[Tango-L] bad, wrong, Nuevo

[Floyd Baker]

You've put the development of a Tango community into a nutshell. It's
all  money.  Very few instructors bother with 'connection'.  I wonder
how many even know of it?  Many don't even bother with 'lead'. Just
push and pull and consider the ladies 'objects'.   Move them around
and they'll think they're doing Tango.  Teachers are mechanizing
Argentine Tango.  They teach how to drive a silly bus... American
Tango redux.  

To answer David's muse..., snipped from below.

>> The basic issue (as I see it), is that people can
>> teach "steps" in a much quicker amount of time than
>> they can teach "connection" (actually, I'm not sure
>> if anyone knows how to teach it, or if it's
>> something you just have to figure out for yourself).

We've had over 60 printed pages on that particular subject on the
Buffalo Tango site for almost a year now.    I've since upgaded the
readability too,  which several suggested we do, when they were first
put up.   

I know you're all be dying to read, and read, and read about something
you already know....  :-)  

But if you might want to take a look, start here.    I'm different at
least...  You might like the way I write?  And then again, maybe you
won't...  <g>  

http://www.buffalotango.com/html/l_-_introduction.html

I'll be adding more soon too.   Actually I'm overdue.

Have faith.  

Floyd




On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:39:32 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

>David, what you said summarizes pretty well.
>
>This is a guess.  I think that a lot of people who are
>learning steps and are really lacking in connection
>think that their connection is okay, because when they
>look around, their connections is good relative to
>everyone else in the class, or most people in the
>community, for that matter.  Why would they question
>their connection?  Women are sitting there just
>waiting to dance with them! 
>
>I don't think it's, so much, a choice of what they
>desire.  It's just the world of success that they live
>in.  Your success is measured by whether you can get
>around the floor and whether you can get through the
>classes looking good.  
>
>As for whether there are teachers who teach
>connection.  Consider this .... a large number of
>people that actually go to classes go to the classes
>that have the best society, the group of dancers where
>you feel like you are having fun, you belong, etc. 
>When women who, IMO, teach connection much better than
>men, start a class, they aren't necessarily successful
>at filling the room.  They ARE out there.  People just
>don't care to recognize what they are teaching as
>important ... definitely because they don't have that
>great society.
>
>By the way, a lot of people aren't learning connection
>from the teacher.  They are learning it because the
>teacher has found a way to get a few advanced and
>intermediate/advanced dancers to come to their class. 
>A lot of people are learning connection through
>osmosis, period!  Put your chest on the chest of a
>smooth dancer and you will soak some of it up.
>
>Have you ever noticed when someone from NYC comes into
>your community?  They could be dancing for 6 months
>and feel like they have been dancing for 2 years. 
>Why?  Osmosis.  They are dancing with better dancers. 
>Are the teachers in NYC better?  Many are pretty damn
>great.  But, osmosis gets the credit.
>
>  
>
>--- David <dchester at charter.net> wrote:
>
>> IMO, another way of describing the two camps, is
>> that some people are much more into the
>> "connection", while other people are more into the
>> "steps".  While I'm still rather new to tango, I
>> have an appreciation for both points of view.  
>> 
>> The basic issue (as I see it), is that people can
>> teach "steps" in a much quicker amount of time than
>> they can teach "connection" (actually, I'm not sure
>> if anyone knows how to teach it, or if it's
>> something you just have to figure out for yourself).
>>   If you ever have a dance where there is a really
>> good connection, you understand why it is so
>> desireable (as well as why it's inconsistent with
>> some of the nuevo stuff).  That being said, I do
>> like trying some of the "fancier" steps as well. 
>> (I just wish I were better at it).
>> 
>
>
>
>      ____________________________________________________________________________________
>Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
>Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
>_______________________________________________
>Tango-L mailing list
>Tango-L at mit.edu
>http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l

     Argentine Tango - Buffalo Tango - Sun Tango 
      * * * * * www.buffalotango.com  * * * * *