The Honor and Privilege of Teaching

Watching It All Come Together

I am proud of my students, the current group and all of the students with whom I have had the privilege of working over the years. 

Week after week, they show up full of passion and energy, ready to work and eager to learn. They watch the demonstrations carefully and tackle the week's exercises with enthusiasm.

When I make suggestions and corrections, they respond immediately. It's a joy to watch them overcome limitations and do things that they couldn't do at the beginning of the hour. 

Sometimes, I see them practicing steps or discussing techniques after class. That always gives me a thrill. When students ask me questions during or outside of class, I can tell that they've put a lot of thought into the topic. I do my best to provide answers that inspire them to explore the topic further. 

Even when a student struggles and requires extra attention, every roadblock that they overcome and every quantum of improvement is significant. It humbles me to watch them make their hard earned breakthroughs.

But my favorite moments in class occur when the students begin to use the concepts and the material in their own way. They go beyond repeating a step of fussing over the accuracy of a technique. They improvise. They combine ideas and movements in new ways. Leaders and followers move in delicate but certain synchronization while creating their own choreography. They interpret the music with sensitivity and reflect details of the arrangements in their movements.

When I watch it all come together, I am moved sometimes almost to tears. It is beyond beautiful. It's exciting and real. It's tango in its purest sense, an intimate connection between two individuals and an orchestra that comes to life before your very eyes. 

These are the moments that mean the most to me. This is what keeps me in the game, week after week, year after year, in any type of weather. The essence of teaching is inspiration the guidance to help someone unleash their own ideas. This is a thrill that I can't describe, even though I have had the honor and good fortune to experience it on many occasions.

Thanks, students, for giving those special moments to me, and more importantly, to yourselves.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2014 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

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Filling Technical Gaps

Basic Steps To Better Tango

Technique is built in layers over time. A strong foundation supports the ability to execute advanced techniques, while a weak foundation inhibits progress.

Our foundational technique can have weaknesses for a variety of reasons. First of all, everyone is different. We all have varying levels of ability in different technical areas. One person might move gracefully but lack balance, for instance. Another person might be musically expressive but lack quality of movement.

A particular teacher might spend more time on one technique and less on another depending on their own biases or the preferences of their students. Or they might not explain certain techniques well.

As I suggested in the last post, students who are eager to move ahead to higher class levels might not spend enough time on foundational material.

Whatever the reasons for the technical challenges of any individual student, just about every advancing dancer will profit from a refresher in fundamentals at some point in their development. 

Working on fundamentals is not a sign of weakness. Professional dancers work on fundamental technique all the time, all the way down to basic walking. Professional athletes work on fundamental technique. Basketball players shoot free throws at every practice. Golfers work obsessively on their swing. Professional musicians work on fundamental technique practicing scales and arpeggios religiously.

If fundamental technique is important to the people at the top of each of these disciplines, why wouldn't it be important to anyone and everyone who is still in the developing stages?


A Commitment To Your Own Development

I'm going to suggest two approaches that you can use to improve your fundamental technical skills. The first is an ongoing approach to practice. The second you can undertake as a project when you have time.


1. Practice Fundamentals

Set aside at least ten minutes at each practice session (on your own or at an organized practica) to work on fundamental techniques: walking, ochos, molinetas, boleos without the support of another person, etc. 

Focus on clean technique. Focus on posture and a relaxed frame (no tension). Use a mirror or a video camera to see what's working and what needs improvement.

You can squeeze these exercises in during sets when you don't have a partner, but I would suggest that you do them right at the beginning of the session so you don't run short on time. 

Don't get discouraged if this turns out to be more difficult than you expected. Stick with it. You'll discover quickly how important these exercises are as you begin to see improvement in your dancing.


2. Retake Classes At The Fundamental Levels

If you are an Intermediate or Advanced student or an experience social dancer, consider taking Beginner and Pre-Intermediate level classes as a refresher. Do this for a period of at least 12 weeks continuously if you want to get the most out of the exercise. That doesn't mean stopping by occasionally over a three-month period. It means showing up and doing the work week after week.

If you're thinking right now that this would be a complete waste of your time, you might be right. If you show up with the wrong attitude or if you fail to work hard, it will be a waste of your time, and you'll be an annoyance to both the teacher and the students.

For instance, if you stride into class like some self-important Baron von Tango who's going to treat the beginners with an opportunity to dance with you, you've already failed. The beginners were doing just fine without you, and they have a teacher to show them what they need to know. 

You are here to work on your own technique. Let that be your focus.


The Rule Of 20

It is at least twenty times more difficult to execute a technique cleanly than it is to do it in a sloppy or arbitrary manner. What happens when you do something that's twenty times more challenging than what you've been expected to do before? You get stronger. You get better. 

It's enough for the beginners to just get through the step and gain some understanding of the techniques involved. As a more experienced dancer with a desire to improve, you need to hold yourself to a higher standard. Execution isn't your goal; perfection is.

You won't reach perfection, and that's okay. But you need to push yourself toward that ideal. That's why simple techniques like the backward ocho are worth repeating. As we push toward new levels of accuracy and fluidity, even techniques can become quite challenging.

Watch the teacher as they demonstrate to the class. Try to match their quality of movement and the expressiveness and nuance that they put into the move. The teacher will give you pointers from time to time. Take everything that they say seriously. A teacher in the middle of a busy class doesn't take time to make a comment unless they feel that it's in your best interest to hear it.

If you would like some inspiration as you work your way through the fundamental level classes, watch videos of your favorite tango performers. Watch how gracefully and elegantly they perform even the simplest technique. This is your new standard. And that is precisely why repeating a class on fundamentals will NOT be a waste of your time if you approach it with focus, dedication, and humility.

Now get to work. :-)

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2014 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved