What Is Tango Doing Right/Wrong: Recruiting and Retaining

[itwillhappen]

Second problem is suck-out efect for local milongas. Begginers often have no chance to experience unforgettable tanda with good dancers on milonga, because they are traveling between encuentros and marathones only.

This applies to any travel activity, including larger regional milongas, festivals, tango retreats, and especially BsA trips.
What about traveling teachers - are they also missing in their home community?

 

[opendoor]

..suck-out efect for local milongas. Begginers often have no chance to experience unforgettable tanda with good dancers on milonga, because they are traveling between encuentros and marathones only.

It's true that good followers hardly attend regular milongas anymore. They simply don't meet their expectations. But in the past, when there were no encuentros at all, these followers didn't dance with beginners more often. The cliquishness now only is spatially unraveled.

 

[Paja]

In my country are teachers traveling mainly to weekend workshops/festivals or summer camps. This is not disrupting their regular lessons scheduled to working days.
But even if they would be missing on milongas, I do not see it as big issue, begginers are not often dancing with teachers for various reasons.
If I organize milonga for my small group of students, I have a rule I openly ask every student (leader) in room to have one tanda with my partner (wife) and I ask every student (follower) to dance one tanda with me. This is sometimes tough experience for some, especially ex-balroom dancers used to dance only together as pair. But this experience is very valuable and opens gate to real social dance for many of them.

 

[Paja]

It's true that good followers hardly attend regular milongas anymore. They simply don't meet their expectations. But in the past, when there were no encuentros at all, these followers didn't dance with beginners more often. The formation of cliques now is merely spatially unraveled.

I agree. Problem is if these encuentro dancers are back on normal milonga but they expect everybody will keep encuentro rules there as well. If milonga is not crowded and I have empty corner available, I like to perform some showy figures, especially if follower enjoys it. I remeber lectors from Terst, it was in 2014. She loves to perform high boleos and ganchos. And of course we admire her technique. But he told us, she cannot perform such figures on local milongas. There were special guards watching for such extraordinarity. They called them talibanos and I feld how she is dismired.

 

[Bailango]

I know, it’s exceptional. Our association swallows the cost.

Do you have more youngsters staying with Tango two years later?

 

[Bailango]

I know, it’s exceptional. Our association swallows the cost.
The student package came out of a group discussion, trying to think out of the box, what can we do to attract more young people.

How many youngsters try and what percentage of them are still dancing after 2 years?

P.S. - At €105 a year for adults is very inexpensive. How many milongas do they get to attend at that rate?

 

[Miradamiranda]

Do you have more youngsters staying with Tango two years later?

Considering how well they dance, they’ve been at it for a while. As we all know, the social draw for people to keep at it is important. Now they have each other. Since I don’t see the courses, I don’t know how many actually sign up. I just see who’s at the milongas.

 

[Bailango]

While I could drop some of the flashy tricks, a large dynamic range is just a non-negotiable fundamental of how I view dance, if I can't embody that then I intend to quit.

There is a large dynamic range in Tango ( and other dances) while sticking to simple moves. People think simple is same as easy. It is not. For example that 2nd video among the three posted by @pianistamediano is what I consider dancing with simple moves. If I had to show someone what tango is, I would show either the first nor the third video.

You don’t know what your physical shape will be 10-20 years down the line. Tango can be danced despite physical limitations. When body can’t support what you could once do, the next best thing is to adapt.

 

[Miradamiranda]

How many youngsters try and what percentage of them are still dancing after 2 years?

P.S. - At €105 a year for adults is very inexpensive. How many milongas do they get to attend at that rate?

Every Friday milonga. Plus discount on workshops and classes. And our large monthly ball costs 10€ for members, 12 for guests. Much cheaper than neighboring Switzerland where milongas are often 25.

 

[Bailango]

I would estimate that at least half of the dynamic (female) tango dancers have danced salsa more or less intensively at some point.

In your community?

Knowing many Tangueras, what you say ime is untrue. Or may be what you consider intensely dancing salsa is dabbling into it in my books.

A lot of dancers are reluctant to take up another dance and go through beginners hell. I haven’t had much luck trying to convince salseras to take up tango. Some tried and never became regulars.

So, in a way, salsa does the recruiting for tango; you just have to wait long enough.

No it doesn’t. Not for men. Not for women. I don’t think you know salsa scene well.

And if complaints about the culture of tango come up, you can politely ask why they don't go back to dancing salsa.

Heresay about tango already acts as a barrier. It creates preconceived notions. Salsa people find the concept of cabaceo very funny. Though they might unwittingly use it too.

 

[pianistamediano]

Salsa people find the concept of cabaceo very funny. Though they might unwittingly use it too.

What, they've never made eye contact with a waiter/bartender/supermarket employee and signalled them over? Fascinating!

 

[pianistamediano]

Even still...if it were not forced on me by circumstance, I don't understand why this style of movement would be a goal I would reach toward. Just getting a good hug from a friend is much cheaper, much more available, and satisfies the same sense of connection, for me. That's my bicycle.

Sorry for piling on more, but think of it this way: some of us train to make our hugging even better. I've spent years working on my embrace. I've had plenty of followers compliment me on my embrace, directly or overheard, and some followers have even expressed interest in dancing after we met for the first time and hugged as a greeting.

Granted, not de rigueur for everyone, and I do like to walk too, in the sense of that second pro video. But there are times when you meet someone with whom you wouldn't mind at all sinking completely into their deep embrace, feeling the musical micro-shifts in their body, taking unhurried steps and basking in the uninterrupted, flowing connection.

Maybe that's what they're after. But getting to that state of mind takes a lot more than what people think will do, including a ton of technique and experience, so...

 

[opendoor]

..if these encuentro dancers are back on normal milonga they expect everybody will keep encuentro rules there as well...

I have a different impression: many experienced followers of my circle of friends, who were regular encuentros attendees, no longer want to dance like they're stuck in a vice. Therefore, the more non-dogmatic marathons are regaining popularity over the encuentros again.

 

[opendoor]

So, in a way, salsa does the recruiting for tango; you just have to wait long enough...

I definitely share this observation.

 

[JournalInTime]

Considering how well they dance, they’ve been at it for a while.

Or their training is a lot better.

We have a few young people here who dance better than people who've been dancing for 10-20 years, yet who started within the past year. They skip group classes, workshops, etc. and start with private work with teachers who are career dancers, like championship contenders. They take full advantage of newer training technologies, like camera setups to see their mistakes, modern exercise regimens, and simple stuff like how-to videos (not instead of teachers, but as well as them). They practice intensively among themselves, renting studios and so on. Their motivation is to compete right out of the gate, and they don't mess around with the social codes or old traditions.