Dear Editor,
I see occasional breaches of these rules, and I am sure your guidelines will
increase the level of awareness. I have another suggestion, though it concerns
group classes rather than milongas. A situation that I often find uncomfortable is
when the leaders are in a row but certain of them (usually the same ones
!!!) position themselves towards the center of the row and to the front.
This gives them a ringside view of the instructor but obstructs the
view of those behind and to the side. The ideal formation here is a row
that is curved out towards the edges. It would also be good practice if
the instructor alternated his postion so that the back row had a chance
to be the "front" row. Few instructors (Gary is an exception) are alert
to this logistical problem. It would be good to raise the awareness
level of this problem!
I plan on being a regular on the "circuit" and look forward to seeing
you there,
Dear Center Row,
Your suggestion concerning a concave formation doesn't work well because of the collisions near
the focal point with forward moving steps. Alternating rows sometimes works. But usually you end up in the back row just when you need to
see what's going on up front. If the space is large enough, some instructors have the
students form a line-of-dance circle around them. This doesn't work so well either because half of the class
is turned 180 degrees the wrong way and the instructor tends to keep turning around to really
confuse the issue. There are other variations on these formations, but the bottom line is that
in a many-to-one teaching situation, the multi-row approach is about as good as it gets.
Here's a suggestion: get to class early and get in the front row directly behind the instructor.
Don't be shy. Then hope there are no row changes and the instructor doesn't move around much.
Many times the good students are right behind the instructor. If you cannot get a front row,
try to get behind a more experienced student. Don't be shy about asking questions or for help.
When you are first starting out, it is more critical to be up front. You don't want to pick up
bad habits by copying other beginning student's mistakes or by guessing at what
is being taught. When you become more experienced, being in a back row won't be as difficult as
at first.
Another alternative to really speed up your learning time is to take a few private lessons early
in your beginning dance experience. Many times this method is cheaper and faster in the long run.
In any case, it is certainly a more direct method of acquiring dance skills. You are also less
likely to have to unlearn a bad habit. With private lessons you should get very attentive
guidance and detailed instruction. Also always try to find out the reason why an instructor
prefers one technique or movement over another. If they give you the "... because that's the way it's
done..." type of an answer, you might want to try someone else. Shop around, ask friends about
their experiences.
We are very fortunate to live in the area where there is such an active dance community, a good dance
scene, and many good local dance instructors. We also get a constant flow of Tango Masters
passing through. Take full advantage of these opportunities. This is an Argentine Tango dance
paradise.
Finally, keep in mind that Argentine Tango is a nontrivial dance to learn. It takes time,
patience and persistence. Good luck.
I just checked out your site - It will be a great resource to those such
as myslf who are aspiring tango dancers. I introduced myself to you at
the Monte Christo on Friday...I particularly liked your etiquette section.
Center Row
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. You make a good point and I am sure others have similar
feelings about this issue. I have taken many dance classes (jazz, ballroom, western, salsa, tango...)
over the past years and the straight-line multiple row method seems to be the universal and best one.
In most dance classes there are usually more students than space, many more students than instructors, and
varying degrees of student experience--not the best teaching arrangement.
See you on the dance floor,
Editor