‘The complacency of competance’
Well, I would say this, wouldn’t I, but everyone who is interested in the standard of their dancing needs to have regular lessons from a good teacher.
Without work your dancing will naturally deteriorate. Those bad habits and technique weaknesses aren’t going to cure themselves. Left unattended they will get worse, and become a permanent fixture of your dancing. Your regular partners might not notice the gradual decline, but other dancers will.
I see it in people who’ve been dancing for a long time. They may have lots of friends who’ll dance with them, but their dancing is getting slowly worse. They are off-axis, have unhealthy posture or weird embraces, and aren’t exploring the beautiful music. And they’re starting to wonder why it’s getting harder for them to get dances.
We all like to think that we’re good dancers, and it is uncomfortable to consider the weaknesses in your dancing, but just sometimes it’s worth swallowing your pride, leaving your ego behind, and accepting that someone might be able to help you improve.
As for which teacher to choose… well that’s up to you, and should probably be left for another Post!
The complacency of competence
Such a risky attitude to adopt but to some extent understandable. I have had lots of lessons: I get lots of dances – so I have achieved what I set out to do, and if the number of partners and tandas was the objective fair enough. What keeps most of us attached to tango though is the joy of the music, the thrill of the embrace but more the ability of the followers, or leaders, we have the confidence to Cabaceo, and the acceptance of that partner that we have always aspired to. For as long as there are better dancers out there then it must make sense to reach for their standard and that will always mean matching their hard work and practise. As with most things that are worthwhile it’s not the quantity, it’s the quality that gives meaning to what we seek. It starts with a good teacher and, with lots of practise, hopefully never ends.
Keeeep teaching.
> I see it in people who’ve been dancing for a long time.
Figures. I often see this view in people who have been teaching for a long time.
Understandably, some people can’t learn to dance without lessons. Less understandably, many of them are utterly convinced that their problem is shared by everyone else.
> They are off-axis, have unhealthy posture or weird embraces
Acquired in lessons.