[Tango-L] learning, and music

[Nussbaum, Martin]

Not expecting to convince anyone, so this is my last post on this topic,
and I am preaching to the choir for the several who have agreed with me
in private, unsure why they don't post to the list.    May I propose an
experiment to those who consider music a distraction to learning dance.
In the next workshop, when the music comes on, don't simply jump into
the sequence or figure shown.   First, embrace your partner, connect,
just start dancing a little, a few steps you already know,  as if you
were in the milonga, and as if you love the music. Then when you feel in
the groove, throw in the sequence, or as much of it that fits the
phrase, continue with other steps you know, then in the next phrase,
throw in the other parts of the sequence you missed. Finally, add them
together. You will quickly integrate the new information with your
current technique.   I have had compliments from followers in class who
have expresses surprise that I actually dance in class while learning.
Well, duh.   I dance to the music being played. Siempre.  I believe
that's the quickest route to becoming musical with whatever you learn in
a workshop. Life and my memory, are far too short to hope to remember
that phrase at some point in the future when it will fit, if I havent
learned how it fits musically to begin with.   As useless as memorizing
long lists of pronouns, or verbs, in a foreign language, and then
waiting until you get to the next chapter on sentence composition to
actually use the pronouns in a sentence.  Or learning how to kick a
soccer ball without using a soccer ball until game time.