Modern Tango World #4 (Bucharest, Romania)

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Modern Tango World: Number 1, Summer, 2015 — Neolonga Syndicate, Via Maestra Riva 124, Riva da Pinerola, Italy
Table of Contents
We are always looking for tango
news and stories from around the
international tango community. If
you would like to join us, send us
your stories and news from your
tango group.
We welcome your participation in
this exciting adventure.
Modern Tango World
Romania Special Edition Editor
Alexandru Eugen Cristea
Romania Special Features
Romania’s Modern Tango Scene Dragos Samoil ............ 3
An Act of Beauty Laura Iaru .................................................. 6
Guitar Man Alexandru Eugen Cristea .............................. 12
Guide to Tango in Romania ............................................. 16
The Ladies of Guardia Viejo Renato Mantioni.................. 20
Interview with Miguel di Genova Marco Buso ................. 24
Tango Addiction Kiran Bajaj Sawhney ................................ 28
New Tango Music Arndt Büssing ............................................. 32
The Obamas Tango in Buenos Aires ....................................... 38
DJ/VJ-ing - Victroleras, Tandas & Cortinas Igor Shpigelman... 40
Tango Moves - Abrazos Raymond Lauzzana ......................... 44
Letters to the Editor ..................................................................... 47
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Modern Tango World
Publisher & Evangelist Raymond Lauzzana
Designer-in-Chief Fré Ilgen
Special Edition Editor
Romania Alexandru Eugen Cristea
Psychology, Spirituality & Health Christa Eichelbauer
Book Reviews Rena Poling
Motion Picture Reviews Alexandru Eugen Cristea
Music Reviews Arndt Büssing
English Language EditorTom Kamrath
German Language Editor Annmarie Deser
Spanish Language Editor Joel de la O
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Romania’s Modern Tango Scene
Dragos Samoil
The tango scene in Bucharest is quite new considering the overall tango history. It is only eleven
years old. I have been a tango student and a tango dancer since the very beginning of the tango
movement in Romania. I witnessed the complex dynamics of the Romanian tango community.
I’m not afraid or ashamed of the fact that I was first
attracted to tango by tango nuevo music., specifically
Gotan Project’s album La revancha del Tango. When I
started to listen the music, I fell in love with the rhythm
and furthermore with the feeling of tango. After listening
Gotan Project for several times I wanted to find more
about it and I was starting to look for some tango classes.
When I first arrived at the tango class, it was a love at
first sight, even if the music was classical tango. I have
the vivid memory of listening to Francisco Canaro’s
Poema. I felt that this music it’s a part of me, I fully
understood it, even though I had no knowledge of
Spanish, timing or musicality. I felt the urge to dance,
to move, to express myself.
I have danced almost every day for the last eleven
years. My tango experience has spanned three continents,
and thousands of tandas. I have danced to the
music: from Gardel to Metallica, from Canaro to Pink
Floyd and Chopin.
I think that tango evolves not by abandoning itsroots and
musicality, but instead by integration and a bigger resonance
with contemporary society and reality. I love different
kind of music besides tango like rock, jazz, classical
music and feel a resonance in my body and soul related
with these genres. Of course, I cannot stop myself from
dancing to this kind of music.
In my opinion, tango nuevo is generous because it allows
the tango dancers to experiment more, to feel
more, to connect more and to share a bigger spectrum
of music and emotions that you cannot find in
the traditional tango. In this respect, tango nuevo enriches
the overall tango heritage.
This is also the reason why from the very beginning
of my teaching days I incorporated tango nuevo
in the playlist of my classes and the practicas and
milongas that I hosted., with about 20% tango nuevo
or neotango. I have done this on a regular basis
since 2013.
The year 2006 gave birth to the first major event that
brought Argentine tango to contemporary dancing
in Romania. The show Un Tango Mas, directed by Alexandru
Dabija for the Odeon Theatre in Bucharest,
presented the leading Romanian choreographers
Razvan Mazilu and Monica Petrica, with the participation
of Tangotangent Club. In addition, this event
was responsible for bringing international artists, such
as Horacio Godoy and Pablo Veron, to Romania.
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After hundreds of performances in Romania and
worldwide, from Madrid to Jerusalem, the show Un
Tango Mas is still attracting the public with an amazing
script blending organically with tango, ballet and
contemporary dance. It breaks the limits between
the classical movements of ballet and the geometry
of Argentine tango. This show enacts a postmodern
metaphor of dance that is a universal and sincere
form of expression.
In 2009, Alexandru Eugen Cristea, author of three
Argentine tango books, started to teach a modern
approach to tango. He hosted the first regular tango
nuevo milonga for almost a year, at Flow Club.
He also had the initiative to create a modern tango
band, Sexteto Loco, that performs a mix of classical
tango and tango nuevo,. The band is still active today
and performs under the name of Sonido13.
Lucian Stan, a semi-finalist of the European Tango
Championship, was one of the first people to give
Tango Escenario workshops in Romania. In my opinion,
he is the best dancer of this style in the country.
He initiated an integrated tango show called Traffic
Strings Gala Tango, dedicated to Astor Piazzola. It
had a live orquestra and four pairs of dancers. The
show being performed at the Romanian Athenaeum,
one of the most prestigious venues in Bucharest.
He also was the leading dancer in the Luna Tango,
a show depicting the tango and the milonga as a
place where personal stories, memories, nostalgias
and fantasies are given birth on the dance floor., and
how the dance becomes a partof our very lives.
The year 2011 marked the beginning of a collaboration
in Romania of Tango Discovery. Alexandru
Eugen Cristea received an international
license to teach this modern structured tango
method from the Argentine maestro Mauricio
Castro,. With this, a new regular milonga is born
that played 100% nuevo and alternative music,
every Sunday afternoon at Latin Dance Club,. In
addition, the first tango book was published in
Romanian: Tango Awareness by Mauricio Castro.
The Casa de Tango school was established in
Bucharest. Today, It is very well-known and focusesmore
on classical tango, At it’s very beginnings,
it had a strong focus on tango nuevo, hosting
several workshops with leading tango nuevo
teachers such as Mariano ‘Chicho’ Frumboliy
and Juana Sepulveda, Damian Rosenthal and Celine
Ruiz, etc. The school has a strong relationship
with the Tango Meet online project, since
its birth in 2013. The school sometimes hosts a
practica with a tango nuevo playlist.
Csongor Kicsi, l’enfant prodigé of Argentine tango,
at age 20, won the European Tango Championship
with Laura Iaru. He is a multivalent tango
dancer — a true modern tango maestro. With
Cerasela Hekman from Oriental Delights, he has
experimented in combining classical tango and
belly-dance. He also created a choreography for
a men’s solo dancing scene in a theatre play, The
Pheasant by George Feydeau, in which he also
performs Argentine tango.
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My own approach to tango, which I present through
my school Tangopasion, is enriched by my experience
with other form of dance and movement.I have
had a consistent experience with a variety of contemporary
dance, contact improvisation, 5 Rythms
dance technique, yoga, and Feldenkrais technique.
For me, tango is a syncretism of all dance forms. This
led me to organize, in 2014, several fusion workshops
ofpn contemporary dance, contact-improvisation
and tango by the name of ConTango. Recently, I
have begun to explore the link between Watsu (water
shiatsu) and tango.
Because I believe in the free expression of the
Argentine tango, in 2015, I organized the biggest
street tango festival in Romania, called Tango pe Lipscani,
in the Old Town of Bucharest. It is a place
where the live music and performances of Argentine
tango were brought to the street, in the middle
of all the people who could take part in our joy.
included in the festival were presentations by Lucas
Molina, an Argentinean born Flamenco dancer
who performed a fusion of Argentine tango and
Flamenco to the live music of Emy Dragoi, the leading
accordionist artist in Romania.
Although the Tango Nuevo scene is new in Romania,
just like the Argentine tango itself, one cannot fail to
observe the many intricacies of its representatives.
As one of these people, I can only hope that the different
types of music that exist under the Argentine
tango umbrella will inspire and enrich the lives of all
people, regardless of personal style, age and culture.
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An Art of Beauty
Laura Iaru
I believe tango existed always inside Csongor Kicsi and myself, ever since childhood. Each of
us had separate journeys in the music and dance world. For myself, as a child, I was fascinated
by music and dancing, I would dance in the house, trying to imitate some TV stars. in my
own way. Csongor told me he was doing this at the age of 4. I always looked for something
more intense, a free creative interpretation in dancing, rather than standard choreography.
I had tango music on vinyls and CDs from my parents
and around the year 2000 I watched the Confiteria
Ideal tango documentary. I fell in love with the intensity
of tango music, its message about the Argentine
people cultural heritage, its simplicity and richness,
and the milonguero lifestyle at the same time.
At the age of 4, Csongor’s parents saw the talent
in him, and enrolled him in a standard ballroom
latin dances school. Until the age of 15, he danced
everything in the hobby category and performed
in several shows organized by the school. But, he
never participated in the regular competitions for
any professional category. He enjoyed it. But, it
would have required more financial support from
his parents who could not afford it.
Csongor’s tango story begins at 15, when he attends
the first tango classes in Brasov, his home
town. He studied with the local teachers Claudiu
Grosaru and Mirela Muntean to whom he is very
grateful for being his first teachers! Soon after, he
started attending workshops in Bucharest and in
other Romanian towns with locals and Argentine
maestros visiting Romania. He was very attracted
to tango, including artistic, performance, teaching,
and championships.
He decided to quit standard dances for dedicating
his time and energy to tango, and the possibility of
becoming a tango artist. He dreamed of winning
a tango champion one day! Among the Romanian
teachers that he studied with are Lucian Stan and
Monica Surubariu, Marian Toderascu and Oana
Olaru, and Lucia Mirzan. The Argentine maestros
who played most significant role in his development
are Sebastian Arce and Mariana Montes,
Flaco Dany, and Javier Rodriguez.
He first started teaching tango in 2011 at Nada
Mas Studio in Brasov, Since 2013, he has been
teaching at Libertango in Brasov.
— photo 8 — by Florin Fiscu

