Hello Stephen, Thanks for your posting replete with great insights about teaching tango and retaining men. In our small community, new to tango, I have made the following observation after teaching our second beginner class (each in a different way):
The "rhythmic/walking" approach to teaching seems to favor the men, and they stay around but the women get bored and quit. The "salida/figures" approach appeals to the women, who want to move gracefully and intricately as soon as possible, but the beginning men can't perform quickly enough and get frustrated so they quit. I am thinking that the next time we have a class, my approach will depend upon gender ratios and whether we most need to keep the men or the women around. (I realize that good teaching incorporates many approaches, but you have to start beginners somewhere). Russell Ranno _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
