[Tango-L] Gender Imbalance in Tango (dropouts)

[Jake Spatz]

Tom Stermitz wrote:
> Retention of the guys happens if the teacher can create the following learning experience: At the end of a one hour class, most of the guys can walk their partner through a dance at a regular milonga. [...] Notice it is about whether they FEEL successful.
Tom, do you dance with these guys yourself? (I mean, to "FEEL 
successful" means two things, when you consider it...)

I.e.,... ARE they successful?

IME, newbie attrition comes from one very simple (and seemingly 
ineradicable) problem: beginners learning with beginners. Sometimes I 
wonder if US tango would attract and retain more people if there were 
simply no beginner classes at all. It works quite well in yoga, I 
notice; new people there simply look around themselves and make an 
effort to blend in.

Jake