My Tango Diaries

(As usual, what follows is only my opinion and should in no way be construed as expert advice on anything.) There's been some teacher bashing happening on a few of the tango forums lately. Not particular teachers (thankfully) but of the practice of teaching tango to begin with. - http://tangoconnections.ning.com/forum/topics/abrazo-apilado?x=1&id=2259628%3ATopic%3A38885&page=5#comments ; - http://www.dance-forums.com/showpost.php?p=756595&postcount=15 ; - http://pythia.uoregon.edu/~llynch/Tango-L/2006/msg12104.html From Chris_UK, on Tangoconnections ( http://tangoconnections.ning.com/ ): " . . . From this POV classes are a massive success. No matter that the 1-yr drop-out rate amongst their students is around 90%. Amongst instructors it's nearer 10%, because giving classes very much works for them. Further, a large proportion of students that do graduate do so not to the milonga but back to the classroom, as the next layer of instructors in the pyramid schem...

Disclaimer - I am not claiming to be an expert about anything. This article is the result of several conversations with students and teachers in my own tango community and other communities around the US, and the world. This advice is subjective, most likely biased and certainly incomplete. Warning signs: Negativity: They publicly insult or ridicule other teachers or students. In fact if they publicly bad mouth anybody (or other styles of tango) it's not a good sign. I emphasize publicly because everyone, even teachers, have the right to their opinions. A good teacher knows that learning tango needs to involve learning from more than one teacher - either through festivals, visiting teachers, workshops, or simply visiting other schools. Almost all teachers have something valuable to teach you - even if it's only that their style doesn't appeal to you. Anything that helps you know yourself better will contribute to your dance. Isolation: Are they they teaching in a vacuum ...

The How-to for Choosing a Teacher Disclaimer - I am not claiming to be an expert about anything. This article is the result of several conversations with students and teachers in my own tango community and other communities around the US, and the world. This advice is subjective, most likely biased and certainly incomplete. Research the local teachers: I'm not just talking about asking around - because sometimes that yields good results and sometimes not. You have to do both. Do your homework. How long has this teacher been teaching Argentine tango? How about dancing tango? From which teachers or tango maestros did they learn? Do they go to workshops and festivals themselves? Do they bring in visiting teachers? There is no strict guideline of how many years a teacher has been teaching to be good - or how often (or even if) they go to Buenos Aires, or that sort of thing. What's important is that the information is readily available and/or their comfortable answering your questi...

(Reposting my article series from Tango Connections.) Disclaimer - I am not claiming to be an expert about anything. This article is the result of several conversations with students and teachers in my own tango community and other communities around the US, and the world. This advice is subjective, most likely biased and certainly incomplete. With that in mind, fire when ready . . . How do you choose a tango teacher? This question is almost a permanent topic on dance forums, blogs and certainly Tango-L's newsgroup. It seems simple enough when someone approaches you at a milonga, or some other social occasion, and asks, "Who's the best teacher in the area." But of course it isn't nearly that simple. There are ways to find the best teacher for you - at this time. Beyond that, it's an impossible question to answer for someone else - though some people may try, usually with a great deal of bias. So where do you start? Know yourself. First, ask yourself why you wa...