Important Notes on Teachers

This is directly primarily to those of you who may be new to tango - just starting to take classes or workshops or attend your first festival.

One person may think a teacher is the best teacher in the world, and the person standing next to them may think the teacher is the worst.

Some people respond better to a very structured, organized, repetitive teaching style with a lot of explanation and talking about the material being covered.

Some people may respond (learn) better to a more relaxed teaching style involving more actual dancing, with individual/couple correction, and less talk.

Some people like a very stern demeanor (cracking the whip) in their teachers, some may like the friendly, easy-go-lucky approach.

My partner may see the lead/teacher as very confident and direct, whereas he may come across as an arrogant prick to me.

I know a follower who can only "learn" from a teacher who is basically mean and critical to her.

Teaching and learning are two different things. I learned a great deal in high school, but with little or no help from my teachers.

So, you have to try out different teachers, ask questions of others in class, do some research on the internet, and then trust your gut as to whether or not a teacher is "good" for you. If you are learning and retaining information from class to class and you feel like you are slowly but steadily improving, you've probably found a good one. If not, you might want to try a class series with a different teacher, or three or four. You will find the right teacher for you.

Also, class sizes will make a huge difference. When it's a festival class, attendance can be 80-100 plus folks. You won't get much, if any, personal attention. Class sizes over 15-20 begin to suffer on individual teacher attention. It's good to raise your hand and ask questions or ask for help. Dance close to the teachers as best you can, so they're right there if you're having trouble.

Don't forget about private lessons. They are $50-80 bucks an hour (more for Tango Gods, and usually one teacher to two dancers) but well worth the individual attention. Don't fret if you ask them to teach you a counterclockwise reverse volcada and they choose to focus on your walk or other fundamentals. They know best. Trust me.

Best of luck to you...