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In 2014, he opened his own school in Brasov called
Tango Misterio where he now teaches weekly with
Veronica Ungureanu. As often as possible, they
dedicate time and energy to teaching people in
their hometown about Argentine tango and bring
ing them into the tango mood and spirit. Besides
Veronica and myself, Csongor has also taught classes
with his previous partner, Raluca Teodor.
My own real tango story began 10 years ago, in June
2006, Cismigiu Park in Bucharest. There, I attended
my first class and milonga. I still remember how excited
and nervous I was! I was lucky to begin at El
Tango. The shool was founded by Alina La Morocha
and Catalin Dumitrescu.These were the first people
who were inspired to bring Argentine tango to
Romania. After spending a few months in Buenos Aires,
they opened the first tango school in Romania,
El Tango. Together with their assistant teacher, Petruta
Vlad, they introduced me to a new magicical
world! I am always grateful to them, for these first
lessons, and their patience with my first embraces,
steps and frustrations.
I wanted to discover and learn more tango secrets
and essences. In the following years, I traveled
around Europe and to Buenos Aires to attend
workshops with the maestros. I had seen the old
milongueros on Youtube. I wanted to meet them,
dance with them in milongas and listen to their stories.
During these travels, I became a student of Javier
Rodriguez and Andrea Misse, the tango legends.
It is to these maestros that I owe the very essence
of what I have learned and discovered about tango
and tango culture! Thank you always from my heart!
I had never thought I would teach tango or dance
at exhibitions. But in June 2009, Alina La Morocha,
the founder of the Tango Brujo school, chose
to leave Romania and left me in charge of the
school with Razvan Nineaca, Catalin Valeanu and
Diana Dobrescu, Augustin Paun and Oana Ispir.
It all came naturally. From 2009 to 2015, I’ve been
teaching with Razvan every week after our regular
jobs, running to classes and giving it my best
energy. We share what we have learned from our
maestros as well, as as we are able. We have taken
care of Tango Brujo for all these years, with our
most dedication and passion. I have adored sharing
with people what I had learned, and seeubg how
they start embracing, make those the first steps
and then grow. It is magical!
I find teaching to be a beautiful mission to transmit
my love and respect for tango, my knowledge
of tango, and my feelings for tango!
From April 2015 to December 2015, I’ve been
teaching with Csongor every week at Tango Brujo
in Bucharest, while we were also traveling to teach
workshops in Romania and abroad at several festivals
and tango weekends in Italy, Moldova, Russia and
elsewhere. We really enjoyed teaching very much!
As Csongor likes to say:
An important tango teacher was my partner,
Laura. From every dance and conversation about
tango, I could learn so much. She transmitted to
me from her own experience, knowledge from
maestros and her travels to Buenos Aires. It was
awesome for myself, coming from a hostile dancing
scene, the standard dancing.
Initially, I had refused to dance with Csongor repeatedly,
when he was a beginner. But over time, we
danced a lot in milongas and had a fantastic connection
for two years. The fiirst tanda we danced
together was at a festival with Sebastian Arce and
Mariana Montes, in Bucharest 2012, when I surprised
him by accepting the cabeceo to tango by
Juan d’Arienzo.
Our professional tango story as dance partners began
in May 2014 when Csongor asked me, during a
tango marathon, to dance with him at the European
Championship in July 2014. I had never wanted to
participate in a championship, but I took it as a nice
new challenge and accepted. In the first championship,
in 2014, we were in the finals at 10th place. We
also received our first few invitations to teach and
perform at events abroad.
A great coincidence happened in the next year. In
2015, maestros Sebastian and Mariana prepared us
especially for the European Championship at Arce
Tango Academy. We spent long hours with great devotion
in academy. They guided us, practiced with us,
and advised us. We will never forget the time spent
with them for preparation. We are forever grateful!
In preparation for the championship, we also took
classes with maestros Neri Piliu and Yanina Quinones
in Italy. We also practiced in private for
championship with maestros Maximiliano Christiani,
Fabian Peralta & Josefina Bermudez. We are
very grateful to all of them for preparing us, for guiding
us, taking care of us.
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Over the years, we have taken important workshops
with great maestros, such as Stella Misse,
Geraldine Rojas, Ezequiel Paludi, Virginia Pandolfi,
Sebastian Achaval, Roxana Suarez, Max
Van de Voorde, Solange Acosta, Jorge Rodriguez,
Liliana Rodriguez, Carlos Perez, Rosa
Perez, Jose Almar, Juliana Aparicio, Sebastian
Jimenez, Maria Ines Bogado, Ney Melo, Santiago
Castro, Antonella Terrazas, Jose Fernandez
and Martina Waldman. It has been a fantastic
opportunity to work with all these amazing
maestros to receive their tango art and knowledge!
Do not hesitate to do the same!
Therefore, I proposed to Csongor, the youngest
tango leader there, to disconnect of the other
couples and the existence of a jury, to take the
attitude of dancing me in ronda at a festival, connecting
with me and the music with the tango.
We needed to feel naturally absorbed in our
veins. And, we needed to think of the other couples
our friends and co workers, not competitors.
I transmitted my calm to him, and the vibe to to
keep all in balance. I consider it to be important
that the woman does this in a couple, for support.
maestro Arce agreed to my thoughts.
The 2015 European Championship
brought us a very
challenging, intense, incredible
experience! I had always considered
the tango championship
actually a display of the
tango quality, technical knowhow
and spirituality. I had previously
studied and absorbed
a respect for tango essence
and culture. All of this was
naturally present in the dance
and improvisation of each
couple on the floor. The three
tangos announced during the
competition, just before the
dance begins, in front of a jury
of Argentine maestros. The jurors
can give a recognition to
the couple whom they consider
most accomplished.
I never saw it as a competition,
in the literal sense of
competing. on the dance floor
for a cup against other couples.
I believe this diminishes
from the genuineness of dancing
tango, the jury notices it
anyways and the result will
not be the desired one anyway.
I really believe that the
jury wants to see people relaxed,
who dance for themselves,
passionate about tango
insights, not about the title!
World Tango Championships
in Buenos Aires
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It was really good to be there and we really enjoyed
dancing on the championship floor every day.
The emotion and the feeling when they called the
name Romania and our names for the first place
was incredible and impossible to descibe. It was a
unique, beautiful moment! We were so happy and
grateful for receiving this honor and recognition
for our tango, from such great maestros!
Returning to Romania, we had a beautiful welcome
reception at the airport by some of the Romanian
tangueros. It was impressive! They were very happy
and proud of us. They came with champagne,
presents, flowers. So touching!
Following the championship, we were congratulated
by people from around the world, transmitting
us their happiness and pride. We also received
more invitations from abroad, where the classes
were always full, and happy to receive us back! In
Romania, besides our regular students that always
appreciated our classes and supported us, after the
championship we got a few more students.
European Tango Championships in Rome
As we remember it, Mundial Championship in
BA was much stronger and intense! As European
Championship winners, we were instant finalists and
we got to dance at Luna Park stadium, in front of
a public of 8, 000 people. Obviously, it was quite
overwhelming! We were on the same stage with
great, very experienced couples from Argentina and
around the world. It is an unforgettable feeling to
embrace and dance in such a huge space, with the
jury on the stage, much closer to you. Regardless of
this pressure, we enjoyed and gave it as much as we
could in those moments. We came in 24th out of a
total 680 participant couples!
Although we are not partners anymore, we remain
friends, and continue to love and discover tango!
Tango gives us an act of beauty every day!
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Pablo Inza:
Guitar Man
Alexandru Eugen Cristea
Twenty years ago there was no Argentine tango in Romania. There were no schools and no milongas.
But tango was because there because Bucharest (Little Paris as it was once called) imported the music
back in the merry days of peace between the two world wars. Cristian Vasile(1908-1974) was an iconic
Romanian singer that recorded an impressive number of tango songs for Columbia Records and was
in the hearts of everybody. Some of the famous Argentine tangos, like Zaraza and Gitana Rusa were
translaied to Romanian and are very well known by Romanians of all ages.
For Tudor Anghelescu, it all started as a joke – finding
an old guitar in the closet of his father’s best friend
and trying to impress the girls under the moonlight
by the seaside. The girls were not that impressed. Still,
the passion for playing the guitar marked a fortunate
change in Tudor’s destiny. In the following years, no
matter the sacrifice, he learn how to play and become
the accomplished musician that he is today.
After the guitar passion touched his soul, nothing
would be the same for the young Tudor. As a student
in foreign languages at a theoretical high-school,
he would sustain his musical interests by skipping his
regular classes to go to a special guitar school. taking
private guitar classes, studying music day and night
and ignoring everything else.
After finishing secondary school, he strived, for about
three years, to gain admission to the Bucharest Conservatoire
to start a serious study of classical guitar. He was
admitted, but to his own disappointment, he discovered
that the theoretical framework was too narrow for his
vision of the guitar. From the time he was at the Conservatoire,
T udor began to teach classical guitar at the
Dinu Lipatti School of Music. Later he was to become
a choir director. However, it was during this period that
he met his teacher Constantin Stanciu.
From him, he started to learn a special technique
for playing the guitar which allowed a much more
coherent and clearer method for playing the base
line, the harmony and the melody all at the same
time. With this, he became self sufficient and could
play as a soliost. A similar type of technique, though
not exactly the same, is practiced by a handful of
people in the world, like Juanjo Dominguez and Cacho
Tirao, among others. For the next five years,
Tudor played second guitar with his teacher, while
continuing to learn this special technique.
Since 1999, he gave concerts in Germany and Switzerland,
England, Italy and Dubai. In 2002, at the
100th year’s anniversary of diplomatic relationships
between Romania and Japan, he is invited to play in
Tokyo and Kanazawa. Tudor performed the music
for short films and documentaries in the same year.
During this time, he came in contact with the first
Argentine tango school in Bucharest, Romania, the
El Tango School. His particular manner of playing
was well suited to tango. He became popul;ar with
both listeners of passionate guitar music and Argentine
tango dancers. and his fame began to grow as a
tango guitarist. What followed was a series of tango
concerts in Romania and abroad.
— 14 —

