[Tango-L] Marketing Survey

[Gordon Erlebacher]

Hi,

Let us start a new thread.

What constitutes elitism? It is the notion of deciding on the "proper" 
way of dancing tango, or else?
Does it relate to policing the Milongas? Does it relate to playing only 
one kind of music?
Or is it a "I am a better dancer because I put lots of work into my 
tango, and you are not dedicated?"
We have our own problems where I live, and I was wondering.

What I have found is that while many people go to four years to a 
university to learn mathematics,
theater, journalism, etc., and spend upwards of 8 hours a day doing 
this, many people find it hard to find
the time to go to lessons 1-2 hours a week for a period of 3-4 years to 
learn a new skill called tango.
Much of the discussion concerning lead, mark, leaving space, posture, 
etc. simply talk about a very
complex dance from one or the other viewpoint, when in reality, tango is 
the entire package, and like any skill, it requires dedication.
Many people wish to dance  without putting in the effort. We try to 
imitate the culture of Buenos Aires. Yet, in Bs.As., most of the 
milongueros danced all their lives, were brought up on tango music, and 
refined their dance over decades. We foreigners can do the same, but if 
we wish to compress this into a period of 2-3 years, that implies total 
immersion both in the music and the dance, not to mention the culture. 
That is a commitment only few are willing or have the time to make. Even 
in Buenos Aires, only a tiny percentage dance the tango, and out of 
this, only a small percentage are good tango dancers. The skill of 
dancers varies widely depending on the Milonga (El Pial, El Arranque, El 
Beso, Gricel, ...).

     Just my two cents,

        Gordon




On 2/2/11 10:55 PM, rcgimmi at aol.com wrote:
> Here's a bigger survey that was done in the Portland, Oregon area a couple of years ago.  There were, I recall, almost four hundred responses.  It's titled, "Why I Quit Tango":
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> http://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=jgRE23jZaqJkQXe_2fRgco1GgAZSrPouqVp_2b1F2ZxnZVk_3d
>
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> (If the link doesn't work, go to Google and put in the words, Why I Quit Tango and Clay Nelson.  That should get you there.)
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> "Elitism" was the number one reason people drop out.
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> That didn't surprise me a bit.
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> The real "surprise" was that so many people in the tango community were surprised to hear this.  I suspect awareness of the problem and responsibility for the problem are inversely proportional.    And, I suspect that the survey results would be applicable for other communities outside the Pacific Northwest.
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> Many of the other reasons people quit were related to this big one.
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> Enjoy.
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