[Tango-L] "Structure" of Tango

[Jake Spatz (TangoDC.com)]

Hi all,

Norman Tiber wrote:
> I think learning the Tango is like learning to speak a foreign  
> language.
Speak, speak, speak. What about reading? E.g.--
> you can:
>
> 1. Learn “See Spot run” as a dance pattern.
> 2. Learn that “Spot” is a noun, “run” is a verb, and learn to dance the pattern “See Spot Run.”
>   
(Rather, the pattern described here would be "Spot run.")
> 3. Learn that this dance pattern has a noun and a verb and based on the syntax (rules) of the language (dance), _the verb follows the noun_ (expect in some questions).
Each of your sentences starts with a verb, and a noun ends each of them.
> The latter would be learning the structure of Tango.
"A after B" (as above) is not structure, but mere sequence.
> You can then become a fluent dancer (not limited to “See Spot run”). You can then put together an infinite variety of nouns and verbs, because you have assimilated the syntax of the dance.
>   
"But don't I need more vocabulary?"

So much for this analogy.

To my mind, the only real common ground between language and improv 
dancing lies in our capacity to split known terms into pieces (if we 
understand them), and recombine them in order to get ad hoc terms. But 
this presupposes that we already know what we're doing-- that we're 
rather more than fluent already. The only other similarity between the 
two is that the bulk of people who don't know what they're talking about 
feel entitled to share their wisdom on the topic.

I've got a better idea. How about... Learning to dance tango is like 
learning to _dance tango_.

Jake
DC