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Argentine tango blog
/ with Interaction Design interludes / by Oleh Kovalchuke |
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August 2005
Aug. 24, 2005 - Learning to teach
Marisa Holmes has asked:
So, my question is, what have people done to learn to teach, when they have moved from taking lessons to giving them? Have any of you who teach made any particular attempt to improve your ability to instruct? Have you made changes to your teaching style to improve the results? Have you taken a class with someone you thought was a very good teacher - and what did you admire abut their technique? What else can people do to improve their ability to teach?
What a great line of questions.
Well, when I started I have learned from a great local open frame instructor in Colorado, Scott McClain. Great not because of his approach to teaching - I actually have struggled for four months through some rather arcane patterns to Di Sarli before discovering a different approach and moving on, but because of his passion for the dance and great advanced open frame classes, which I have rejoined while trying to do everything in close embrace.
The big breakthrough for me was taking a workshop with Brigitta Winkler at one of Denver festivals. Suddenly learning patterns was not required, the steps were simple and simply combined or recombined, and the emphasis was on communication of lead and follow. Unusual for me at the time and a lot of fun.
I did not like to learn via patterns so when I started to think about teaching I did not have a method to pick and use to take people from complete beginners to advanced dancers. One workshop does not a system make. I had to spend about three months inventing my own system deconstructing the way I dance and developing curriculum, writing each lesson in 5 minute long digestible and progressive intervals, selecting the music etc. before the first lesson.
As a result some of the approaches and progressions are borrowed from Brigitta (in the first beginner class), some are my own yet always logical. For instance I do not employ practice frame since developing leader-follower communication via chest connection from the very beginning is very important to me. All step progressions are fairly small to let students to literally feel the difference in communication in their body. Very important to emphasize rhythm of the steps and to do all exercises with the music from the very beginning (doing demo quick-quick-slow counts and some clapping in the beginning helps too). This way musicality does not become a big issue and naturally absorbed as classes progress.
I did have to refine the posted curriculum though to slow down the progress a bit, to introduce a review lesson (people didn't come to practica), since even though I did let a bit of a slack into the lessons they still progressed a bit too quickly for some uninitiated beginners. Tine is right however, when I taught a series of workshops to students at Colorado College the progress was quicker and curriculum held in its present form. I have refined the material I teach once more after returning from Buenos Aires since my style and appreciation of the dance have changed significantly after the visits. Reading, thinking and writing to this list helped a bit too.
Aug. 24, 2005 - Tango business
If I were in a presence of a person who were choosing to dedicate himself to the business of powdered soap or tango as a business, I would urge him to go with tango. A person in powdered soap business might increase hygiene awareness and possibly standards. A person in the tango business on the other hand would generate increased awareness in tango.
What's wrong with that? Occasionally hurt feelings, since some tango boats would rise quicker than others. That however cannot be changed, therefore there is no need to dwell on it. Hobbies are fickle - people often move on to other exciting things like scuba diving or stamp collecting. Businesses often fail too (80% within a year, S.C.O.R.E.) but business owner is more vested in success and brings different kind of personalities in the fold.
Random thought #34
Social security based on charity is bound to fail many and often - the base too small and selectively biased. Taxes on the other hand are institutionalized and inevitable, therefore more secure (New Deal and beyond).Aug. 22, 2005 - You get what you measure
I have went to Turnverine practica in Denver last week where it was proudly announced that membership in Tango Colorado will soon hit three hundred and and the announcer urged everyone to pull together to reach that number sooner than later. This focus on numbers has been persistent for a while.
"You get what you measure" - I think this notion is from the Dilbert's book on management I have read recently. Numbers are easy to measure and often could be useful metrics in business especially when if one measures cash flow analysis and such. However when it comes to measuring growth in the essentially recreational activity, some measure of people's satisfaction with their experiences would be better metrics.
For instance one could bump up membership numbers by making members activities more exclusive via price incentives, members only privileges... Membership numbers will go up. Will overall health and satisfaction in a given tango community at large increase? I do not know since these things are not measured (harder to measure of course). However, as far as I am concerned, arm twisting approaches in general do not build a lot of good will as far as I recall from some less than pleasant high school experiences. These approaches are also divisive by nature, not inclusive.
Aug. 20, 2005 - Upcoming DJing gigs
Chas is going to add two more events in The Tango House to the Labor day festival this year. One of them is practica on Wednesday, August 31 following Nina and Grisha's classes. He has asked me to DJ at the subsequent practica. Why not?
