Salida or not?

Is it good to teach the Salida, or similar sequence of steps, in the first AT class?

  • Total voters
    155
B

blue

New Member
I am quite sure we will have both opinions here, just wanted to check... what do you say. Is it good to teach a sequence like the Salida to complete beginners in their first class, or not?

Myself, I won't vote. I don't have an opinion yet, but I notice that those whose judgement I should trust rekommend me a teacher who would never do it - and they use that as an argument as to why she is good.
 
There are pros and cons to every teaching method. The issue with teaching the salida is that it does not really show how it is a combination of steps, and it usually takes a while for poeple to figure and be able to use elements of this in their dancing...
 
Sagitta said:
There are pros and cons to every teaching method.
Click to expand...

On that I absolutely agree. I am currently discussing with an AT friend how to teach feeling and connection from the start - she says that teaching stuff like the salida is a way to make it take ages for the beginners to get to the true essence behind it. One consequence, she says, is that the talanted ones might get bored and leave. They should have been taught in a quite different manner, to early on give them a feeling of what it is all about.

Maybe different methods are best for different subsets of students.
 
Yes I want to learn how to walk, different types of walking, such as misxing quicks and slows and walking outside the foloower and back in...then afterwards the cruzada, ochos. I got thrown everything in the beginner class.... :?
 
"I got thrown everything in the beginner class...."

I don't get it, what do you mean? (No pun intended, just my knowledge of english is mere basic).
 
Okay -- taught the salida, forward ochos, back ochos, how from cruzada to lead the follower around your right side back to front and then ocho to normal walking position again. Also other stuff that I don't even remember was taught.
 
"no it's horrible don't do it" gets my vote.

Tango is a dance of improvisation and teaching a sequence is contrary to this for the above mentioned reasons. The salida for a beginner gives an illusion of knowing something that you don't. The cruzada is an advanced step both to lead and follow and has other variations other than the one taught in the salida.

I have been to classes where a new step is introduced as: "on step 5 you do this...." step 5 means nothing to me. There is plenty enough to think about without having to involve counting your steps as you go along.
 
Another vote for No, It's horrible!

When I took my beginners group class we walked. At the end of the session 12 weeks I was able to:

Walk forward
Take side steps
Rock Step turn
Back Ochos
Cross out of ochos
Double step into and out of ochos
Into ochos from a rock step

And I was able to kind of play with the quick quick slow rhythm.

They had tought absolutly no patterns and basicly said.. just don't walk a mile in back ocho's.

That was it. It's amazingly freeing to not have a basic step pattern that you and your partner are expecting.

Hrm.. looks like i've rambled a bit... Anyway, coming from someone who's done it with out the 8 count basic.. Keep that 8cb away from your beginners! :)
 
Hello smart people,
8CB also has its merits. It gives landmarks to the beginner, as well as useful shortcts to the teachers. Imagine a teacher saying:

"-Now, all leaders, with the followers in front of them, make a side step to the left with their left foot, aproximately the size of their hips, and put weight on this left foot, while taking care that the follower remains in front of them in the process, therefore making a side step to the right with her right foot, somehow mirroring the man's move."

I bet he will prefer by far:
"-Now, you all make a 'two' ".

And I took the 'two' as an example, but try to describe the 'five' position with words...

In one of my first class, we learned the 8CB, and the teacher told us, when exercising, not to make the full sequence but to play with the elements, thus making, say, '1', '2', '1', '2, '3', '2,', '3', '4', '4', '2' and so on so that the leaders had to actually lead and the followers had to stay receptive.
 
bordertangoman said:
blue said:
Uum, but as the only votes in the poll so far is "yes" it seems you have not actually voted...
Click to expand...

so how do i vote? duh...... :? :?
Click to expand...
Up at the top of the thread there's a poll where you can check either "yes" or "no" and then click on the button marked "submit vote." :wink:
 
newbie said:
Hello smart people,
8CB also has its merits. It gives landmarks to the beginner, as well as useful shortcts to the teachers. Imagine a teacher saying:

"-Now, all leaders, with the followers in front of them, make a side step to the left with their left foot, aproximately the size of their hips, and put weight on this left foot, while taking care that the follower remains in front of them in the process, therefore making a side step to the right with her right foot, somehow mirroring the man's move."

I bet he will prefer by far:
"-Now, you all make a 'two' ".

And I took the 'two' as an example, but try to describe the 'five' position with words...

In one of my first class, we learned the 8CB, and the teacher told us, when exercising, not to make the full sequence but to play with the elements, thus making, say, '1', '2', '1', '2, '3', '2,', '3', '4', '4', '2' and so on so that the leaders had to actually lead and the followers had to stay receptive.
Click to expand...

Now I think you are demonstrating my point. There is no number five step in tango; there is side, forward, back, ocho, pivot, contra, cross, gancho etc etc but there is no number five except in the D8CB.
Using numbers adds a level of complexity to the teaching which is unnecessary.

Admittedly I have been to one workshop where on any fifth step (whatever it happened to be), we had to lead the follower into a forward or backward ocho no matter on which foot our weight was, but that was just to vary the position.

QED
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top