At first, tango dancers were reluctant to dance.
They regarded him as a good guitar player, but it
too difficult to dance to, almost impossible. Tudor
used to play a European tango with a Spanish influence.
But because he was always in search of new
things, he picked up new songs and adapted his way
of playing.
Tudor received several original Argentine tango
songs and their scores, from the tango school. This
permitted him to take a fascinating musical trip from
the Spanish influenced European tangos to the
originalcArgentine tango music. His adaptation of
Malena dates from these first encounters with the
dance world. Since then, all of the tango songs that
he plays are adaptations from the original music.
The manner in which kr adapts the original tango
music to play it on a single guitar is quite unique.
Not all the songs can be adapted in this way. It depends
on the range of the melody, the tempo, the
general feeling of the music. When he has listened
to the song long enough to learn it by heart, he is
able to hum it from beginning to end. After determining
the key in which to play, the fun begins, preserving
rhythm and melody so that people are able
to recognize the song, and also comfortably dance.
The original form and structure of the song is clearly
helps people to predict the outcome of the song,
and dance on the musical phrases, using elements
such as doble tiempo, sincopa, corte, etc. This process
may be quite laborious, but the result is amazing.
An illusion is created that there is more than
one person playing a perfect tango — a song for
listening, dancing and improvisation.
The pleasure of playing for someone yo be able to
dance is quite a feat for a musician. Because of his
innovative guitar playing method, he quickly gained
the trust of dancers and he began to play extensively
for tango schools. He remembers the first milonga in
Bucharest where he played live tango music. It was a
happy and fun event, with people who were always
touching the floor while stepping and thus producing
that unique sound which at first seemed quite odd.
In time and a lot of patience and some explanations
from the dance teachers. they got into his music. After
the first milonga, came the second, and the third,
and then his name got in the hearts of every Argentine
tango dancer in Bucharest. And so it happened
that other musicians become interested in Argentine
tango music. He joined with double bass player
Ciprian Parghel and his late mother, Anca Parghel,
a fascinating singer. After a few concerts with them,
he co-founded the first tango orchestra in Romania
with Constantin Stanciu, Mihai Melinescu and
Ciprian Parghel in 2004.
Between 2009 and 2010 he was based in Strasbourg
where his wife is pursuing a PhD. He came in contact
some of the tango schools there, and proposed
thay he play in their milongas. One of the teachers
invited him for an audition. She was very impressed
by the special manner in which Tudor was playing.
He later played with success at the local milongas.
For this first milonga, he needed to add some new
songs to his repertoire, in order to be able to play
for a three to four hours milonga. He played a variety
other types of music, like Latin American music,
jazz standards, etc..All were highly appreciated by
the Tango Nuevo enthusiasts.
— 15 —

Pablo Inza:
I immediately invited him to play at his regular
Sunday milonga in the historic Ghika
Palace. When over 100 people attending,
the event was a success. This was nearly
twuce as many attendees as the usual
milongas in Bucharest. With this start, he
begins to play tango for dancers in the
milongas. Soon after that, other schools,
like Tangotangent and Fabrica de Tango, began
to organize events where he played
live tango music.
It was during this time that he, with pianist
Diana Zavalas, became advisors for
the musicality aspects of the first Argentine
tango book in Romanian, Manual de
Tango by myself. This book was then presented
at the Embajada de Argentina by
His Excellency, Mr. Perez Paladino, Ambassador
of Argentina in Romania. Tango
Lessons in the name for the English edition
of the book.
In 2009 Tudor recorded with Mihai Melinescu
his first album of Latin American
songs. In 2011, he recorded his first solo
Argentinian Tango album, Flores de Alma.
In the past few years, he has performed
concerts in Tel Aviv, Milano, Ankara, Istanbul,
Vienna playing various styles music,
including Argentine tango. He is a regular
artist at Hanu’ Berarilor, the well known
Bucharest restaurant, and Hanul Manuc,
the oldest operating hotel in Bucharest.
Soon, a second milonga was planned, which was
also a success and after that he was invited to other
milongas to play live tango music. Because good
news travel fast, people from nearby countries, such
as Germany and Switzerland, discovered him from
the tango forums on the Internet and invited him
to play at their milongas, which allowed him to have
numerous concerts in Toulouse, Caen, Dinoze, Basel,
Kehl, Heidelberg , and other cities.
Today, you can still listen to Tudor Anghelescu
playing authentic Argentine tango music, every
other day. in Bucharest. If you are ever here, do not
miss the chance to hear him!
After returning to Romania, he contacted all the
tango schools and proposed playing at the local
milongas. At first, there was little positive response.
But, destiny often takes a hand. While he was playing
on the terrace of a restaurant in Bucharest, he
was approached by an independent milonga organizer
at that time, namely me.
— 16 —

