[Tango-L] Fwd: Who's leading?

[L]

I'm pretty sure this is the first time I have actually responded to  
any of the usual pontificating e-mails sent on this list.  Even  
though "fortune" says she was ready to be attacked, it certainly  
should not have been considered an invitation for you, KeithHK, to do  
so.

It is important for the more seasoned participants in the world-wide  
tango community to nurture newcomers and, perhaps, remember when they  
were beginners themselves.

It is possible Fortune is a seasoned dancer in some other kind of  
dance form and even though I feel AT is very different from other  
dances, a person who knows other dances can usually catch on faster  
than one who doesn't.

When I was a beginner, I almost always closed my eyes -- it doesn't  
always mean one is in a state of ecstasy, it also means the follower  
gets less distractions.  Even now, when I dance with some people in  
close embrace who do not have a clear lead, I close my eyes to better  
concentrate on what they're trying to tell me.

And, while I definitely agree with you that leaders Fortune thinks  
are wonderful now, she will find mediocre or really bad as she  
progresses.  On the other hand, I can tell you from experience that  
it is highly likely she can pick out a bad lead, even at this point.

As far as Fortune expecting to dance with beginners, it would  
probably be a good idea for some more advanced dancers to make a  
point of dancing with an obvious beginner from time to time.   
Afterall, he can always ask for that dance at the last dance of a  
tanda and then if it's awful, it's only one dance.  What a really  
good leader should do with a beginner -- or for that fact anyone he  
dances with for the first time -- is to start as simply as possible  
and keep adding to the repertoire as she is able to follow the lead.   
The bad leader is the one who starts dancing with someone for the  
first time and feels he has to show her all his fancy moves.