[Tango-L] Marketing or hype?

[Nina Pesochinsky]

Milton Myers, a master teacher, choreographer and former principal 
dancers of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in NY, once said in class 
that all dance teachers have some gems.  Some of them have many and 
they spill them in front of their students.  But others have only one 
or two.  Most students wait for the teachers that spill lots of gems 
before they start picking them up.  But it is the student that is not 
only picking all those spilled gems, but also who is able to pick 
that one gem from that not the best of the teachers is the one that 
will end up with a bigger treasure.

There is a very basic thing about tango teaching and learning - if 
you look at a dancer who is also a teacher and you want to dance like 
him or her, then by all means take the lessons with that 
teacher.  But if you look at that teacher and do not want to dance 
like him or her, then does it really matter whether this dancer is 
the last deity of tango?

The question is who controls the student - other people of his/her 
internal drive?  If it is other people, then he/she needs to spend 
lots of money on lots of lessons to figure it out.  It is a journey, 
and the words don't matter.

Nina



At 08:40 PM 6/9/2008, Chris, UK wrote:
> > Argentines are not so attached to the truth of the words.
> > ...  But it does not matter.  Argentines know that.  They do not hook
> > into every word for its "truth".  It just needs to sound good.
>
>Let's see if I understand you correctly, Nina.
>
>When the student who's fallen for this hype finds himself spending $30 of
>his money and two hours of his time listening to an Argentine telling him
>how to dance tango, it does not matter whether this Argentine's claims to
>be a great dancer and master teacher are actually true.
>
>Rather, "it just needs to sound good." ???
>
>--
>Chris
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