[Tango-L] Germans teaching Argentine tango in the USA

[Nina Pesochinsky]

Maybe they became more Argentine than the Argentines.

I know foreigners who are more Argentine than any Argentine that I 
know.  It is possible!

When you were 20 years old and became fascinated with some culture 
other than your own, didn't you become more a member of that culture 
than any person born into it?  I certainly did.  (For Argentine 
tango, it is best if you are not 20 because some personality is required).

On a serious note, foreigners often make better teachers of Argentine 
tango because they absorb details that Argentines take for granted.

Americans and Germans have been teaching tango in Russia.  Some 
Germans also have been teaching in Buenos Aires for years.  Swiss 
teachers have been teaching in France.  And what about Brazilians who 
teach tango in Buenos Aires and other places?  Am I forgetting anyone?

My questions about these teachers would be - Can they dance?  Can 
they teach?  Did they become more Argentine than the Argentines? 
:)  If the answer is yes, then who cares where they are from?!

Also, there are many, many horrible tango teachers who were born 
Argentine.   There are also many, many horrible tango dancers who 
were born Argentine.  Argentine origin can give a nice presentation, 
but it does not make up for bad dancing or teaching.

And my advice to any teacher who was not born Argentine is to say, 
when they are questioned along these lines, that they have now became 
Argentine.  This usually ends the discussion.:)

Best,

Nina



>Am I the only person who thinks this is crazy?
>There are dozens of Argentines teaching in the USA in addition to hundreds
>of Americans who teach.
>Why are they organizing classes for Germans?
>Is it because these Germans travel at their own expense on tourist visas?
>Or because there is so much money to be made from weekend workshop and
>festivals?
>What can you get from a German couple in two days that you haven't already
>learned from Argentines or Americans?
>
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