And following success of the last Tango in the Park milonga in Manitou Springs I have made reservations for another one in September: Sunday, September 18 4-7 pm.
Aug. 19, 2005 - Cabeceo at a festival
Tom plans to introduce cabeceo and traditional sitting arrangements at the upcoming Labor Day tango festival in Denver. I like cabeceo but I wonder how and if it will work out in the festival culture. After all it is not as simple as asking several DJs to play music in tandas.
When you come to Buenos Aires everyone knows how to do cabeceo and is doing it so picking up the etiquette is natural and relatively simple. In Denver we will have a situation where most of the people are not accustomed to look into each other eyes as an invitation to dance. I wonder if cabeceo works anywhere outside Buenos Aires.
From Tango-L feedback: apparently people use cabeceo in Italy (certainly not in Japan) and anywhere else where Brian Dunn travels for tango. I was less lucky in my travels even though I have visited most of the same places Brian did.
Well, it's an interesting and worthwhile experiment.
Aug. 18, 2005 - Disturbing trend
The third annual competition in social tango is under way in Buenos Aires. I do not quite understand the usefulness or for that matter applicability of tango competitions from a social dancer perspective, since it is all in the shared connection invisible to the outside viewer. Often very simple footwork-wise dances are the most exciting and satisfying. Level of invisible connection cannot be judged from outside (unless they attach electrodes to measure brain activity during the dance - wouldn't that be a surreal and alternative milonga?). On the other hand potential harm can be significant as Aron describes in his post:
I've just received word from the Hungarian competitors in BsAs...
THEY were actually asked to _organize a national championship_ here in Hungary under their name as a runup to next year's World Championship with a promise that the winner will be immediately qualified to the semi-finals and the government of BsAs will pay the trip (over 2000 USD for a couple!) to the Championship.
This idea sounds very disturbing. I'd been competing for 7 years (ballroom) and been actively involved with dance politics at national level. I know what it means to build a competition system. Competition systems are almost exclusively built by association(s) of teachers. They have only one real purpose: motivate sales of classes and dancing. It won't work if one teacher tries to get hold of organization rights - which in this case is quite likely (there are two (stage) professionals with their partners in BsAs out of three in Hungary - guess who's the third), but the interesting part is not even that:
Who's going to judge? I'll have to judge the dancers that are actually my market competition? Or they will judge me if I get the whim to compete? Or shall we invite some teachers from abroad? Who? The teachers/friends of one teaching couple or another? Or shall we invite someone we don't know? The same judges for escenario and salón? Or shall we invite some big names, about 5 or 7 of them for 3000 dollars each, plus hotel and travel? (that'd exceed the entire turnover of the tango market in Hungary)
Did anyone of you got such a request, or know about one? Any details?
This indeed could be a momentous development in tango as a social dance around the world. Not so much in Buenos Aires where dancers at large do not compete in the world championship but rather for the best followers at milongas. At any given milonga there are several milongueros with whom almost everyone would love to dance and most people know who are those milongueros.
Aug. 17, 2005 - Burning man tango
Kat from Reno has reported that there will be milonga at this year Burning Man event. It's certainly good place to try meditation in close embrace tango provided a Tango Hug workshop precedes milonga - that by the way would be in the contributory participation spirit of this curious event.
Aug. 16, 2005 - Glenwood Springs workshops
Overall I had very good vibes from this outing. Could be sleeping by the river in Cheryl's cozy house, could be couple fairly deep, late night conversations after the lessons with locals, could be that I had a chance to eat delicious home made borsch after about ten years of not seeing one, could be high energy of the classes since three times more people came to take workshops this time. It was fun to return to teach in the same place after a short while since you get to know people and they get to know you.
I have accidentally wiped out my notes for the turns workshop and felt a bit tense before doing it. Fortunately I have spent four hours reviewing and revising the material two days before leaving for Glenwood Springs so it was all still fresh in my memory. It also added a bit to spontaneity of my delivery since I tend to over prepare. In Glenwood Springs they have more leaders than followers, the first workshop had three times more leaders - we had to rotate like crazy to involve everyone. It was useful to stay till Monday to teach two of their regular classes. I have made them into workshops review, some followers from Aspen have come and as a result the class was gender balanced and very energetic and actually useful (it’s easy to forget the material without review). I might return, but not next month, they will have El Pulpo in September. On to the milonguero tours work.
