said it so it must be true and we can't give it up even faced with a 
preponderance of facts. I caution students to remember that in group lessons 
teachers talk to the group, not to the individual. Maybe the class contained 
lots of beginners, who were unlikely to continue tango past that evening's 
dance, so an automatic cross was called for. Or the teacher had been dancing 
so long he didn't know he was leading the cross.  Also, things can be 
misconstrued, especially when you are dealing with someone not communicating 
in their primary language. I think it is always wise to employ a filter. 
When I assist Argentines in teaching, they will often say something, yet 
lead something quite differently. For instance, in a class I was assisting 
in Buenos Aires, a teacher said "You must lift your partner in the embrace". 
Feeling it with the teacher, the "lift" was almost imperceptable, and done 
with the torso. Dancing with the students, I was almost picked up, and 
squeezed uncomfortably. But they couldn't let go of what they had heard him 
say.

I have a German student who listens to me so carefully that he overcorrects. 
It keeps me on my toes, and improves my communication.

I seem to remember Fabian Salas saying that a big part of Tango Nuevo was 
breaking the roles of the giro - maybe leading a back-side-back. Automatic 
doesn't fit that concept very well.

Lois Donnay
Minneapolis