[Tango-L] No need to take sides

[Jack Dylan]

I disagree with most of what Lois Donnay wrote in her latest message and was 
planning a response until I saw that Sergio had already replied and said most 
of what I was also going to say.
I quite often assist my teacher in her classes and my experience is that most 
beginner students are happier and more comfortable learning in an open embrace. 
Once they gain some confidence and experience, it becomes quite natural to 
progress to a close embrace, if they so choose. This is also my experience from 
many classes in BsAs and I think that to do it the other way around would be 
problematic.
I now realise that Lois' post was just another veiled attempt to criticise those 
who do not dance tango in the style that she prefers.
Jack


----- Original Message ----
> From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990 at hotmail.com>
> 
> 
> My experience as a student and as a teacher is exactly the opposite to yours: I 
> learned Traditional Tango (Villa Urquiza) first.  The type of tango that it is 
> danced by most well known tango instructors (Osvaldo and Miguel Zotto, Mingo 
> Pugliese, Todaro, Bravo, Carlos Copello, Diego Di Falco, Nito y Elba, Carlos 
> Copes, etc, etc) . 
> 
> Traditional Tango has a close embrace and an open embrace, the greatest number 
> of tango skills, all the tango embellishments and figures,which can be utilized 
> both for social and for stage dancing. It also has the greatest number of 
> leading possibilities, including what you call "bad habits" such as leading with 
> arms and hands.  When you lead complex moves you frequently use hands, or arms, 
> or thighs, or legs, of feet.
> 
> So to go from this style to Milonguero is very easy.  On the other hand 
> Milonguero has a very limited number of choreographic moves ( a few walking 
> steps,
> back ochos, ocho milonguero, a couple of easy turns, and maybe a sacada) , It  
> only uses close embrace, leads only with the torso.
>