— 17 —

Romania Tango Guide
WeeKlY Milongas
Sunday
17:00 - 22:00 5 O’Clock Milonga Casa de Tango Str. Iuliu Valori. 7 Bucharest
18:00 - 22:00 Tandem Milonga Latin Dance Club Str. Baratiei, 33 Bucharest
19:00 - 23:00 Milonguita de Iasi Tango Desde Pasion Str. Dumbrava Rosie 42 Iasi
20:00 - 22:30 Milonga Magica Studio Forte Life Bvd. Tomis, 235 Constanta
Monday
19:30 - 00:30 Practica Brava Red Angus Steakhouse Str. Franceza, 56 Bucharest
20:30 - 00:00 Milonga Destino Restaurant il Destino Str. Silvestru 67 Bucharest
Tuesday
19:00 - 00:00 Milonga Sixtina la Absintherie Str. Covaci, 6 Bucharest
20:00 - 00:00 Milonga Antique Cafe Antique Str. Marases I, 10 Bacau
21:00 - 01:00 Milonga de Vara Cafeneau Actorilor Parcul Tineretului Bucharest
21:00 - 01:00 MIlonga Napoca Restaurant Napoca Str. Napoca, 15 Cluj-Napoca
Wednesday
19:00 - 01:00 Milonga la MusIca Old Sibiu Restaurant Str. Otelesteanu, 3A BucharestStr.
20:30 - 00:00 Milonga Destino Restaurant il Destino Str. Silvestru 67 Bucharest
22:00 - 01:00 Seara Tangoului Argentinian Club d-Arte Str. Marasesti, 14 Timisoara
Thursday
19:00-23:00 Tango La Veranda La Veranda Bistro Gheorghe Sincai, 10 Cluj-Napoca
20:30-01:00 Milonga Destino Restaurant il Destino Str. Silvestru 67 Bucharest
Friday
21:00 - 00:30 Subway Practica Subway Str. Caragiale, 52 Bacau
21:00 - 00:30 Atelierul Milonga Atelierul de tango Str. Primaverii, 2 Iasi
21:30 - 01:30 Milonga Pasion in the Sky SkyTower Building Calea Floreasca 246 Bucharest
22:00 - 02:30 Milonguita de La Scena La Scena Caffee Calea Calarasi, 55 Bucharest
Saturday
18:00 - 22:00 Milonga in Foisor Parcul Botanic Str. Gheorghe Dima Timisoara
20:00 - 00:00 Milonga Feliz Tango Feliz Studio Bvd. Prof. D. Mangeron, 73 Iasi
23:00 - 04:00 Saturday Night Milonga Studio D.A.N.S. Str. Popa Nan 82 Bucharest
WebSites
Milonga In Romania......................... http://milongas-in.com/milongas-in-europe.php?c=Romania
Tango in Romania ............................ http://lasastresa.blogspot.com/
Tango Community Romania ....... http://ctango.ro/
These are some of the Internet resources that were used to build this guide.It is a consolidation of
information Please. check these resources in the future, as we all know - things change.
— 18 —

Schools
Arad
Sesto Senso https://www.facebook.com/CursuriDansArad/ +40 754 795 159
Bacau
Bacau Tango Social Club Str. Lucretiu Patrascanu, 2 http://tango-social-club.blogspot.ro +40 726 555 811
Bragadiru
Barrio de Tango Str. Alunului nr. 5C, http://www.barriodetango.ro +40 721.279.685
Brasov
Tango Nada Mas http://www.tangobrasov.ro/ +40 723.593 693
Libertango http://www.libertango.ro/ +40 745 165 256
Bucharest
Casa de Tango Str. Iuliu Valaori 7 http://www.casadetango.ro +40 729 005 794
Fabrica de Tango Str. Vulturilor +40 722 159 535
Happy Feet Studio Sos. Mihai Bravu, 223 http://www.happyfeet-studio.ro +40 722 959 292
Latin Dance Club Str. Baratiei, 33 http://www.latindance.ro +40 722 221 872
Tango Act Str. Precupetii Vechi, 30 http://tangoact.ro +40 721 210 475
Tango Alegria Bvd Iuliu Maniu, Nr. 220 http://tangoalegria.ro +40 749 164 043
Tango Brujo Calea Calarasi http://www.tangobrujoromania.ro +40 729 805 901
Tango Caffee Fundatura Erou Stanica http://www.tangocaffee.ro
Tango Pasion Str. Cristofor Columb 3 http://tangopasion.ro +40 724 377 273
Tango Tangent Bvd P. Protopopescu 43a http://www.tangotangent.ro +40 721 284 428
Cluj-Napoca
Attitude Dance Studio Str Baba Novac 32 http://www.dans-cluj.ro +40 745 322 388
Profumo di Tango
http://profumoditango.ro
Constanta
Tango Magico Str. Ilarie Voronca 6B http://www.tangomagico.ro +40 723 224 484
Total Dance Center Str. Calugareni, 22 http://www.total-dance-center.ro +40 735 518 551
Iasi
Studio Tango Feliz Bvd D. Mangeron 73 http://www.tangoiasi.com +40 721 049 565
Atelierul de Tango Bvd Primaverii 2 http://www.atelieruldetango.ro +40 745 212 573
Oradea
Tango con Sentimiento https://www.facebook.com/groups/198757563595587
Piatra Neamt
Studio Tango Feliz http://tangopiatraneamt.com +40 748 224 669
Suceava
Tango Bucovina Str. Marasesti 27A http://bucovinadance.ro +40 745 212 573
Timisoara
Tango Embrace Str I.M. Pestalozzi, 20 http://www.tangoembrace.ro +40 723 511 114
Tango Vivo Spl. Nicolae Titulescu, 5 http://tangovivo.blogspot.ro +40 744 430 480
Tango Timisoara http://tangotimisoara.com/ +40 736 351 538
Tirgu.Mures
TengoTango https://www.facebook.com/tengo.tango.mures +40 751 242 808
— 19 —

Romania Tango Guide
Annual Events
March Spring Bucharest Tango Weekend https://www.facebook.com/events/1403672079929474/
April Bucharest Tango Invasion https://www.facebook.com/groups/bucharestspringinvasion/
May Transylvania Tango Experience https://www.facebook.com/events/1540915239542036/
May Tango Vlaho Festival https://www.facebook.com/events/437786576552585/
May Timisoara Tango Festival https://www.facebook.com/TimisoaraTangoFestival/
June Bucharest White Tango Nights https://www.facebook.com/events/1042141059160528/
June Iasi Festivalito Verano https://www.facebook.com/events/1676025162679957/
June Tango del Mar https://www.facebook.com/events/194588057346554/
July Transylvania Tango Marathon https://www.facebook.com/events/419671344872105/
August Festivalito Porteño https://www.facebook.com/groups/tangocazino2015/
August Tango Cazino https://www.facebook.com/groups/tangocazino2015/
October TangoVivo Timisoara https://www.facebook.com/events/764372253585271/
November Bucharest Tango Marathon
https://www.facebook.com/groups/474614025900252/
November Tango Mágico
https://www.facebook.com/TangoinConstanta/
Instructors
Alexandru Eugen Cristea Bucharest Social Dance Bucharest eugen.a.cristea@gmail.com
Claudiu Grosaru Libertango Brasov +40 745 165 256
Cristian Dumitru Tango Tangent Bucharest office@tangotangent.ro
Csongor Kicsi Tango Misterio Brasov +40 732 1536 50
Daniel Mandita Tango Tangent Bucharest office@tangotangent.ro
Dragos Samoil Tango Pasion Bucharest dragos.samoil@gmail.com
Florian Popa Tango Embrace Timisoara florian@tangoembrace.ro
Horia Calin Pop Compania de Tango Cluj-Napoca +40 744 165 077
Ionut Fiscu Tango Magico Constanta contact@tangomagico.ro
Iulius Jipescu Casa de Tango Bucharest acasa@casadetango.ro
Laura Iaru Tango Brujo Bucharest laura@tangobrujoromania.ro
Lucia Mirzan Fabrica de Tango Bucharest info@fabricadetango.ro
Manuela Panaite Casa de Tango Bucharest acasa@casadetango.ro
Oana Laura Pop Profumo di Tango Cluj-Napoca profumoditango@hotmail.it
Traian Ionescu Tango Act Bucharest traian@tangoact.ro
Vlad Constantinescu Barrio de Tango Bragadiru +40 721.279.685

