Tango books and programs
Tango Tips by the Maestros is our favorite book (obviously). But there is a universe of beautiful tango books out there, and we made a small list for you. Buying any of them, may help us fund the operation of this online environment at no additional cost for you.
Tangofulness: Exploring connection, awareness, and meaning in tango
Available in English, German, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Hungarian…
For some people, tango is just a social activity.
No deeper meaning, no journey.
Just a few steps, mixed and recycled.
This book is not for those people.
This book is for those who look for meaning, connection, and awareness in tango; in one word: Tangofulness.
It is for those who know how it feels to be hugged and feel safe; for those who have experienced a few best-tanda-of-my-life moments and want more of them.
Most importantly, it is for those who want to explore the origin of meaningful connection in tango, not as an intellectual process, but as a practical way to experience tangofulness more often and in greater intensity.
Tangothoughts: my tango notebook
This tango notebook, will help you keep track of your progress, remember what you learned in classes or books, and accelerate your learning journey. It includes key questions designed to help you make each piece of advice or realization actionable, clearer, and memorable. It has been developed and published by Dimitris Bronowski, the person behind Tango Tips by the Maestros.
Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery
This book is another game changer by Eric Franklin. The quality of a dancer is defined by his/her alignment. Alignment allows us to engage the least ammount of muscles when we dance. The immediate result: we dance without tension, with more balance, and better posture. Our dance gets to feel lighter, easier. In this book, Eric Franklin shows us how to use imagery, touch, and movement exercises to improve coordination and alignment. This book will help you discover your natural flexibility and quickly increase your power to move. You’ll learn elements of body design. You’ll explore how to use imagery to improve your confidence, and you’ll discover imagery conditioning programs that will lead you toward better alignment, safer movement, increased fitness, and greater joy.
Conditioning for Dance: Training for Whole-Body Coordination and Efficiency
Although this is not technically a “tango book” it is by far our most favorite book when it comes to understanding how your body works when you dance and how to efficiently practice your technique. If you have ever been confused with the multitude of different opinions in tango, this book is here to bring clarity. In a phrase: “state-of-the-art conditioning exercises for dancers.” An internationally renowned master teacher, Eric Franklin has developed a science-based method of conditioning that is taught and practiced in dance companies and schools around the world. In this book we discovered how to practice our technique in the most efficient way, byt understanding how to practice technique based on a clear understanding of our bodies. Invaluable.
Caminar Abrazados
At the very heart of Tango lies a simple truth: Tango is walking in an embrace. Every movement is made in the service of the embrace that gives Tango its unique feeling, energy and intimacy.
Caminar Abrazados is a comprehensive instructional Book + DVD for Argentine Tango. These dedicated pedagogues have been teaching together internationally since 2001. In this work, they explore and explain the groundwork which builds the walk as well as more complex movements, develops the embrace, and facilitates musical interpretation. The social nature of the dance is emphasized in clear guidance on how to harmonize both with your partner and with other couples on the dance floor, and intelligent practice is encouraged by simple-to-follow exercises.
Whether you are a total beginner or an experienced dancer, Caminar Abrazados will accompany you on the fascinating road to making this beautiful dance your very own.
The world of the embrace awaits you!
Tango Musicality Mojo
In this program, Helaine uses the “7 Building Blocks of Tango Musicality” to show you how dancing with musicality is actually a lot easier than you might think. In a tango world where most teachers have difficulty explaining musicality and make it look like a mysterious domain of information, Helaine uses her 20 years of teaching experience and 3 unique and empowering musicality tools to help you confidently and knowledgeably interpret the rich tango music while you dance . . . in a way that makes you a dream for your partners to dance with! “Tango Musicality Mojo” has been described by its graduates worldwide as the most comprehensive musicality program available. Note: this unique program currently focuses on musicality skills for leaders. A near-future upgrade will make it a treasure for followers as well.
Why Tango: Essays on learning, dancing and living tango argentino (Volume 1)
The book “Why tango” is a collection of nineteen essays in English by Veronica Toumanova. In her essays Veronica looks in depth at various subjects related to learning and living Argentine Tango, subjects that are important but rarely discussed in classes. She writes from her own experience as a dancer and a teacher but also bases her analysis on information from the fields of psychology, sociology, neuroscience, neurophysiology and biomechanics.
Tango Spanish and Buenos Aires Travel Tips: An essential guide for tangueros to learn Spanish and dance in Buenos Aires
Are you a tanguero who wants to learn Spanish for tango but doesn’t know how to start? You want to visit Buenos Aires, the mecca of tango, and need tips for getting the most out of your trip?
In this book, you will find a guide tailored for tangueros for learning Spanish for tango rapidly—in as short as 3 months. You will also find practical tips which will help you to plan your first tango trip in Buenos Aires, from transportation and accommodation, to where to go for milongas and classes, plus tips for ensuring your safety and help you to save money on your trip! Don’t know what to say? The book includes lists of useful Spanish phrases you’ll need in each of the situations mentioned.