Aug. 12, 2005 - The all-embracing meaning of Salon
Sergio wrote several times at Tango-L that Salon is the source of all other styles of tango and can be danced in open, close or flexible embrace. I have understood that he refered to open frame style commonly known in the USA as Salon. It appears though he was refering to meaning of the salon tango as social variety of the dance as opposed to stage, the same meaning Susana uses in her article:
In Argentina people call " Tango de Salon" the one done socially. It can be done in a dancing hall, in a neighborhood club, in a private home, in a square, in a park and in many other places.
So " tango de salon" includes any style of tango done socially in any place, not only in Dancing Halls.
If we accept that meaning of the word as indeed we should than he is absolutely correct - social tango (= tango de salon) is the true source of any other possible styles of tango because tango has started as a social dance. Here is what I have written to Tango-L in response to his remarks:
Dance hall indeed could be limiting translation of the word salon. That's why in one case I have translated this word as social (here: El salón a su vez necesita al tango danza para difundirse... - On the other hand social tango needs stage tango to spread...).
Interestingly if we take social as more appropriate translation of the word salon as you seem to suggest, than the so called "salon style" becomes simply social dancing of tango as opposed to show and as such indeed can encompass virtually everything as long as you do it socially (open frame, milonguero, canjengue, nuevo or whatever other term and style one can come up with). Curiously it also follows then that there is no specific "salon" style. Paradox yet true. And when you say that people dance tango de salon at Buenos Aires milongas you are absolutely right, people indeed dance social tango when they dance social tango. See, mutually agreeable consensus is reached once more.
If we agree that people dance social tango when they dance social tango (tango de salon) one might begin to wonder if there are some more descriptive styles within this social tango. We seem to agree that milonguero style is tango de salon, one of social styles known, in fact predominant in Buenos Aires. Open frame style (clumsy name, I know, but there is no other to my knowledge) is another tango de salon style danced socially mostly outside of Buenos AIres. Nuevo style is also tango de salon, danced socially. I have seen a couple dancing Canyengue to milonga in Buenos Aires once, which makes it another tango de salon, social tango style. Any other currently in use?
Aug. 11, 2005 - Stage tango and tango milonguero
An article by Susana Miller translated by Sergio Vandekier. I have corrected couple mistranslations:
Tango dance has two styles: stage and milonguero. Their description ignites controversy in the dance community. Some people establish a false dichotomy between both of them, false because in reality they complement each other. Tango milonguero and stage tango are in a way the two faces of the same coin.
Tango is known all over the world due to its stage form. The beauty and splendor of its figures are shown on TV and in theaters in far away places. Partners separate from each other in order to execute figures that are more or less complex, figures that are visually very attractive; otherwise the body presentation, specially the footwork would not be very interesting. The steps are based in those seen in the social dance halls but they are longer, they are embellished and become choreographies that cross the stage in diagonal lines, creating [elaborate] facades, utilizing entire vast available space.
It is due to those fine, skilled dancers, true artists and thanks to their inspiration and the many daily hours of hard work that they dedicate to their talent that tango is known worldwide However the origin of tango was the dance hall, a place where it still lives. This tango form has to do with the passion that awakens and grows in the couple, with a particular handling of the space and with a special combination of rhythms.
This is the reason why those who live abroad discover a different tango in Buenos Aires and finally understand that stage tango belongs to the stage. This is the reason that the best stage dancers never stop going to the dance halls because this is their source of inspiration, the place where their choreographies get fresh air. Choreographies that project in this fashion the spontaneity and heat of the dance hall.
In the dance hall the couple dance for their own enjoyment and not for the show. Steps are the means to circle in the space which is very limited; it is a closed tango with erratic drawings that vary according to the available space. A good milonguero can dance on four floor tiles, even on one and also right on the spot with great precision preserving the rhythm and the contact with the other body which combines relaxed ease with connection both emotional and physical. The man offers his musical sense to the woman and she follows him as if she was his shirt. Her creativity lays in her interpretation, in the way of returning and enjoying within her body the movements the man proposes.
