What makes dancing fun? What makes dancing tango fun?
A good community will have, at least in part, good dancers taught by good teachers.
We start our excellence series by asking a very simple question: what makes a teacher excellent? Put another way, what distinguishes excellent teachers from mediocre or even good teachers? Here is a distillation of some early responses:
- Passion & enthusiasm
- Knowledge of tango music, Argentine culture, and Spanish
- Vast experience, careful preparation, and good communication
- Humility, sense of humor, and respect for your students
From my personal perspective (disclaimer: distinct from that of the company), good teachers know a lot about the music and the dance, have a wealth of experience, and an undying passion that they convey to their students. But building on the last point, truly excellent teachers connect with and inspire their students by capturing their imagination.
So how to connect and inspire? That’s for your comments and maybe the subject of another Excellence Series post … 
What do you think? What is missing from this list or if nothing’s missing, what’s the most important? Think back to your favorite two or three teachers — what made them so incredible and so unique? What qualities makes a teacher excellent?
Happy dancing,
-Henry
