How to Learn Tango - Thought

Please share the site on Facebook.
Please share the site on Facebook.
Comments
Music
Transcript
Tags

What do we want our beloved students to understand about how to learn?

  1. Think about getting all you can learn from watching how a great dancer moves. Hopefully, your teacher is also a great dancer. If so, study the details he or she may not explain.
  2. Do not be too complacent about what you already know.
  3. Do not be too hard on yourself about the things you have to work more to learn.
  4. Improving is not about you in comparison with someone else. It's about you compared to how you were a month ago, or 6 months ago, or a year ago.
  5. We want you to want to always improve.
  6. We want you to experience improvement as a satisfaction and a joy, the way we do our improvement.
  7. When a teacher comes to correct you, think of this as your wonderful chance to get better.
Artist Name:
Vladimir Horowitz
Song Title:
Scriabin Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 2, No. 1
Album Title:
Vladimir Horowitz: Favorite Encores
Artist Website:
http://www.vladimirhorowitz.info/

(Nancy Speaking): David, are we allowed to say he may be our favorite of all musicians?

00:04
So we wanted to talk a little bit about how to think about learning
00:08
And there are number of issues involved with thinking about learning.
00:12
A lot of people talk about going to class, but dance is about taking it with the teacher
00:20
And what that means is, a lot of time, for our students, many times, many of them will come for years to what we call a beginning class.
00:28
And the reason is that it's not only about learning the beginning steps, it's about learning how to take those steps, and what is it that you need in order to make them really beautiful
00:38
And for that, a lot of times, a teacher will be teaching, and it requires a refined and an excellent teacher, but then they'll be teaching just what the steps are for people who are barely beginning
00:48
And the more advanced people need to understand to pay attention to the subtleties of how the teacher moves, even if the teacher is not talking about it.
00:57
So instead of thinking "Oh, I know that step", and talking to your neighbor, think "Oh, he rolls off from the back of his foot and transfers his weight through his center in this particular way".
01:08
Or think "Oh, now I understand the very slight dangling of his body" as he moves forward.
01:15
And really, that's incredibly common that you'll get students who "know a certain step", and don't ever be that student.
01:23
Don't ever know
01:24
The knowing is never done, there's always... if you're working with somebody outstanding enough, there's always more that you can learn about how they move
01:33
if you go proactive, and take from the teacher, rather than having a teacher only teach you.
01:39
And so, if you have an opportunity, sometimes they'll demonstrate something, and maybe you'll have a mirror there, and you can do it behind them,
01:44
and then you can watch your body and their body at the same time, and you can say "How's my body different, why?"
01:49
We actually used to do that
01:51
Yeah, and it's very useful
01:53
A different thought...
01:57
Eventually, there does come a time when you're really happy with your dance, you know, like "Man, I rock", but
02:03
regardless, even if you're not at that point, or even if you've passed that point, still, you should build up to enjoy the process, so the process of studying, and of working, and...
02:14
I think that we say that there are many things about every art that are the same
02:20
And that each of us chooses our art the way we've chosen dance, because of how we experience the process.
02:27
So the process is part of the process of getting better, this is a part of the joy of the dance as an art for us.
02:34
And so, often times I see people, and it shows up in different ways,
02:38
there's one type of person, who genuinely wants to get better, but doesn't know how to think about getting better, and so for this type of person
02:46
it's the continual working, and emulating, and paying attention to detail,
02:53
while at the same time not being to tight about it, or to tense. There is such a thing as trying to hard,
02:59
so you want to try, but with an open and free mind, so the information... so that you can just filter whatever the information comes.
03:04
A different type of person, is the type of person who really isn't even that interested in getting better, and some of them will say "Oh, yeah, I really want to get better", but when you watch what they do - they don't.
03:13
They're going "Oh, I really want to get better", but do they study - no, do they take class - no, do they videotape themselves - no
03:21
And so, if you really want to get better, and I hope that you do, and it's OK if you don't, that's fine too, actually
03:30
Make sure that... that you put yourself in a place where you're open to the feedback.
03:38
Because often times we'll get defensive, or we'll stop listening, or we'll say "Oh, that doesn't interest me", but you're there,
03:48
you might as well take the most of it, you're there!
03:50
Shall we speak here about the teacher's responsibility in terms of giving feedback or not?
03:54
Sure
03:55
So, I have this very strong belief, that it's as important for any dancer to understand of what they do that's good, as of what they do that they need to improve
04:05
And I think that it's almost a moral issue that the teacher gives the things that they need to improve on in a way that does not allow or make the student feel defensive
04:16
So yes, it's on the student, how do you think about getting better, you think about you and the teacher are both on the same side of the fence, with the same goal, which is to make you a beautiful dancer.
04:27
But I also think that it's a part of responsibility of the teacher to present the corrections in a way that is easy to digest for the student.
04:38
I think that something that is really profound, what we've seen in a few of our students, who tend to learn tremendously, is that they don't take it personally
04:47
It's not about their ego, it's not about "Oh, I want to impress the teacher", it's not about "Oh, she's cute"
04:55
It's just about the information in the dance and constant working
05:01
And so the more you can make it "not more", the more you can make it about only this, where all that other crap, forgive my language, goes away, the more pure and rich the learning will be.
Series:
How to Learn Tango
Tags:
I'm new to tango. Where should I start