None of this can be properly put into words the same way as the dance hall intensity and emotion cannot be transferred to other places; this things may only be verifiable with the wink that characterizes any community that share a passion, a little bit in secret. The style has great energy, couples frequently are in trance, in a kind of altered state consciousness. The body language is very rich, feelings guide steps and body movements.The vocabulary used by this dancing elite allows you to glean an insight of the meaning of this dance: " to walk the tango", "to pile up [a mutual lean in the couple posture essential for milonguero style, "A" - OK]", "to put woman to sleep", "to move her", "to dance her".
Show tango must be spectacular but it draws it's inspiration from tango of dance halls otherwise it would be showing something that show tango does not have.
On the other hand social tango needs stage tango to spread and to reach other areas of the planet as well as new generations of dancers.
People are community of lonely hearts who go searching for love, to love and to be loved in return. The tango embrace, "the franela" (touch and rubbing of the bodies), its controlled excitation, is an imitation of that searched love, a relief for the soul, an act where both, man and woman express their happiness in one embrace.
Aug. 11, 2005 - "In defense of open frame"
v0orbodsfs32nmk schemed on Tango-L thus (writing about close embrace experience vs. open frame):
To be fair, I was waiting for you...;->
...
My dear chap, you are already on to the main meal, while in open-embrace one does not have the problem you have, one eats both the appetizers and the desserts, then go home for the main celebration...with encores...Your craftiness will soon surpass that of Karl Rove, what's-your-name, keep it up.
Why not go one step further then and admire your partner from across the room, eating not only appetizers and the desserts, but also breakfast, lunch and dinner? Why for that matter get out of bed? You might as well fantasize straight in there.
Intimacy, my dear pal, requires touching each other. It is also selfsufficient and does not require to go beyond the dance floor. It's that little bit of secret Susana refers to in her article and it is that little bit of secret of which you obviously remain oblivious.
Random
Philip C.McGraw "Self matters" - Psychoanalysis for the masses: evaluate ten defining moments, the seven critical choices, and five pivotal people and re-evaluate attitudes. Dr Phil is pompous Doctor (Kingdomality) who has read some interesting books.Aug. 10, 2005 - Milonguero Tango Tours to Buenos Aires
It takes a lot of careful planning to organize an interesting and fun tour to Buenos Aires. This is what I have been doing ever since I have returned from the trip there (along with teaching workshops). Fortunately Victoria has a lot of good connections in the city and a bundle of energy to do the Argentinean part of the tour on location (that in addition to getting her degree in psychology, her defense scheduled for today actually). We plan to do two weeklong tours at the end of October initially with emphasis strictly on social dancing (including lessons with milongueros, practicas and of course the best of milongas). Unfortunately I need to work on the workshops in Glenwood Springs and cannot format and upload the Tours page as yet. Time flies...
I have looked through three different tour guides to Buenos Aires (Lonely Planet, Moon Handbooks and TimeOut) to see what printed books have to say about tango scene there. All three are packed with occasionally misleading but mostly completely wrong info on social tango in Buenos Aires. These are not very cheap books. One might be expecting to get at least some useful info on tango, which all three mention (correctly) is experiencing a boom in Buenos Aires. Well, the info on tango dinner shows (tourist attraction) is OK, but they don't go too far beyond that. One of the reasons of course the ever changing scene. There were significant changes even in the six months between my two visits to the city.
Random
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz "The Power of full engagement" - A lot of self-promotion without great details. Create daily rituals generating positive energy (as opposed to inevitably falling into random rituals unconciously). Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual (especially for the later, motivational energy). Energy is limited, start with important things first. Frequent breaks should help to focus.Aug. 10, 2005 - Instructors of various styles in Buenos Aires
Sergio Vandekier wrote on Tango-L:
I have identified the styles in association with their teachers: Salon: with Carlos Copello, Diego and Carolina, Nito and Elba, Mingo Pugliese, Todaro, Virulazo, Lampazo, The Zoto brothers, Carlos Copes, and every body else since this is the 'root' the 'mother' from where any other form develops by selection of some of its reach choreography and by adapting its technique to some specific conditions.
"Milonguero style" Susana Miller . This style is called "salon" by its first instructor (Tete).