— 21 —

Tango Ladies of the Guardia Viejo
Renato Mantione
— 22 —

— 23 —

— 24 —

— 25 —

Miguel di Genova — Otros Aires
interview by Marco Buso
Miguel Di Genova, architect and musician, is the founder of the famous audiovisual electrotango
band Otros Aires, which includes Miguel Di Genova himself (vocals, guitars, sequencer),
Diego Ramos (piano), Ernesto Chino Molina (bandoneón), Martin Bruhn and Martin
Paladino (both on drums). The band has been on the tango scene for twelve years now
and has made four studio album and one live compilation. The good fortune of their production
among tanguero and non-tanguero people alike brought them to successfully tour Europe and
both Americas every year since 2006. I had the great pleasure to be able to speak with Miguel
live via a Skype call between Venice and Buenos Aires.
MTW: Miguel, first of all thank you for being here
and for talking with Modern Tango World about your
experience with the project Otros Aires.
Miguel Di Genova: Thanks to you Marco, it’s a
pleasure for me!
MTW: I would like to begin by asking you to tell
me a bit about your personal musical background.
Miguel Di Genova: Well, I started studying music
as a teenager, taking private lessons, while I was
studying architecture. I studied guitar, singing and
sound engineering. Over the next years, I played in
many pop-rock bands, in which I already added a
bit of tango, mainly inspired by Astor Piazzolla. As a
matter of fact, I have been involved in tango and its
fusion with other musical styles since the very beginning
of my musical journey.
MTW: How was Otros Aires born?
Miguel Di Genova: I began
Otros Aires as a solo project in
2003, while I was living in Barcelona.
At that time, the musical scene
was very much interested in ethno-electronica,
the fusion between
popular music and electronica. I
began playing solo in some local
bars. I didn’t really care about the
anglo audience, maybe because at
that time tango wasn’t so popular
in Spain. My largest audience was
when I got the chance to play at a
disco-club.
— 26 —

Shortly after that, I went back to Buenos Aires, where
I formalized the project into its actual form together
with some Argentinean musicians. We began playing
at milongas. In 2004, our first album was produced.
In 2006, when the album was already pretty famous,
we did our first European tour in Germany, Holland,
Turkey, Greece and Poland. I can say that everything
started from there.
MTW: In your opinion, what are the aspects that
differentiate Otros Aires from the many other electrotango
bands?
Miguel Di Genova: I believe that Otros Aires explores
tango music from its origins to present day
more than every other electrotango band. Other
artists tend to move from Piazzolla’s tango nuevo
heritage, trying to bring it forth in many ways. I have
always liked traditional tango, instead. Since the beginning,
I have been interested in exploring all of
tango’s musical history, from Angel Villoldo to Astor
Piazzolla, as an extended basis for Otros Aires music.
MTW: In many occasions Otros Aires calls itself an
electronic-archaeological project at the service of tango.
Can you explain this definition?
Miguel Di Genova: This definition comes from
the history of the project and from its development
process. At the beginning I was very interested in discovering
and analyzing old recordings. Many of them
weren’t much used in milongas. I like to research the
tango music that was unknown to the general public,
and to select my favorite tunes among the tracks I
got to listen. In other words, I enjoyed listening to
music that could bring me to the Golden Age, as if I
was doing some sort of musical archaeology.
Using samples comes from this research, because
their function is to let the 21st-century listener feel
what it is like to connect him or herself with another
era, via the mere insertion of a sound, a word,
a sentence directly coming from that era. On the
other hand, I don’t usually write songs as if I am living
in the 1930’s.
I could play a song from the Golden Age of tango, but
writing a song like if it came from the 30’s would look
very odd to me. There are musicians who do that, but
I prefer to explore contemporary topics while connecting
them directly to tradition using samples. This
is clear when you listen or read my lyrics, in which I
tend to talk about today’s social matters.
MTW: Speaking of composition, how do you approach
songwriting for Otros Aires?
Miguel Di Genova: Some themes come from
pure improvisation. This happens when the band
gets together and looks for new musical inspiration
by simply playing around with chords and melodies.
We then proceed to develop themes from the most
interesting ideas. At other times, songs are developed
from an initial idea, like a fragment of music or lyric,
which pops up practically out of nowhere.
In both cases, it is clear that nobody knows how the
first idea will look like until the song takes its final
form. This is because in composing a song the will of
the song itself is as important as the will of the composer.
Music wants to become something, and it is
necessary for the composer to be able to listen to its
needs. The same applies to setting up an album: you
can have a general idea of how the flow of songs will
look like. But, the final product could be very different
from that first idea.
MTW: Otros Aires is very interested in dancing. It is
clear not only in the music, but also in the lyrics, in
the graphic art of the albums, and in your live performances
at milongas. How do you feel about dancing
to your music? What do think about the contemporary
neo-tango fusion dancing?
Miguel Di Genova: I am generally interested
in creation in all its possible forms. All art is alive
and moving. As it happens, people move and mix
together to create new dance with new and peculiar
traits, so it happens in art. I believe that music
should learn from any other kind of music. The
same applies for dancing.
— 27 —

I don’t mean that everything is good. But, artistic
fusion can end up to be nice. When it does, it develops
as a whole new style. Mixing a bandoneón
sample with an house beat is not enough to make
something tango nuevo- it is necessary to create
a much deeper connection between genres. The
same is true for dancing. Our music is very into
dancing because I dance tango. That experience has
allowed me understand music from a physical point
of view at the very beginning of Otros Aires.
MTW: You also perform solo at milongas. How
are these performances different from Otros Aires’?
Do you set up tandas, or do you follow other
structures?
Miguel Di Genova: I don’t set up tandas. I could
do so, but in these performances I like to suggest
the same audiovisual flow as an Otros Aires concert.
Making tandas would pretty much break such flow
of energy. Instead, I use to view each song as a
little tanda. My solo shows are live performances
themselves, including live audiovisual effects,. They
are produced most of all for the dancers. As a
matter of fact, in such shows I tend to slow down
my songs, as to get a more suitable rhythm for
tango dancing.
On the other hand, people at a milonga are not
always dancing. It is therefore probable that more
or less everyone look up at the audiovisual flow
on the stage while taking a break from dancing.
Some Otros Aires concerts take place in theatres,.
My live solo performances or DJ sets would not
make much sense for a non-dancing audience. This
is the main difference between the two situations.
MTW: What are the plans for Otros Aires’ future?
— 28 —

Miguel Di Genova: We are currently working
on a new album, which will be released almost
certainly in May. In that same month we
will be touring Europe. If the album will not be
ready for that time, we will present some new
songs from it. Then we will surely release the
new album between June and July. From October
to November we will be touring USA.
MTW: As you said, tango is a constantly moving
art form. What do you think will happen in
the future? To which direction do you think it
will continue its evolution?
Miguel Di Genova: Looking at the past of
tango, we can see a boom of tango nuevo at
a certain time. That period surely produced
much good music, but also poor quality music. I
believe that the latter caused the recent downtrend
of nuevo and the return of traditional
tango. But the nature of tango is a moving one,
and it always took many years to incorporate
new musical forms into tradition. Regarding
electrotango, I believe in the need of a change
in terms, as to free it from the need to include
electronica, and I predict that in five to ten
years electrotango will take a different name.
This could simply be tango, if electrotango will
step into tradition, or neo-tango, or tango nuevo,
or even twenty-first century tango, as I call it.
The evolution of this twenty-first century tango will
take time. It is an open musical style which requires
great musical knowledge and some willingness to experiment.
This evolution will be slow but steady. At
some point, maybe in five years, maybe ten, maybe
twenty, we will come to the point in which twentyfirst
century tango will become the main music at
milongas, while twentieth century tango, or traditional
tango as we call it today, will turn into an important
contour. Today, most milongas are traditional-styled,
while just a few are nuevas. For the future I can
predict an inversion of this trend. One of the main
reasons for that will be a need for repopulation of
tango. At the beginning of the new century, groups
such as Gotan Project, Bajofondo, Narcotango had the
power to attract a large number of people to tango,
mainly young people. This is because such bands
found proper ways to fuse tango with different musical
expressions closer to todays’ general public than
classical tango. We know that, generally, people like
to dance to music that they like to listen to.
When the nuevo impulse of these formations declined,
the tango community turned back to traditional
music, and a lot of neophytes lost their newfound
interest. I believe that the trend will turn again
to nuevo music and that the tango fever will come
back, with the only difference that for that time what
we now call electrotango and tango nuevo will be integrated
into tango. As a result, we will not need so
many terms any more. I am sure about that, but only
future can tell!
MTW: We can’t wait to listen to your new album,
and see you back on stage and to discover what the
future holds for us! Miguel, thanks for talking with us
about Otros Aires’ experience and for sharing your
musical and tango philosophy!
— 29 —

