[Tango-L] Meredith Klein post re Reverence for Gustavo

[Nussbaum, Martin]

On 7/27/07, Meredith wrote:
" In a community where competition is rampant and people are hesitant to
acknowledge each other's skills, knowledge and success, the reverence
with which most of the tango community here in Buenos Aires views
Gustavo is exceptional."

Dear  Meredith:
Thank you for writing that great post.  I was just about to write adding
to Huck's 
partial defense of the cost, to point out that in a free market
competitive economy, 
sellers can only set prices at the level at which buyers recognize the
value 
of the product or service provided.  If you want the best, you expect to
pay a bit more. 
I also want to add that the reverence for Gustavo is felt not only in
BA, but here in NYC as well. 
I,  and quite a few other obsessed tangonuts I know, and have met from
around the USA, 
take great care to coordinate any trip to BA with either a seminario 
week or at least several San Telmo practicas with Gustavo and Giselle.
-Martin Nussbaum
Ps: Looking forward to your workshops at Tango de los Muertos Boston ! 

"Message: 25
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:02:41 -0300
From: "Meredith Klein" <meredithleeklein at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Rampant serious misunderstandings about
	"Gustavo"
To: "Huck Kennedy" <huck at eninet.eas.asu.edu>
Cc: tango-l at mit.edu
Message-ID:
	<34cd2b720707270602r6dde0fa4ucddbc07160f0ccd8 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Your points are valid, Huck, and there's also this:  Gustavo and
Giselle travel with their two small children (who are about 2- and
5-years old) and their baby-sitter.  Whereas generally organizers pay
for the travel of a single teacher or a couple, here they are paying
for travel and accommodation for five!  Of course that has to be
reflected in the cost of the workshops.  The fact that organizers are
still dying to book them is one sign of how important this couple is
to tango worldwide.

Here's another thought for everyone sitting at home in the US or
Europe or wherever and passing judgment on Gustavo and Giselle.  Here
in Buenos Aires, there is pretty much only one class that people who
teach and dance tango professionally will consider going to:  that of
Gustavo & Giselle.  Most of the year, Gustavo & Giselle teach
foreigners both in (excellent) seminars here in Buenos Aires and in
workshops in Europe and the US.  But because Gustavo has been one of
the main forces in tango education here for over 20 years (my husband
started studying with him as a child 20 years ago this November), he
still makes it a priority to offer classes for locals two months a
year at local prices (this year, $20AR per class).  The classes take
place in La Manufactura Papelera in San Telmo and are attended by
about 100 people.  The level of the students ranges from
beginner/intermediate to advanced to international professionals
working in tango for more than 15 years.

In a community where competition is rampant and people are hesitant to
acknowledge each other's skills, knowledge and success, the reverence
with which most of the tango community here in Buenos Aires views
Gustavo is exceptional."