I'm pretty sure this is the first time I have actually responded to any of the usual pontificating e-mails sent on this list. Even though "fortune" says she was ready to be attacked, it certainly should not have been considered an invitation for you, KeithHK, to do so.
It is important for the more seasoned participants in the world-wide tango community to nurture newcomers and, perhaps, remember when they were beginners themselves. It is possible Fortune is a seasoned dancer in some other kind of dance form and even though I feel AT is very different from other dances, a person who knows other dances can usually catch on faster than one who doesn't. When I was a beginner, I almost always closed my eyes -- it doesn't always mean one is in a state of ecstasy, it also means the follower gets less distractions. Even now, when I dance with some people in close embrace who do not have a clear lead, I close my eyes to better concentrate on what they're trying to tell me. And, while I definitely agree with you that leaders Fortune thinks are wonderful now, she will find mediocre or really bad as she progresses. On the other hand, I can tell you from experience that it is highly likely she can pick out a bad lead, even at this point. As far as Fortune expecting to dance with beginners, it would probably be a good idea for some more advanced dancers to make a point of dancing with an obvious beginner from time to time. Afterall, he can always ask for that dance at the last dance of a tanda and then if it's awful, it's only one dance. What a really good leader should do with a beginner -- or for that fact anyone he dances with for the first time -- is to start as simply as possible and keep adding to the repertoire as she is able to follow the lead. The bad leader is the one who starts dancing with someone for the first time and feels he has to show her all his fancy moves. _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