Addiction
Kiran Bajaj Sawhney
Tango is very addictive. Although the consequences of this addiction are primarily
positive, many dancers have reported experiencing withdrawal symptoms when
they don’t dance. The symptoms include being sad and feeling uncomfortable.
Tango comes as a package. It is highly volatile and full of emotions that are not
fake. One feels and experiences love, anger, frustration, guilt, sadness, everything
and one keeps going back to it with vengeance. Relationships are made and broken
in tango. Break ups happen but tango continues. There are self-confessed tango
addicts, whose addiction is not limited to tango. Tango takes over their life, lifestyle,
choices, sleep, everything.
One travels for tango, to attend festivals or workshops
with their favourite maestros or let me put
it more clearly, in search of that one magical and
blissful tanda, that one magical embrace that transports
you to heaven.
Tangueros tango shop keeping with milongas in mind.
The whole wardrobe undergoes a change. Shoes
and dresses get piled up. We have tango friends and
nontango friends clearly demarcated and slowly
non-tango friends are pushed away somewhere far
in horizon and tango friends rule. Normal regular
music ceases to please tangueros and only tango
music heard around them. Having bad nights are
part of tango. Be prepared to accept this because
we all have them. Sometimes the music sucks, or
none of your favourite partners came. Sometimes
everyone comes with a partner, or perhaps it’s just
the full moon. There is always tomorrow night. Remember
this and it will be easier to pick yourself up
again and put on your tango shoes.
Whenever you invest in anything, you become
more addicted to that. Today, people are very addicted
to facebook because they have invested a
lot of their time, shared pictures, moments and
their life on it. Freebies might sound very catchy
but at the end of the day, they cause more harm
than benefit. To reap greater benefits from anything,
you need to invest in it.
What makes Tango very addictive? The amount of
investment you put in an art form is directly proportional
to the level of addiction and to your enhanced
skills. This investment can be in terms of time spent
in taking lessons, attending workshops and festivals,
going to milongas, etc. You reap plethora of rewards
that range from learning to pleasure, freedom, feeling
exhilarated and stress free always. The sea is so vast
that every time you go to a milonga, your happiness
level goes up just thinking of what you will explore
today. The steps are countless.
Few people ever got bored of tango, even those who
learned it easily, because they know all the steps At
the age of 60, after having danced for decades, Pablo
Veron, said that he had still more to learn about tango.
Thw tango experience is often referred as bliss. It is
no coincidence that tango connection makes a person
reach sublime pinnacle. Amongst all other dance
forms, tango seems to unique in its experience. It is
often called addictive and alluring.
What is it about tango that two individuals with different
mindsets, two strong personalities, come together
and merge as one? They seem to have same mindsets,
they communicate silently, they share the axis, their
heartbeats become one, intention of one partner is
clearly understood and responded by the other.
— 30 —

The dancers move together like one animal with
four legs in a close embrace, improvising, embellishing,
imagining, smiling and becoming lost in exalted
encounter. They become two bodies with one mind,
one heart and one soul. There seems to be this paranormal,
mystic and occult fusion of two bodies, the
dynamics of which is beyond human comprehension.
Most of the tango dancers are addicted to this feeling
of unexplainable bliss, the connection, the musicality,
and the meditative mode that they experience during
each dance. This is the moment when time and space
dissolve. Tango is seductive, flirtatious, graceful, artistic
and exquisite. Lot of scientific research has been done
on tango experience that remains a puzzle for many.
Human mind has an unlimited prospective to learn.
There is scientific evidence that proves that to develop
skills for social dancing, the kinesthetic awareness
is heightened. It is the sensory skill that body uses to
know where it is in space. The nerve receptors, which
send specific information to the brain, are definitely
functioning better in a tango dancer, as compared to
a normal individual, which makes tango dancers more
aware of their space. The brain of a tango dancer has
inadvertently learned to move backward without
knocking down things, to identify the edges.
There is heightened awareness about impetus and extra
senses in action. Human minds and bodies adapt
and respond pretty quickly. Whenever you work with
a particular object continuously, it becomes an augmentation
of your own self. For a pianist, a piano feels
like second skin, a violinist knows his violin like a back
of his hand. Similarly, there is scientific evidence that
shows that for tango dancers, another body is like an
augmentation of their own self. Here two bodies, four
feet move simultaneously on the same beat. Tango is
not just a dance form. It transcends beyond. It is meditation
in motion; it is connection and relationship between
two individuals and embodies time and space.
It is romantic, spiritual and profound.
Tango is expensive, exclusive, elite and sophisticated
passion to pursue. Like golf, it is an activity, which requires
that you have lot of money in your pocket.
The Tango lessons, world over are expensive. Tango
privates are even more so. Practicas, milongas, etc. do
cost money and also your time. There are no free
lunches. The more qualified and experienced, the
teacher is, the more expensive, he/she is. You have
to invest in classes, practicas, milongas, Tango clothes,
Tango shoes, etc. Tango is very social. There is a lot
of entertaining, going out, expensive wines; constant
travels to attend Tango festivals for Tango addicts.
Every Tango addict, dreams of traveling and spending
big chunk of time in Buenos Aires. No one earns in
Buenos Aires. There, everyone pays from their pockets
constantly for every Tango lessons. Yet, people of
all ages, gender, nationalities join Tango and get addicted.
Because it is fun, it is social; it is good for the
mind, body and soul. Here are signs of a tango addict
— 31 —
1. You have a tango blog or spend a lot of time
in reading tango blogs, watching tango videos,.
2. ou keep a pair of tango shoes in the boot of
your car and even at work. Who knows when
you might want to practice?
3. You are practicing your boleos and lapis even at
a bus stop or while buying groceries.
4. You would choose to go to a milonga over any
oyher social engagement.
5. You have created space in your house and rearranged
your furniture so that you can practice.
6. You social activities (i.e if you still have any) revolve
around your tango calendar.
7. You always have deodorants and breath mints
in your bag.
8. You consciously collect your feet when you
walk. Your weight is always on one foot when
you pose for pictures.
9. Your travels must include tango, classes, festivals,
milongas, etc.
10. Your phone has a list of friends and names,
which have tango in front of them.
11. Your facebook friend list has many tango
friends from all over the world that you met
during your tango journeys.
12. When you shop for dress or shoes, you think if
you can wear it to a milonga or a class.
13. No other dance form appeals you as much
as tango.
14. Tango conversations surely light up your face.
15. You have hosted a milonga.
16. You enrolled in Spanish class.
17. Red and black are your colours.
18. You know that sandwich is not just something
you eat.
Did you agree to most of the above? Then you
know you are a tango addict or a tango junkie but
the good news is that it is a good addiction to have
that has more benefits. Tango is therapeutic, meditative
and mood enhancer. It uplifts you and certainly
keeps you stress free. Are you hooked on Tango? I
know just how you feel. In fact, many others have
felt the same way! After extensive research I have
found that, although Tango is not incurable, most
Tango dancers just don’t want to be cured!

