[Tango-L] The subject that never dies.

[Floyd Baker]

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:07:50 EDT, you wrote:

> Nancy wrote:
><<<<All I know about that is  the Dinzels came through the
>US in about 1994, hitting ballroom studios all over,
>teaching their 'System' which used the eight count
>basic and a theory of axis.  It included the DBS and
>lots of ganchos, barridas, sacadas, sandwiches, etc -
>all the usual stuff we see being done by first year
>dancers.  It was open embrace.  Not surprising since
>the Dinzels were in the original "Tango Argentino"
>production that traveled the world in 1983-6. >>>>>
>
>Eight-count, six-count or whatever was around many years before the Dinzels, 
>whether open- or close-embrace.   They have little, if anything, to do with 
>that, nor does Daniel Trenner.   Besides, Danel and Maria were teaching it while 
>touring with "Tango Argentino" as their resident teachers, and it was around 
>long before them as well. Nobody invented it, it evolved.
>As Keith pointed out, the origin of the cross is another story. That came 
>along later in tango history, maybe in the fifties, but the fundamentals of the 
>tango step were in place years ago. 
>Why is the eight-count basic such an issue anyway? Either some teachers are 
>really teaching tango badly or someone is missing the point about what a 
>foundation is. 
>
>Charles


I have heard or read, and I don't know where, that the cross was
indroduced about 75 years ago.  In the 30's.   I've taken it for some
time now to have come from Europe.  It is after all contrary to the
rest of Tango.   

As for the salida, I believe it too was developed early on to teach
the first non-Argentines (the European era?)  how to Tango.  An easy
way out, but not worth it in the end.  

If I may, here's a snip from our our 'How to Tango' pages about it... 
"
One of the more glaring examples of (bad) teaching is that leaders and
followers are put together as a couple and taught to memorize a
sequence of steps, usually starting with what is called the ‘Salida’,
or ‘Basic Step’, and progressing from there. 

I contend that as soon as this is done their minds are poisoned
against social, improvised, Tango. ~ Followers bond with the idea that
they can learn patterns instead of feeling for single step leads. ~
This is completely and absolutely not true, not Argentine Tango, and
not a good teaching method at all. ~ If any instructor teaches a
follower a pattern or a series of steps, it is the antithesis of
Tango. ~ They have shot the student in the foot the very first time
they tried to move one. ~ The problem is that people actually think
they can do both. ~ That they can understand the memorized step
sequence is ‘just an example’.  Ha! ~ But why do they need a memorized
example? ~ Leaders should be learning how to lead.., and followers
should be learning how to follow. ~ That’s what they need to do, to
learn Tango... ~ Keep their heads up. ~ Never looking down to memorize
‘examples’ of where to put their feet. ~ All they need to know is how
to do it with Tango ‘style’. ~ Never fear the ‘where’. ~ 

The frame and lead signals are what cause followers to place their
feet in the right places. ~ It’s an unconscious calculation done by
your mind. ~ Just let it happen. ~ Remember it was done that way in
the beginning and it brought about this world class dance. ~ What else
is there to think about? ~ Of course Americans always want to do
things a better way. ~ The ‘easy’ way. :-) ~ Just don’t you go that
way, ok? ~ It doesn’t really work. ~ Tango happened before structured
thinking came along. ~ Tango did not use it then nor does it need it
now. ~ Do I sound adament? ~ Yes I am!  :-)
"


There it is..    Take it or leave it...    :-)

Floyd   





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