Tango Spanish: Essential phrase book for tango class (and language guide for tango shoe shopping)
An essential companion for all tangueros visiting Buenos Aires! Are you planning your tango learning experience in Argentina? Brace yourself for classes that are taught in Spanish!
In fact, why should we be surprised to see Argentinian tango masters teaching in their mother tongue on their native land? Fear not, in this book, you will find a comprehensive collection of Spanish keywords with English translation that are frequently used in tango classes: Body parts, Action and movement, Tango figures and techniques, Common phrases… and more.
Almost no tango visitor would leave Buenos Aires without new shoes in luggage, and we take care of your tango shoe shopping by including a list of vocabulary and phrases you will need for communicating your preferences and needs with the salesperson, plus bargaining.
The book includes a link where you can download audios for learning the pronunciation of every word and sentence.
Tango for Teachers: The Tango Matrix
This book presents, for the first time ever, the matrix of tango: a simple diagram with only six elements, that covers the internal structure of the dance from the point of view of the relationship between the Leader and the Follower. With a fresh view on tango concepts, vocabulary and teaching, this book is a must for every serious dancer of Argentine Tango.
Tango Masters: Osvaldo Pugliese
This book takes the reader on a journey through Pugliese’s life and music that is intimately bound up with the social and political history of Argentina. Listening guides to ninety of Pugliese’s most important recordings help the reader to appreciate, love and dance to this compelling and intriguing music.
Tango Stories: Musical Secrets
In this unique book, Michael Lavocah takes you on a compelling journey through tango music. He introduces the key individuals who shaped tango history, telling their stories in a series of lively vignettes.Engaging, entertaining and passionate, Tango Stories: Musical Secrets has been embraced by tango dancers around the world as the definitive guide to tango dance music. It’s essential reading for anyone who would like to understand tango better.
Tango 500: A suggested library of five hundred tango songs arranged into tandas for dancing
This book is about traditional tango dance music – that is, the music recorded by dance orchestras in Argentina between the late 1920s and late 1950s.It’s mainly a resource for new, inexperienced or even reluctant tango DJs – people who are taking responsibility for providing the music for dance events. It suggests a ‘starter collection’ of five hundred songs, arranged into ready-made tandas, intended to present the best orchestras and singers, and with the content weighted according to the relative importance of the different orchestras and representing their best periods.
I Wanted to Dance – Carlos Gavito: Life, Passion and Tango
I met Gavito on some milonga nights and understood that he was a different dancer. Then, at one of those tables of the milonga, he told me passionately about his life. During the discussion, unintentionally, he explained how, subtly and instinctively, he had reached the zenith of his tango. The book about Gavito’s life gave priority to his adventures. Still, when the work was finished (unfortunately due to his illness and his early death), I understood that there, among those adventures, his artistic legacy was revealed.
Gavito’s life seems to be a path of spiritual ascension, not in the sense of forgetting earthly pleasures, but in that of seeking balance and calmness. In a non-rational way his mind and heart put all that on his feet. Someone called him “the immobile dancer.” He said that tango exists “between the one step and the other.” What did he mean, exactly? That’s what his dance talked about.
The Way We Dance Tango
If you have ever been fascinated or intrigued by the notion of “tango,” this book is for you. This book is not about “stage tango” or “tango for export” as they say in Buenos Aires. This book is about the lives of those for whom authentic Argentine Tango is more than just a dance; for the characters in this book, Argentine Tango is a way of life.
For those of you interested in the fields of human behavior, social sciences, and mental wellness, this book is a great introduction to topics surrounding a unique aspect of Hispanic American culture.
Our Tango World vol.2: At the Milonga
“I know I should use cabeceo here, but I can’t catch your eye. You keep looking away. So I had to come over and ask you.” If you find yourself saying this to someone – just stop for a moment and think about it. Maybe your cabeceo is working perfectly. Just not in the way you’d like.– Terpsi’s cabeceo guide
If this vignette speaks to you, you’ll love volume 2 of Iona Italia‘s Our Tango World. This second volume takes us to the milonga and explores what it means to dance; the importance of freedom of partner choice – and the limits of that freedom; the needs we bring to dancing; and the ways in which we communicate musically. Do I embrace in order to dance? Or do I dance in order to embrace? All this and more in the second and concluding volume of Our Tango World.
New Glossary of Tango Dance: Key Tango Argentino dance terms
A true dictionary about tango dance, which collects and defines 400 terms – from its origins to the present – and the different styles of tango. The New Glossary of Tango Dance also includes photographs and 285 video clips that you must request to receive in digital form.
The Quest for the Embrace: The History of Tango Dance 1800-1983
How was the tango dance born? What is true about their African roots or their prosthetic origin? This is the first book dedicated entirely to telling the story of tango dance within the Argentine and world socio-political context, from the beginning of the 19th century until the new awakening originated by the show “Tango Argentino”. The Quest for the Embrace has been sponsored by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and has been declared of “Cultural Interest” by the Buenos Aires Legislature and the Ministry of Culture of the Argentine nation. A tribute and a thorough investigation, which has made it the most requested book in the tango environment.