In the book, he pointed out that a dancer can be seen as a "Techie" or a "Feelie".
The "Techie" is a technical type. They tend to seek technique and precision in the Tango. Even their professions tend to be engineer or mechanic. Dance teachers have to be proficient (or have to get by with being at least sufficient) in their techniques, so they know and use the Techie approach.
The "Feelie" is more passionate type. They tend to enjoy the sensual side of the Tango. They may even indulge to the dance. To them, the dance is more likely to be something personally very special and dear, almost like a religion of sort. Also, how they felt about a dance is a very important criterion to evaluate a dance for them.
Similar typing can be seen in other dances. In "Compete like a Pro", a book about Competitive Ballroom dance by Jessika Ferm, she interviewed several Ballroom dance competitors and judges. Their answers and what they value indicate that some are more "Techie" and others are on the "Feelie" side.
Incidentally, popular psychology and personality diagnosis tool (e.g. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the like) say that whether you are a Thinker or a Feeler is a major typing category. So, my guess is that the two dancer types are very deeply connected to who you are and your personality.
Now, which one are you? Do you see yourself as a Techie or a Feelie? And how do others see you?
The merit to know your type is; you can know yourself, you can understand your partner, and you can adjust your dance to both types in a social dance setting.
We tend to judge all others by our own standards and types. But we have to be careful. Techies and Feelies do not always speak the same language, dance in the same manner, and value the same thing. If you are Techie as a lead and drive a Feelie partner hard, she may not want to dance with you ever again. If you are a Feelie as a lead and "feel" your dance, a Techie follower may be thinking the dance was a wrestle mania by someone who doesn't know what axis is, doesn't provide a lift to stabilize axis and isn't clear about the degree of pivot.
The Techie-Feelie types can appear in writing, too. I read many books, essays and blogs written about the Tango. The way they write really reflects who they are.
Although my ex once said I am "both", I know I am on the Techie side. My writing was aiming at and was perceived as "non-nonsense and useful", as an Amazon reviewer said. I was very happy to read that, because they are exactly what I want my book to be.
In another book I read (I'll not mention the title here), the author was talking about the author's "connection" to Tango, how the author feels about the Tango, and so on. If you can connect to the style of writing through your own experience or some emotional common ground, it is a good read. I did enjoy the book. But to enjoy the particular book, you may need pre-existing knowledge about Tango. In the sense, the book is written mainly to fellow Tango dancers who already know what the author is talking about.
I see the author as a Feelie. The way the "Feelies" connect tends to require a common experience or ground. It may be hard to share the personal feelings about the Tango with someone entirely new to Tango.
In my professional setting (research lab in a university), when I teach or train a new person (student, lab tech, or post-doc), I tell him/her what to do first. I tell him/her "do this, do that. The reason is.." with demonstration. The teaching/training method is action-oriented, just like general dance teaching. I want him/her to be able to perform sufficiently first, and how he/she feels about it at the initial training is not the main thing among the primary goals.
To teach something entirely new to a student, action-oriented instruction is much more efficient. Also, when they cannot perform well and do poor work, it would make them feel much worse. A feeling-based instruction should come later stage in the learning process.
I know I am a Techie myself and am slanted toward the Techie approach. Yet, knowing my own tendency reminds me of the importance of paying attention to the comfort and feeling of the partner.
Furthermore, the best and highest level of dances show both high level techniques and deep emotions. Techniques alone can leave us dry. Emotions and feelings alone make the dance look amateurish. Such dances lacking either one aspect may fail to connect to the viewer. The merging of both aspects is the key to the higher level.
This point is clearer in music and musicians. A "pianist" may have a lot to express in her head and heart, but if she cannot play her piano well and her skills are insufficient, her music would likely fail to connect and move us.
My mother used to teach piano when I was young. One of my earliest memories (3-4 years old?) is that I sat in front of piano, crying hard refusing to practice the piano. I'm sure I sucked at it and that frustrated me too much. I quit. To this day, my fingers don't move well enough to play music with piano. The simple moral I took from this personal memory is that skills are important. Skills and techniques give a voice to your inner desires. Your feelings may not be heard without the voice you give.
To reach the higher/highest level, we need to pay attention to and master both; your techniques and skills, and your heart and feelings.