And most of us are likewise not willing to toss out all
those gorgeous shoes! Tango dancers get strung out
on the endorphins produced by dancing. But I’m not
talking about just any kind of dancing. Jumping up and
down by yourself in a crowded room full of people
jumping up and down may be a great cardio workout
but it’s not going to make your body produce endorphins.
No, for that you need the close physical touch
and embrace of Tango.
Dance, surrender, reciprocate to the leader’s moves,
send him silent messages, take advantage of this tango
to say the impossible, to speak words that no man
will ever understand, a message that no woman can
say with words. Pass secrets to him, … allow him to
feel the mysteries of your body wrapped in diligent
giros, in tiny steps… Do what comes naturally, don’t
think about what others will say. Play tranquilly, surrender
to each other, that’s what tango’s all about, this
celebration that puts your heart in your legs and your
head in heaven. It occurs to me that Right/Left brain
concept just might embody the very essential nature
of our universe. I don’t think I want to mess with that!
That would be like cracking the cosmic yin/yang. Seas
would part, we might all be walking on water with
no water wings. Maybe these contradictions are what
Dark Matter is made of, you know, the invisible ruling
force of our universe.
The Chinese figured this out a long time ago. The I
Ching describes this delicate balance of opposites.
I’m beginning to think that it may also explain the
addictive power of Tango, despite (or because of?)
its stunning, mindwrenching contradictions! Without
our very own Tanguero duality there would be
no Pugliese, no Piazzolla, no bandoneón, no tango
shoes! What a sad dark silent universe it would be!
Geez, do I sound like a Right-brainer? No kidding!
Glad you finally figured it out! Alright, end of discussion.
You’re addicted and you know it. You’re secretly
quite pleased with yourself. In fact, you wouldn’t
trade places with anyone. Tango is the illness and
the cure. This quote you can print out and pin on
the fridge, dangle it recklessly on top of your work
computer, wear it in a locket close to your heart
— You keep doing it
— Every time you do it you feel happy
— It turns your life upside down but you don’t care.
— 32 —

— 33 —

New Tango Music
Arndt Büssing
Astillero: Tango de Ruptura
With their album Tango de Ruptura, the septet Astillero attracts our attention with modern,
avant garde, tango with all its different and appealing facets: accentuated-dynamic arrangements,
some clustered or other strange harmonies here and there, intermixed with
elegiac melodies of violin and bandoneon. All songs were written by the Astillero musicians.
Six songs were written by Julian Peralta, four by Patricio Bonfiglio, and one by Mariano
González Calo.
There are all of the different
sides of this genre which makes
it so attractive. There is the slow
and cautious Marfil, the dynamic
Alas por la Mitad and Villagrán,
and the fiery and energetic Motobronco.
Moreover, you will find
the perturbing Capataz with its
shouting background choir in the
chorus with Peyo Campoliete
as a highly emotional singer. The
artists on the album are Osiris
Rodriguez (violin), Pablo Milrud
(cello), Patricio Bonfiglio
(bandoneón), Mariano Gonzalez
Calo (bandoneón), Felix
Arcangeli (contrabass), Julian
Peralta (piano) and Peyo Campoliete
(vocals).
They have all of the trump cardss
needed to impress an audience.
This ensemble surely will find its
place somewhere between the
tango nuevo scene and the typical
tango orchestras. They are unique
enough to be an essential part of the modern tango scene, and take the steps beyond to
expand the limits. I definitely would like to hear more from this fascinating ensemble.
Overall Scoring *****
Dancer´s pleasure > Listener´s pleasure
Duration : 35 min.
Artist´s website: http://www.astillerotango.com.ar/
— 34 —

Orquesta Tipica Mistériosa: Tu lado acustico
The Orquesta Tipica Mistériosa Buenos Aires with their pianist-arranger-director Javier
Arias intended to bring the strain of classical tango played by the 1940s orchestras c;oser
to today´s tango enthusiastics
and dancers. The nine-person
tango orchestra contains a piano,
a bass, three bandoneons,
three violins, and one singer.,
Guest musicians have enriched
the full sound to nine violins
and five bandoneons for this
recording. They follow the traditional
tango style, but with
fresh and encouraging arrangements.
Their obviousl aim has
been to please the dancers, as
well as listeners. For me their
sound is somewhere between
Carlos di Sarli and Aníbal
Troilo, and that is pretty good.
With Eliana Sosa added, they
have another good argument
on their side, an enthusiastic
and passionate singer who
definitely attracts the audience
also during their shows.
This is their third album within
eight years as Orquesta Tipica
Misteriosa Buenos Aires, apart from Javier Arias´s 2006 album with the Orquesta
Tipica Fervor de Buenos Aires. On this album, we hear seven beautiful tangos, four dynamic
milongas of which two are candombe milongas, and one vals. Most were written
by old composers such as Juan d’Arienzo, Ricardo Luis Brignolo, Antonio Buglione, Félix
Lipesker, Fernando Montoni, Luis Rubistein, and Rodolfo Sciammarella. Four songs were
written by contemporary composers, one by the Argentine rock musician, Luis Alberto
Spinetta. Another was written by their friend Pablo Sensoterra, the guitarist-composer of
the Cuarteto La Púa. Two of the songs are by the director Javier Arias. The idea was to
arrange some songs of this generation to be like in the Golden Age when Troilo played an
arrangement of Piazzolla, or Pugliese made an arrangement of a Gobbi tune, as the violinist
Damián González Gantes argued.
For me, the album´s “acoustic side” is both, melodically romantic and rhythmically dynamic,
definitely worth the listen. Dancers will surely have their fun with the music of
this ensemble, rich on elegant melodies and a fine pacing paso. If you like the energetic
sound of an acoustic orquesta tipica, you are definitely at the right place. I see this ensemble
and its current album as one of the essentials.
Overall Scoring (1-5 stars): *****
Dancer´s pleasure = Listener´s pleasure
Duration: 32 min.
Website: http://www.misteriosabuenosaires.com/
— 35 —

Tango Fusion: A Los Amigos
This chamber music quartet composed of Lothar Hensel (bandoneon), Dragan Radosavievich (violin), Ulf
Borgwardt (violoncello) and Oliver Potratz (double bass) play with their friends a selection of old, modern
and new tangos. Apart from the
songs by Astor Piazzolla, Horacio
Salgan, José Luis Padula, Armando
Pontier and Nestor Marconi,
this project’s mastermind Lothar
Hensel asked contemporary tango
composers to contribute characteristic
songs. Miguel Varvello (bandoneon),
Jorge Retamoza (baritone
sax), Ramiro Gallo (violin),
Luis Borda (guitar), Saúl Cosentino
(piano), and Andrés Gavaida (vocals
and guitar) agreed to provide
sheet music which formed the basis
for recording by the quartet. They
then invited these guest musicians
to perform these songs with them.
On Lothar Hensel´s song Freunde y
Amigos,, we hear the quartet together
with Ramiro Gallo, Luis Borda,
Miguel Varvello and Jorge Retamoza.
The musicians recorded their
seperate audio tracks independently
and send them to Berlin where they
were mixed. Modern life has changed
collaboration processes.
The listener should be prepared for
some surprises from this chamber music fusion quartet. with its fascinating facets of contemporary tango
music. Even the older songs are revived with new and colored clothes by arranger Lothar Hensel.
Several of the tracks are worth recommend:ing, such as Un amigo en Berlin by Jorge Retamoza with its
dynamic melodic and rhythmic complexity, baritone saxophone accents and cool groove right in the middle,
Lautatro by Ramiro Gallo with its sugar-sweet violin lines and a relaxed pulse of the double bass, Hoja Otoñal
by Andrés Gavaida with its picked violin and guitar arrangement, and a wonderful chorus sung by the
composer with his warm and pleasant voice, Controversia by Miguel Varvello with atmospheric melodies
brought forward by the disputing bandoneon, violin and cello, Tango de los Muertos by Luis Borda with jazzy
guitar voicings and a fascinating melody progression, and Carismático by Saúl Cosentino with piano and
bandoneon solos and wonderful melodies by violin and cello which invite to dance.
For me, Tango Fúsion´s album is among the outstanding productions of this year: Dynamic virtuosity and
bitter-sweet passion.
Overall Scoring (1-5 stars): *****
Dancer´s pleasure < Listener´s pleasure
Duration: 53 min.
Artist´s website: http://www.tangofusion.net/
— 36 —

