The Other side of Pablo Veron
by Valorie
Hart
Copyright (c) 1997-2008, Planet Tango. All Rights Reserved
I was at Stanford and in most of Pablo Veron’s
classes.
I was privileged to be allowed to attend the classes at Stanford
through
the generosity of Richard Powers. I really don’t feel it is my place to
comment, since I was a working guest, but in spite of the bad manners
of
it, I feel I must say a thing or two.
The first class got off to a rough start for a couple of
reasons,
mainly having to do with inept translating and a misunderstanding of
how
students show that they are ready to work at the assigned class hour.
Indeed, Veron did come into the class at the appointed time
and what
he saw was a group of people chatting, sitting, walking around and not
a group of people ready to work. As a classical ballet student for many
years, my training for dance class is that you show up, you shut up and
you take your place and indicate that you are there to work. A bit
strict
for sport dancers. Since Pablo comes from this type of background both
as a dance student and a dance teacher, his confusion is
understandable.
No one looked like they were ready to work, so he went to have
breakfast.
By the time he returned, the class was mad. Pablo was not
too happy
with the class either. The translator could neither speak nor translate
either language in a communicative and pleasant manner. But hang in
there
gentle reader. For the next class, Pablo was given two new translators,
who for the rest of the week split the task between them, each one
taking
a different class at a different time of day. Lo and behold a “new”
congenial,
communicative Pablo Veron emerged.
I only attended the non basic classes and as a non basic
dancer,
I can only say that these classes with Pablo were the most challenging,
interesting and fun. For the first time ever in any group class I have
ever taken at the so called non basic level, a teacher did not teach
down
to the lowest common denominator. It was each dancer’s responsibility
to
come prepared at the non basic level and be responsible for their
dancing.
That is not to say that Pablo just threw a bunch of difficult stuff at
us and hoped (or not hoped) it would stick. He was helpful, playful and
generous. The people who stayed in the class, despite the wagging
tongues
that could give a Salem witch hunt a run for its money, were quite
happy.
The basic class people I spoke to also loved their classes with him for
the same reasons.
The point is that when you invite a foreign teacher to
teach, the
proper handling and presentation of that teacher is crucial. The
teacher
needs to be briefed on the protocol of the teaching environment. The
teacher
must have the best translator available. The class must be informed of
the difference of levels. The teacher needs to be provided with a user
friendly environment (see Brad Stam’s report on Pablo Veron in Santa Fe
with Michael and Luren).
One question asked of me to ask Pablo was why he wasn’t
giving more
instruction to the women. Apparently it was noticed by the person with
this question, that some of the women were “flying” their leg on the
back
step/turn of the giro, and she wondered why he didn’t make the
correction.
His answer was simple and direct and not arrogant, and actually full of
respect for the women of the non basic level. He felt that to make
corrections
regarding technique was not appropriate in this type of class (group
not
private) and at this level (non basic is my term, advanced is what it
was
supposed to be called). We were not basic dancers, and therefore we
should
not only know the proper technique (that he repeats over and over in
his
basic classes), but also practice it on our own and not slow down the
presentation
of advanced material with questions about basic fundamental technique.
To me, part of the maturity of a non basic dancer, the
woman that
is, is to accept that for the most part, when the couple is executing
figures,
she is turning, always turning. To turn with pristine balance and
technique
and to add personal embellishment is part of the joy (and hard work) of
being a woman who dances Tango Argentino well. There is no
“instruction”
past a certain level, no steps to learn, no patterns to memorize. There
is always the work to be done on balance, posture, technique,
embellishment,
musicality, response to la marca. There is always so much to do.
When I was first introduced to Pablo, he was charming and
an open
book. And no, he didn’t know my identity. I was just another smiling
middle
aged gringa speaking my bad castellano saying hello to the young man
from
Argentina.
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