How Useful is the DVIDA Syllabus?

As an aside, I read recently a chick lit book called The Dance Lesson.

In it the dance teacher was a ballroom dancer. She had been dancing since she was a young girl, had been to Blackpool, had won all the awards. Her only regret was losing touch with her former dance partner.

In the book the lady teaches all the ballroom dances. But she doesnt teach Argentine Tango. This to her is her "private dance". The one that she would dance with her former partner for pleasure rather than for money.

At the end of the book the couple are reunited at a dance hall. They start to dance together. I dont think the book specifies that they are dancing the tango, but I like to think that they did :)
 
Br0nze said:
And I've been making plans to go to a Milonga ever since I started learning the dance a few months back. I have yet to find the time or a Milonga... :/
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I would suggest checking out a milonga or a practica first and use that as a baseline for what you are interested on working on - googling suggests that there is a practica or milonga in philadelphia every day except monday.

http://prweb0.voicenet.com/~michaelv/#cal

Gssh
 
it's a shame that DVIDA has monopolized the syllabus world.
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Here's a crazy idea.
A while back someone suggested that DF have a wiki site.
If we had one, anyone interested would be able to participate in creating a DF syllabus for AT.
(it would probably create work for mods, too, since the wiki would have guidelines and rules)
Anyone game before I check in with the adims about a wiki?
 
Steve Pastor said:
Here's a crazy idea.
A while back someone suggested that DF have a wiki site.
If we had one, anyone interested would be able to participate in creating a DF syllabus for AT.
(it would probably create work for mods, too, since the wiki would have guidelines and rules)
Anyone game before I check in with the adims about a wiki?
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good idea - I've got a lot of experience with Wikis; if someone can do the techie installation bit, I can lend a hand in configuring it, setting it up, structuring it and so on. Depressingly, creating Wiki-based content is a lot of what I do for a living at the moment.
 
As a beginning student, the DVIDA syllabus materials are useless to you. To give DVIDA an "out", understand that these materials are really for instructors, not students. I do not believe an "Anyone Can Dance Argentine" video exists.

I know that as a beginner, the AT materials from DVIDA would never have helped me. Ever. You have to understand the elements first. You cannot take the syllabus and then learn the dance. But, in the defense of a syllabus, the intent of a syllabus is not to teach non-dancers how to dance.

I own the DVIDA AT materials. (The videos and the syllabus.) I did this mainly because I wanted to know just exactly what these ballroom studios were doing to the students. The students didn't like AT after taking these classes, and said it was confusing and difficult. I obtained all of the materials from DVIDA. What I did was I watched the videos, looked at the syllabus patterns, and I wrote, as elements, what each pattern was based on, element-wise. When you do that, the syllabus, even though gold, is quite simple. However, the patterns can be a terrible headache. Many of the "steps" are based off of the same walking motions, so it is incredibly easy for a beginner to feel completely lost. If they have no knowledge of the elements, of even how to walk or move the body through the space, AT becomes a guessing game of which pattern to dance next. Since the instructors at the dancesport studio knew nothing about AT at all, all they were doing was showing their students similar patterns to regurgitate on the dance floor. That is the heart of the problem, not necessarily DVIDA.
 
Steve Pastor said:
Here's a crazy idea.
A while back someone suggested that DF have a wiki site.
If we had one, anyone interested would be able to participate in creating a DF syllabus for AT.
(it would probably create work for mods, too, since the wiki would have guidelines and rules)
Anyone game before I check in with the adims about a wiki?
Click to expand...

It is a crazy idea... and I like it! :)
 
Steve Pastor said:
Here's a crazy idea.
A while back someone suggested that DF have a wiki site.
If we had one, anyone interested would be able to participate in creating a DF syllabus for AT.
(it would probably create work for mods, too, since the wiki would have guidelines and rules)
Anyone game before I check in with the adims about a wiki?
Click to expand...
Between my busy schedule of sleeping late and watching TV, I'll chip in.
 
Br0nze said:
A slight aside; it's a shame that DVIDA has monopolized the syllabus world. And I agree wholeheartedly -- they don't even begin to tell you how something is done, and to me, that is one of the most fundamental and important questions, right along with the 'What' and the 'Why.' ( I shiver watching these DVDs because in reality I am not learning anything I couldn't have figured out on my own.) I am of the opinion that the Syllabi are a there as a reminder for where the feet go, not for how to do something. The books and manuals (and DVDs) should be treated with a grain of salt, and in no way be utilized as a substitute for actual instruction.

My purpose is to become familiar with the dance first and be prepared for all the possible "patterns" that "can" be led (again, from the business aspect) and to find the best system that will allow me to do this. ....I figured it was best to ask before investing money (I don't have) into it.
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BrOnze, here you have answered your own question. Case closed.

Yet, in the interest of your learning, given that she has the syllabi, but the expertise to see past it, Me's post is most excellent... spot on. http://www.dance-forums.com/showpost.php?p=779498&postcount=20

Other than that, I've said it before.... DVIDA and AT should never be used in the same sentence.
 
There was a glimmer of hope in me that DVIDA went out of their way to be different when making the AT syllabus and DVDs because AT is such a different dance. But alas, glimmer of hope gone.

Thank you for the input, everyone.
 
Br0nze said:
There was a glimmer of hope in me that DVIDA went out of their way to be different when making the AT syllabus and DVDs because AT is such a different dance. But alas, glimmer of hope gone.
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See, the thing is, I think a syllabus generally is a good idea - at some level, in the sense that "syllabus" = "structured approach to teaching / learning".

But this one appears, on the face of it, to be not-helpful.
 
Dave Bailey said:
Anyway, how's about this Wiki idea?
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Oh it's a very good but awfully bad idea.

Can we have a section for tango word definitions - that should keep everyone entertained for hours, days even, maybe for ever . . .

And can we keep nuevo/fantasia/show separate from traditional too?

Now that's enough to argue about for the moment.
 
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