[Tango-L] Rep : Let's discuss WALKING

[Benoit de Gentile]

Keith,

I fully agree with your comment on the walking, I also experienced that
difference between Argentinian and European (I am leaving in France)
learners, formers accept to spend so many hours to walk, walk and walk,
laters are not so patient. As a result of this impatience, the core part of
the tango, marching, is likely to be missed.

I also share your opinion on the responsibility of the tango teachers: I am
not a teacher, but I am in charge of a tango club (non profit association)
and we have to face to the customer's approach of tango beginners in their
early first months: all of them, included myself when I began to dance
tango, think that it is possible to dance tango within 5 or 6 months...
Systematically, two or three years later, ex-beginners discover that it
should have been more fruitful for them to start by the beginning, i.e.
walking and walking again.

To give an idea of what means ³walk, walk and walk², I use to say that we
need roughly 40 hours of specific lessons to address this point with two or
three teachers who know themselves how to walk tango (caminare) and who care
of their students. These 40 hours require at least 3 months as this work
cannot be done by big sessions, everybody is off after 40 minutes of ³walk,
walk and walk².   

Meanwhile, abrazo is not so easy to access to.

Benoit