What is Argentine Tango: Music, Dancing and Learning

About Argentine Tango, the Dance and the Music.

Argentine Tango, From Buenos Aires to the World

Argentine Tango has a well-deserved reputation as a sultry and complex dance. Born in the nightclubs of Buenos Aires, tango in modern days has an athletic stage version, a dancing-with-the-stars ballroom version, and a street version "the way it is danced today in Buenos Aires". Starting in the mid 1990s the popularity of Argentine Tango surged across the US.

Denver has a well-deserved reputation as one of the most dynamic and active tango cities in the US. The Denver tango scene started with a small band of aficianados who made the pilgrimage to Buenos Aires in 1996, and grew into a thriving dance club with 400-500 members. With Denver as a hub, Argentine Tango is studied and danced across Colorado, from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs to Grand Junction.

The growth of tango in Colorado owes much to Tango Colorado, a non-profit dance group with the mission of fostering interest in tango through dances, lessons and outreach. Tango Colorado began in 1996 when local dancers needing a space to dance joined the Denver Turnverein, a 100 year old german club East of Downtown Denver.

Tuesday Evening Tango at the Denver Turnverein:

Looking in on the Tuesday Argentine Tango "practice" sponsored by Tango Colorado, the visitor sees over 100 people, couples, singles, old and young. The room is arranged like a well-lit dance hall, with red-covered tables for guests to chat and share a glass of wine. The mournful cry of the music comes from the bandoneon, a bellows instrument of the accordian family. When the music starts, dancers, look across the room to confirm a new partner with a glance. By tradition, the gentleman approaches the lady's table, as she rises to meet him on the dance floor.

The embrace is close, the footsteps intricate, the visitor wonders "How does he move so smoothly" and "How does she know when to do that leg-flick thing".

Friday Night Tango at The Mercury Cafe

Argentine Tango at the Mercury Cafe on Friday nights is of a nightclub setting: Dark lighting with sparkling red lights across the ceiling like stars; Tablecloths and a single rose on each table; a tango orchestra on the stage consisting (at least) of a piano, upright bass, violin, and the bandoneon. The music is familiar yet strange, driving yet vintage. Violin pulling at the heart-strings while bandoneon hits you more in the gut. Perhaps most striking are the dynamics of the music. Sometimes soft, slow and sweet, sometimes angry and driving.

Twice-Yearly Tango Festivals in Denver

Denver plays host to two large Tango Festivals each year over Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Drawing 400-500 tango fanatics, the Denver Tango Festivals are two of the top ten tango destinations in the US. Professional tango teachers from around the world present classes, top DJs entertain for 7 milongas (dance parties) from Thursday through dawn on Monday.

Argentine Tango Music for Dancing

Here is a list of "Tom's essential Tango CDs"

Tango is danced to the orchestras of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Modern tango music like Astor Piazzola is not used for tango dancing (except perhaps for performances). So, it can be difficult to find or choose appropriate tango music for social dancing at Amazon or your local record store. The tango CDs listed below provide a sampling of several different orchestras from the "Golden Era". If you are choosing only a few CDs, I have starred some special ones.

Beginners should start with D'Arienzo and Di Sarli because the beat is solid and strong. D'Arienzo is more rhythmic, while Di Sarli is famous for emphasizing the solid, walking beat. The lyrical orchestras of the 1940s have wonderful, sweeping melodies, and beautiful singers. The intensely dramatic and passionate music of Osvaldo Pugliese may be the peak experience for tango dancers. In Buenos Aires, when they put on a Pugliese set, they turn the lights down low and everybody seeks their favorite partner.

You can get them at Zivals, The Tango Store which probably has the largest selection on the internet. Prices are good and the ordering/shipping process easy. (Canaro's CD "Poema" is a top seller.)

Rhythmic (1930s - 40s)

  • * D'Arienzo "De Pura Cepa 1935 - 1936"
  • * Edgardo Donato, "Colleccion 78 RPM 1933 - 1941"
  • * Francisco Canaro "Alma Tanguera"
  • Francisco Canaro "Poema".
  • Anibal Troilo "Instrumental 1941 - 1944"

Dramatic and Steady (1940s - 50s)

  • * Carlos Di Sarli "RCA Victor 100 Anos"

Melodic and Lyrical (1940s)

  • * Miguel Calo "Al compas Del Corazon"
  • Ricardo Tanturi/Campos "Ricardo Tanturi Canta Enrique Campos"

Ethereal and Spacious (1940s)

  • Angel D'Agostino/Vargas "RCA Victor 100 Anos"

Dramatic and Passionate (1950s - 1970s)

  • * Osvaldo Pugliese "Ausencia"
  • Osvaldo Pugliese "A Los Amigos"

For more extensive tango CD listings, and discussions of different orchestras, see Stephen Brown's Guide to tango music for social dancing.