Santiago Croce & Amy Lincoln are getting ready to make their way south to Buenos Aires for the winter and Coastal California will miss them. They have been giving lessons, dancing demos, and inspiring tangueros for the past six months. They helped me with the book tour tremendously, giving a great class in Half Moon Bay, dancing a demonstration at the book event at the Weller House Inn, and they event demonstrated steps as I read, creating a “Spoken Word” feel. We will all miss them and wish them well on their journey. Here are a few questions that I asked Santiago about tango & teaching. I decided to not edit this, as that might take away his Argentinean accent, and I’d never want to do that.
What advice can you give people who are considering learning to dance tango?
Take advantage of this dance being one that doesn’t require a dance background. It’s great for you health, is challenging for your brain and it lets you learn about life through dance. In the meantime you have a lot of fun meeting people while listening to the beautiful songs of Argentine tango.
What is your teaching philosophy?
To never forget that as teachers, we are students of our students. A teacher should let them selves be part of the learning process while having fun breaking down the walls that our shyness and lack of confidence build. Learning should be fun. A good teacher gives you tools that you need to reach the concepts that he/she presents during the class.
How can dancing tango change people and their lives?
Have you ever seen our video when we were teaching tango for the blind? I remember the first class when they all those had to walk upstairs to take the class. They were all taken by the hand. We gave the class and 1 hour later they went downstairs with such confidence and without any help. That was the day I understood your question.
Because of the intimacy of the embrace and the social aspects involved with Argentine tango, this particular dance provides a space where we can feel safe to interact with people and feel close without any fears or misconceptions getting in the way.