[Tango-L] Breaking the 'paso basico.'

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

--- Keith <keith at tangohk.com> wrote:
Why do Americans have this big problem with the 8CB? Could
it be because of the way Americans learn Tango?
> 
> Keith, HK

The short answer is "yes".  Tom's post gives the long
answer.  I even know of a well-known Argentine teacher who
worked with an excellent American teacher on how to teach
to Americans.  The Argentine methods work well for people
who are already experienced dancers but not well for
beginners.  We've been going back to those classic patterns
here but only for intermediate/advanced dancers.  I
switched teaching methods for the same reasons that Tom
talked about.

I suspect, Keith, that you might also be comparing
Asian/British culture in Hong Kong with that of the States.
 I'm guessing you see some similarities with culture in HK
and Argentine.  I don't know enough about Argentine
culture, but here's a thought comparing Asian and U.S.
culture.

Compared to what you're used to in the HK, Americans are,
generally speaking, lazy.  Asians tend to have higher
ethics when it comes to work or social events.  For
example, a Japanese friend of ours held a party that began
at 8pm.  All of the Japanese arrived at exactly 8pm (not
earlier or later).  The Americans (except for Sean who was
helping her) arrived an hour or so later.  Asians also take
authority figures much more seriously than Americans, so
they will do what the teacher asks moreso than Americans.  

While Argentines and Asian apparently care that things look
elegant and nice, Americans don't (just compare fashion
choices).  They want to just have fun with their friends. 
And that's okay.

Trini de Pittsburgh




PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
  Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh’s most popular social dance!
  http://patangos.home.comcast.net/
   



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