[Tango-L] Tango Teaching

[Chris, UK]

Trinidad Regaspi <patangos at yahoo.com> wrote:

> qualitative information (such as what Sean has gathered for
> well over 6 years) is often reliable enough to suggest
> findings with a reasonable degree of confidence.

And the greater the suggestibility, the greater the confidence.

> I'm not sure where you're getting 20 classes and 1 milonga.

As I said: your current Pittsburgh tango society agenda.

> That aside, Chris, I've never been able to figure out why
> it matters to you how people choose to spend their time,
> whether in milonga or in a class?

20 classes vs 1 milonga is not what I'd call much of a choice for dancers. 
However clearly that's the preferred choice of the organisers. I guess if 
your aim is teaching people to take more classes (rather than to really 
dance), then your teaching is a great success.

> Doesn't it all just mean that tango is being shared and enjoyed? 
> Isn't that the point?

It depends on what you think tango is. For me, it it what happens in a 
milonga, including the girls, DJ, live music, sitting and chatting with 
friends, listening, watching, drinking... and my choice of when, what and 
with whom to dance. Remove all that and replace it with a teacher and 
his/her latest step or technique theory, and no, what you have is not 
tango. It is merely Tango Studies.

--
Chris

-------- Original Message --------

*Subject:* Re: [Tango-L] Tango Teaching
*From:* "Trini y Sean (PATangoS)" <patangos at yahoo.com>
*To:* Tango-L <Tango-L at mit.edu>
*Date:* Thu, 10 May 2007 17:03:08 -0700 (PDT)

Hello Chris,

Trini, here.  Since your grasp of statistical concepts
appears limited, you may be interested in knowing that
qualitative information (such as what Sean has gathered for
well over 6 years) is often reliable enough to suggest
findings with a reasonable degree of confidence.  Certainly
high enough to suggest actionable policies or strategies. 
And your measurements for defining level of savvyness of
Brits and methods of data gathering for how they spend
their time over their tango lives is ...?  

Also, you should be aware that there are 4 other tango
organizations in town with their own schedules (not
counting the 2 local tango bands, who only do milongas). 
Milongas are often coordinated with nearby cities.  So last
week, for example, folks went to 3 milongas in two cities,
and could choose between 2 beginner classes, 1 intermediate
class, 1 intermediate/adv. class, 1 kids class and 3
practicas.  I'm not sure where you're getting 20 classes
and 1 milonga.

That aside, Chris, I've never been able to figure out why
it matters to you how people choose to spend their time,
whether in milonga or in a class?  Doesn't it all just mean
that tango is being shared and enjoyed?  Isn't that the
point?  So what's the problem?

Trini de Pittsburgh



--- "Chris, UK" <tl2 at chrisjj.com> wrote:

> > May I suggest that you invest in a simple logic
> textbook?
> > I have discussed tango pedagogy with a statistically
> significant
> > number of US teachers
> 
> Ah, a sample heavily biased towards those who discuss
> it...
> 
> Sean, may I suggest you invest in a simple statistics
> textbook? ;)
> 
> >>> or Brits are less savy consumers than Yanks.
> 
> Well, certainly it is the less savvy Brits who are
> consuming the classes. 
> The more savvy prefer to spend their tango time in
> milongas.
> 
> However I accept things are different on your side of the
> pond. For 
> example I see your current Pittsburgh tango society
> agenda offers about 20 
> classes and 1 milonga. Clearly over there class
> consumption is all the rage.
> 
> I wonder what you'd make of the scene here in Europe
> Sean. One day I'd 
> like to take you to the half-dozen most popular milongas
> in one of our 
> tango capitals. The number of them that run tango classes
> is... zero.
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> 
> *Subject:* Re: [Tango-L] Tango Teaching
> *From:* "Trini y Sean (PATangoS)" <patangos at yahoo.com>
> *To:* Tango-L <Tango-L at mit.edu>
> *Date:* Wed, 9 May 2007 18:12:39 -0700 (PDT)
> 
> No Chris, whatever gave you the idea that I took lessons
> from most teachers in the US? May I suggest that you
> invest
> in a simple logic textbook?
> 
> I have discussed tango pedagogy with a statistically
> significant number of US teachers, most of whom were
> either
> teachers or students in the late 1990s. The gradual
> evolution from teaching steps to teaching dance almost
> always comes up in these discussions, given my personal
> history of railing against step pattern teachers a few
> years ago. I am very confident in the accuracy of my
> analysis.
> 
> Sean
> 
> --- "Chris, UK" <tl2 at chrisjj.com> wrote:
> 
> > Coo... you took lessons from most teachers in the US??
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
>
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