[Tango-L] Outside Influences

[Ed Loomis]

This notion that a woman cannot teach a man to lead tango strikes me as more
than a bit odd. Granted that we can only speak honestly from our own experience
and what experience someone else is speaking form I can only surmise. In the
twelve years that I have studied tango I have taken many group and private
lessons from many men and women such as Susana Miller, Luren Bellucci, Christy
Cote, Guillermina Quiroga, and my first teacher and mentor, Nora Dinzelbacher.
Nora is both Argentine and a strong willed and demanding instructor whom it was
my good fortune to begin tango with. She insisted that the gentlemen lead with
authority as well as consideration for the lady and if a student was unclear on
the concept she had no problem demonstrating. While there may be women teaching
tango who are not up to the task yet this is not gender specific because I have
also observed men trying to teach tango about whom I can find nothing kind to
say. Needless to say it is a waste of time and money to take instruction from
someone if you do not have enough respect for them to listen and accept
correction from them. It has been my experience that listening to the ladies
pays off in the long run. As with anything else, your mileage may vary. 

Ed Loomis [the only one I know about]

p.s. If any machismo out there is planning to confront Nora and tell her that
she can't teach tango because she is a woman, please let me know where and when
because I really want to see that.

On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:09:35 -0400, Keith <keith at tangohk.com> wrote:
(snip)
>So yes, a woman can teach a man a lot about Tango - but only after he's 
>learned how to dance Tango, or at least is in the process of learning Tango, 
>from a man. So women, please stick to teaching other women and leave the 
>guys alone. Unless you want them dancing like sissy Americans, rather than 
>the macho Argentine.
(snip)
>Keith, from Hong Kong [not the other one :-)]