[Tango-L] Chicho interview - "Violent Milonguero" vs. "nice close embrace": what to do?

[Sandhill Crane]

> From: joanneprochaska at aol.com <joanneprochaska at aol.com>

> Teachers need to teach their women students that IT IS OK
> TO SAY NO, and why.  If women do not uphold the
> standards of good dancing, then all will "go to xxxx in
> handbasket:", as they say.  

Be careful what you wish for, as they say. The most
likely outcome is that the already-small pool of men
will dwindle even more, which leads to a pretty common
situation in the States: a small scene with high turnover,
and nobody is getting good dances.

I'm going to suggest that women could do some simple
things to encourage the men to hang in there long 
enough to get better. Probably the most effective
would be to give a response that's more focused than
a simple "no": I'd like you to stand up straight,
please don't squeeze my hand so hard, let's just go
for a simple walk (i.e. don't try so many tricks),
etc etc. "No" carries very little information in it.
How is a man supposed to know what to do? Help him
out a little.

The second thing is just to talk to people (this applies
to both men and women). It's often said that tango is a
conversation and I'm convinced it works the other way as
well. Why not spend a minute or two in idle chit-chat.
The next time there's an event, people think, maybe
unconsciously, about the last one. If they have a memory
of a warm, inviting experience they're more likely to try
it again. Conversation doesn't directly improve anyone's
dance technique, but they certainly won't improve if
they don't come back.

Another consideration (I promise I'll stop here) is that
people should dance open-embrace until they know each well
enough for close embrace, even if one partner or the other
customarily dances in close embrace. In open embrace you
can be much more forgiving about technical problems.

I'm inclined to look at the big picture here. What I want
is a big tango scene with lots of experienced people.
I'm thinking, what should we do that might lead to that.