"Nuevo" Gustavo Naveira, Fabian Salas, Chicho Frumboli, Pablo Veron, Claudio and Marianita in Mar del Plata. The developers of this style called it "Salon" they do not like the use of "Nuevo".I think Sergio's list of milonguero style instructors is a bit short. I guess it could be because he specializes in tango Salon and therefore might be unaware of many others who teach Milonguero in Buenos Aires. Here is just a small sample of other instructors who teach Tango Milonguero in Buenos Aires: Susana Miller, La Academia de Ana Maria Schapira, Hector Falcon, Ricardo Maceiras (El Pibe Sarandi) y Elizabeth Guerrero, Roberto Graciela, Alicia Pons, Cacho Dante and Rosana Devesa, Eugenia Cuyas, Ana Gregori, Maria Plazaola - all of these people advertise themselves as instructors of Tango Milonguero. There are of course more.
Aug. 9, 2005 - Meeting in the Middle of Mt Vernon, Missouri
I have promised Ney (NYC) to write a trip report for Meet in the Middle tango festival. I happen to be a man who attempts to keep his word. Here you go, Ney:
Some tango festivals sprawl across town (Portland, Denver), some take place entirely in one hotel (Atlanta) and then there is Meet in the Middle - a festival, which take place entirely within a single house.
Take a look at a map to find Mt Vernon, Missouri where people go to Meet in the Middle. Not a big place. I ventured out of the house on Saturday night to investigate attractions the town has to offer. The trip around main square with a church in the middle took roughly five minutes, plus 15 seconds to investigate Dalmatian hydrant in one corner. If it were not for the tango house the picture would be rather bleak in the vein of "The Last Picture Show" with appropriate sexual innuendo (a flock of teenage girls bring out folding chairs to chat at the same square's corner at night, while a bunch of boys horse around in the parking lot in front of them).
Given the settings one has to admire the audacity of Karen, the festival organizer, to conceive this event. Talk about dreaming an impossible dream (she could become a target for next Herzog documentary). Close to a hundred people drove to this event mostly from within four hour radius in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee, but also one or two representatives from Chicago, Iowa, Texas, and Colorado (yours truly). Considering that simultaneously run and more show oriented festival in New Orleans (somewhat more interesting location) drew about 70 people last year this is quite an achievement.
This is the most visitor and budget friendly festival I have attended catered strictly to social dancers. Your $120 and will get you not only three days of classes, milongas and practicas, a show by instructors (four this time, lessons level beginner to advanced beginner), but also all the meals (obviously the choices outside the house are limited), a dinner to live tango music and if you bring an inflatable bed a place to sleep in (recommended to students only). Plus Karen threw in two visits by ice cream wagon to boot - a very, very nice touch indeed. If you do not wish to leave the house you do not have to and you really get to socialize with people. On the flip side three days in the same place even as curious as Karen's can make you somewhat claustrophobic.
You do get to socialize there. I have had fascinating conversation with tanguero who meditates for a living about tango as a form of shared meditation. A guy from a buckle of religious belt on irresistible draw of tango music, some mental juggling with a dancer from Chicago and more.
A girl at the festival asked me why did I come. Well to begin with I am a vagabond to some extent. And so I went because I had some time on my hands, I was curious about idea of a festival-in-a-house, to see that part of the country, people who dance tango there, to promote TangoSpring Milonguero Tours to Buenos Aires (of which I did rather dismal job) and to listen to Dr. Who audio book on my 12 hour drive there (overrated).
I have DJed at Saturday practicas. Playing music early in the morning presents a bit of a challenge since the senses are still frayed from the night before. I have opted for valses by Castillo and soft tangos by Fresedo and Canaro in the beginning to ease into the harsh realities of approaching day saving drama of Tanturi and boisterousness of D'Arienzo for later. Robert Hauk who unbeknownst to me happened to sleep in the room adjacent to the dance hall and, I think, had been awakened by the music gave thumbs up to this choice. For once I have nothing bad to write about the music at the practica. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Well in the interest of full disclosure and in the hind sight I think Garcia tangos were a bit too complicated rhythmically to play in the beginning of practica.
The overall level of dancing was good - there were quite a few followers with five or more years of experience even though as usual some of them had open frame posture while dancing milonguero. I was a bit tired first due to long trip then due to uncomfortable bed but still enjoyed dancing most of the time. Pleasantly surprised by a follower from Kansas City who dances less than a year (way to go Korey).
I have heard that the show was outstanding too. I didn't go because I have quite simply collapsed after the dinner, had to take a nap.
To summarize: It's an interesting regional event. If you live within driving distance (twelve hours for me is pushing it a bit, your mileage may vary here) and have free time on your hands it's worth the visit even if to simply marvel the idea of tango festival in Mount Vernon, Missouri.
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