Here is a collection of Rodolfo Biagi tandas. My favorite tandas are highlighted.

Frank Zappa used to ask, "Does humor belong in music?" They are asking "Does humor belong in Tango?" I think the answer is yes. There are many ways of expressing Tango: elegant, sensual, playful, sexy, fluid, etc.

What they are doing here is very difficult and takes a very high degree of skill to do well.. and they are doing it very very well.

Here is my collection of milonga tandas, with two exceptions. Francisco Canaro recorded so many great milongas that I have them all listed here. I have also created collections of candombe milongas and mixed orchestra milonga tandas and Alternative Milongas.

Here are some of my favorite Juan d'Arienzo tandas with singers Enrique Carbel, Alberto Echagüe, Alberto Reynal, and Héctor Mauré.

To hear some music by D'Arienzo, visit our Practice Music page.

Learn more about Juan d'Arienzo on our Tango Orchestra Biographies page.

Creating great tandas is an art form. Below are some of my favorite tandas. Feel free to use them or just reference them for new ideas and inspiration. I am always interested in feedback and comments, so feel free to contact me at clint@tangology101.com.

Wonderful interpretation of Malandraca by Beba Pugliese with her dad watching... I love when she speeds it up at 1.05... you can really hear the jazz/African influence.

After being presented around the world, Murat Erdemsel's lectures on tango music have given rise to a new presentation and concept that he calls MUSIC PAINTINGS.  The paintings which evolved from simple illustrations and animations, enable us to see, for the first time, the structure and essence of the music itself.  The lecture provides an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the paintings, and through them, the intricacies of the structure, harmony, orchestration, and melodies within the music. 

The Lecture was originally inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s musical performance in the 1940 movie Great Dictator; “move with the rhythm of music, Brahm’s Hungarian Dance no: 5” and another brilliant performance; “Argument to Beethoven’s 5th” from 50’s legendary TV sitcom artists, Nanette Fabray and Sid Ceasar.

You can find more information about Murat's Workshop and sample videos on this site: http://www.muratandmichelle.com/LECTURE/LECTURE/Home.html.

Here is a 4 part Interview Series by Murat on Tango Musicality:

Cute video with Sharna Fabiano and her partner Isaac Oboka about the roles of leading and following.

My feeling is that the term follower is much to passive, because to follow well, one must be active and engaged.  I like to think of the follower as my partner in the dance, that I happen to be leading. She is actively accompanying me, while adding her own voice. but not interfering with the direction, general rhythm, and steps that I am proposing. But notice that I say, "proposing," that is because more experienced followers CAN, from time to time, heavily influence all three of those things. 

Most of the best dances of my life have been to Pugliese.

To dance to Pugliese, you need exceptional balance, patience and discipline (by both partners). It takes the ability to respect the silence and the moments between the steps. To dance Pugliese is to dance tango.. not to execute steps. Pugliese takes time to master. Don't be afraid of him though.. find freedom in those pauses. The big problem I think for most with Pugliese is that it requires a perfect mixture of exceptional technique and heart. One without the other will not suffice...

Pugliese is considered, by most accomplished dancers, to be a wonderful orchestra for dancing. You will hear plenty of Pugliese at the Milongas in Buenos Aires and you will see the best dancers head to the floor when they hear the first notes. That is when they find their favorite partners.

The Structure of Tango
Part I: Cross Steps and Open Steps

Click Here to Download PDF of Full Class Notes

Introduction: At the end of this class, you will find that no matter which foot you are on or what system (Parallel or Cross) you are in that you will always have at least 9 steps that you can execute.

In Tango classes, teachers often teach figures or patterns. These can be fun and give students something to do when dancing. I think of figures as sentences and all the figures that we do during a song as paragraphs. In this class, we are taking a step back and looking at each and every step we take as a word. And each of those steps will have a beginning, middle, and end. Our goal is to make every single step that we take in tango count.

There are 3 basic steps of tango: the Open Step, the Forward Cross, and the Back Cross.

A Cross Step is defined by the orientation of the man and woman to each other. Whenever a couple takes a step, if they both stop in the middle of their step and turn (pivot) so that their hips face one another and their legs are crossed (twisted) then they are taking a cross step. If their legs are not crossed then they are taking an open step.

Cross steps can move in only two directions forward and back, but Open steps can forward, side, and backwards. In fact, Open steps have a 180 degree range of movement.

At any moment in the dance, both the man and the woman have these 3 steps available to them and when you combine these possibilities in both Parallel and Cross Systems starting on either foot you end up with 36 possible steps.