[Tango-L] A Training Scale

[Lisa Battan]

Dressage is a much older and much more established discipline than tango.
We have local, national and international governing bodies which write rules
and promote commonly held training beliefs.  In dressage, we have common
(although not universal) agreement of what elements are most important to
learn (and in what order) in order to be successful.  Those skills are
ranked in a "Training Scale".  I don't think we will ever have anything
similar in tango.  But, I wonder if there is something which could be
learned or transferred to tango.

The training scale is used as a guide for the training of the dressage horse
(or any horse, for that matter). Despite its appearance, the training scale
is not meant to be a rigid format. Instead, each level is built on as the
horse progresses in training: so a highly trained ("Grand Prix") horse would
work on the refinement of the bottom levels of the pyramid, instead of
focusing on only the highest level. The levels are also interconnected. For
example, a horse who has not mastered the higher skills may show faults in
the lower skills.

You can view the training scale at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dressage#The_Training_Scale

All of the skills on the training scale would appear to be transferable to
dance (with perhaps the exception of collection). The skills are rhythm,
relaxation (or suppleness), contact (which I think many people refer to as
connection in tango), impulsion (which could be forward movement, correct
use of the joints and muscles and focusing of the mind), straightness and
collection.

Although I don't think we could come to unified agreement, I think a
discussion of basic, fundamental skills and how they build upon each other,
or inter-relate would be interesting.  In particular, for teachers, I think
it is important to be thoughtful about what skills you teach first, and when
the student is ready to learn other skills (and how you revisit more
fundamental skills once high skills have been learned).

-- 
Lisa E. Battan
www.battanlaw.com