Dave Bailey
Active Member
Unfortunately, I think you're right.
It's exacerbated by the whole "Oooh I've seen ABC do XYZ on Youtube / Strictly Come Dancing, can we do that please?" approach some people have.
What makes a Teacher?
- Thread starter UKDancer
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It's exacerbated by the whole "Oooh I've seen ABC do XYZ on Youtube / Strictly Come Dancing, can we do that please?" approach some people have.
opendoor
Forum Master
Well, think so, too. I realized it newly on that Graciela Gonzalez workshop on boleos. Her and my technique are worlds apart (Todaro vs Naveira).
bordertangoman
Well-Known Member
AND then you have to have students who will adhere to the structure, learn how to do the stuff before they move on to the next stage; and for some people it will be as hard as learning to play a musical instrumnet, and for others (followers) it will be relatively easy.
Maybe you could make it strucutured as a module within a broader dance degree, but to maintain consistency of training ( ie how many people would practice for 15 mins to half an hour a day, which you probably need to do if you want to become a musician.)
I haven't looked at it in enough detail to be certain, but I'm sure you're right. The IDTA one isn't any different (but is also full of silly errors, like having the follower pivot on the free leg - what?).
I am still of the view that it is possible to adequately describe the typical execution of a standard action, using the vocabularly of dance technique. It would only be of use to teachers (probably), or more specifically, it would only be comprehensible by those trained in the use of such language. Technical texts are very dangerous, indeed, in the wrong hands.
bordertangoman
Well-Known Member
that's more like it, a Guild of Tango Teachers, complete with masonic handshakes.....
and of course the syllabus would have to be in Lunfardo....
When you believe that the way you want to dance AT is right and you feel capable of passing on that belief to others. Then teach what you think is right.
That may be different things to different people.
opendoor
Forum Master
footsteps or kicks !
Dave Bailey
Active Member
Someone who wants to teach and who can find someone else willing to learn.
If you want to teach and if you find someone else willing to learn.
Sorry, but you won't find anything better than that.
Now maybe if you asked "what makes a good teacher?"...
Dave Bailey
Active Member
That's a neat trick
You may be right.
For example, presumably, mechanically it must be possible to describe the physical actions required to take a good forwards step, with a reasonable level of accuracy.
Go for it...
bordertangoman
Well-Known Member
Ah for this you need a PhD in cybernetics; what we consider simple actions become complex if you have to describe them.
For instance; instructing a robot how to take a drink of water; reveals how complex the action of drinking a glass of water is; involving not spilling the water; acceleartion and decleration within non-spilling limits; creating a seal between cup and lip, pouring and swallowing without choking, and much more besides..and you'd probably end up talking to call-centre in Bombay to someone, who speaks but good English but never has actually danced tango.......
It isn't easy to find the right words to describe a physical movement, but that doesn't make the task impossible. It also isn't necessary to describe every aspect of an action, or provide for every conceivable contingency. You would have to if you were programming a robot, but we are not robots (cue for a cheap shot at Ballroom dancers generally
), and of course the task has been done comprehensively for most dance styles already, without major mishap. I can pick up my standard texts, and apply my general understanding of general principles, and work out how to correctly execute something I'm not familiar with - and so could anyone else who has followed the same training route.I'm not even trying to suggest that codification is necessary to the development of tango competence, but that such a text could be a very useful tool in the hands of someone whose training/experience or learning style suited the approach. If there was a common undertanding of some fundamentals, more effort could be devoted, earlier on, to the development of more advanced aspects of the dance.
Peaches
Well-Known Member
That's all well and good...if you could nail down some fundamentals.
Should forward steps be taken heel-first or toe-first? Good damn question! There are proponents of each style.
Is weight shared or not, or can it even be shared? How does that affect technique?
In a giro, does the partner traveling along the outside (typically the woman, but not always) pivot to take her steps or not?
My point is only that the fundamentals aren't necessarily that cut-and-dried. Codification is harder than you might think.
Should forward steps be taken heel-first or toe-first? Good damn question! There are proponents of each style.
Is weight shared or not, or can it even be shared? How does that affect technique?
In a giro, does the partner traveling along the outside (typically the woman, but not always) pivot to take her steps or not?
My point is only that the fundamentals aren't necessarily that cut-and-dried. Codification is harder than you might think.
I'm not trying to suggest that it would be easy, either.
But I don't see an objection to setting out a range of generally accepted alternatives, with some evenhanded comment regarding the differences. Anyway, it would be an interesting book. I'd buy it (and principally as a teaching reference, not a dancer's guide).