Otros Aires: Perfect Tango
Waiting for a new Otros Aires album is always a difficult task. I think of all those well-known tracks,
some associated with specific memories. I remember Miguel di Genova´s contagious cheerfulness during
a live performance. Then, I became aware that ten new songs are going to be released, and that I
would have the chance to hear them very early. Wow! It is clear that I began with a positive bias.
At the first, we hear the typical
groove oriented Otros Aires songs
with Miguel di Genova´s distinctive
voice, Diego Ramos´s elegant
piano, Martin Paladin´s drums, and
two alternating bandoneon players,
namely Matias Rubino and Ernesto
Chino Molina. Musical director
Miguel di Genova adds guitar flavor,
and of course, electronica effects.
Solo esta Noche charms the listener
with the voice of Afghan-Irish singer-songwriter
Meghan Kabir. This
duet track was written by Megha
Kabir, Fin Dow-Smith and Miguel
di Genova. It definitely has something
special. Also the Grace Jones
cover I´ve seen that face before, the
pop version of Astor Piazzolla´s
Libertango, is convincing in its own
way. While the amazon´s version is
subtley aggressive and more direct,
this new version is very relaxed.
All the other songs are written by
Otros Aires´s mastermind, Miguel.
They follow a proven and tested
formulation — great grooves enriched with discreet electronica effects, a solid piano fundament, characteristic
bandoneon lines, and basic melodies to lure the electro tango fans on the dance floor. Amor
o nada is one of these tracks with a compelling hiphop beat. Bailando sin Paraiso and Perro Viejo are
also tempting dancefloor seducers with addictive potential.
The American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou is cited on the backcover.
Everything in the universe has rhythm, everything dances
She knew why the caged bird sings. Otros Aires has opened the cage door.
Overall Scoring (1-5 stars): *****
Dancer´s pleasure > Listener´s pleasure
Duration : 45 min.
Artist´s website: http://www.otrosaires.com
— 37 —

Diana Zavalas: Tango Sentimental
This is not a conventional tango album. Instead, it is a classical pianist from Romania playing classical
tangos from Argentina. Most of these twelve songs have been recorded many times, such as El Choclo
written by Ángel Villoldo, Desde el Alma by Rosita Melo, Mano a Mano by Carlos Gardel and José
Razzano; and Milonga de Mis Amores by Pedro Laurenz. One may critically ask why we more interpretations
of these standards. Maybe, we don´t need it. But, Diana Zavalas definitely has something
to offer!
She is a pianist classically trained at
the Bucharest Conservatory and
Birmingham Conservatoire. Not
surprisingly, she has won numerous
awards, such as Ludlow Philharmonic
Concerto Prize and Beethoven
Piano Prize in Great Britain, Ginette
Gaubert in France, and others.
Diana Zavalas has a deep feeling for
sound and dynamics, and the selected
Argentine tangos, milongas and valses
benefit from her talent. You hear
them differently, against your expectations
and maybe against your personal
preferences. Pure piano pieces,
sometimes less than two minutes
long, mostly around three minutes.
Tangos reduced to their essentials.
Be open to enjoy a relaxing and
pleasant time with old friends coming
as they are. Invite them to take a
seat and let them surprise you.
Overall Scoring (1-5 stars): ***
Dancer´s pleasure < Listener´s pleasure
Duration: 31 min.
Artist´s website: none
— 38 —

Our Advertisers
Ann Leon .......................................................... p.09
Astor Piazzolla ................................................. p.05
Electrocutango ................................................. p.13
Brokeback Mountain ...................................... p.19
El Tango de Guadia Vieja ................................ p.15
El Motivo ........................................................... p.19
Ennea Tango ...................................................... p.30
Festival de Tango in Lisbon ............................ p.04
Gotan Project ..................................... p.05, 13, 30
Gotan Swing...................................................... p.31
Gypsy Tango ..................................................... p.19
Hugo Diaz ......................................................... p.15
In-Grid Oui ....................................................... p.15
Jaime Roos......................................................... p.31
Lorena Astudillo .............................................. p.19
London Tango Boutique ................................. p.07
Mercedes Sosa ................................................. p.31
Otros Aires ...................................................... p.31
Passion in Tango................................................ p.15
Pickpocket’s History of Tango....................... p.15
Richard Galliano .............................................. p.43
Surrender Tango .............................................. p.30
Tango................................................................... p.15
Tanghetto........................................................... p.19
Tango Argentino Finlandia.............................. p.37
Tango Festival in Puglia.................................... p.05
Tango for Teachers........................................... p.31
Tango Lessons................................................... p.15
Tango Nuevo..................................................... p.31
The 10 Big Mistakes......................................... p.31
The Tango Lesson............................................. p.31
Trio Garufa........................................................ p.19
White Nights Tango Festival.......................... p.11
Please Support our Advertisers
click thru to them!
— 39 —

The Obamas Tango in Buenos Aires
The Nestor Kirchner Cultural Center held a gala dinner
hosted by Argentine President Mauricio Macri
for US President Barack Obama. At the dinner,
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
were coaxed to the dance floor by professional tango
dancers, Mora Godoy and José Lugones.
Prior to the presidential dance, Godoy and her partner
danced to legendary tangos La Cumparsita and
Código de Barras as performed by Bajofondo. Godoy
a had just finished a performing when the stunning
brunette, clad in a glittering gold dress with matching
gold stilettos, got an idea to ask President Obama
to dance. Godoy left little to the imagination. As she
politely said hello to Michelle, complimenting her on
her the marvelous speech that she had given before
dancing with her husband.
But there were no worries. The first lady got into the
act, too. Michelle acceptied an invite to tango with the
handsome José Lugones.
The first couple danced to another classic tango,
Por Una Cabeza, as hundreds of guests were entertained
by this impromptu performance.
After initially resisting, the president reluctantly sauntered
across the dance floor, giving in to Mora Godoy’s
invitation to dance the tango Despite his attempts
to wave off the invitation, President Obama
surprised the world by showing he had a few moves.
Godoy was certainly in charge of of the dance. Moments
later, the first lady joined in the tango.
The state dinner came at the end of the first of the
Obama’s trip to Argentina. The next day, the first
family traveled to Patagonia before flying back to
Washington.
Tango maestro Ney Melo commented —
It was wonderful to see President Obama dance
the tango in the spirit of how it was born: impromptu,
improvised, and with elegance.
Mora Godoy told the Argentine
newspaper La Nacion —
The president told me that he
didn’t know how to tango, and
I told him to follow me. He said
‘OK,’ and he started to dance.
Then, I began to follow him because
he is a really good dancer
Mora also said that she had
toned down the sensual nature
of the tango, out of respect for
the two presidents.
— 40 —

Argentine tango is often
confused with American
ballroom tango which is
much more rigid and structured.
Argentine tango is a
social dance of improvisation.
The roots of Argentine
tango go as far back as the
first African settlers in the
Latin American colony. Typically,
what people mistake
with Argentine tango is the
choreographed dance that
is seen on such shows as
Dancing with the Stars.
Once considered a folk
dance, Argentine tango has
seen a resurgence in popularity
in recent years. There
are now thousands of nightly
and weekly dance events.,
and hundreds of new musical
groups around the world.
The president’s visit did coincide with the 40th anniversary
of a 1976 military coup which resulted in
the deaths of thousands of Argentinians. There are
talks of declassifying documents on America’s role
in this conflict.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium,
President Obama has taken a lot of heat
over for dancing the tango at a state dinner in Argentina.
Some criticized of the president for travelling
after the terrorist attacks.
In response, President Obama said —
That is how we are going to defeat these terrorist
groups. A lot of it is also going to be to say, ‘you
do not have power over us. We are strong. Our
values are right. You offer nothing except death.
President Macri is the first Argentine president to
make a speech in English. He said that he was fascinated
by Obama; and he mentioned that Obama
promised to return next year and that they will
come back for longer and they will stay for several
days in Bariloche, a Swiss village in the Argentine
Andes.
Macri highlighted —
The opportunity for our continent, which
forces us to leave behind grudges and resentments
of the past with the US to look to the
future. .... We have a privileged position that
can improve opportunities for its people today,
more security and tranquility in everyday
life, but for that we must all work together.
President Obama stated —
This is a new beginning, new era for our hemisphere.
I arrive here from Cuba, where the
United States has reestablished diplomatic
contact Argentine and American, have a lot
in common — the values ​of freedom, commitment
to justice, human rights and the rule
of law.Thousands of Argentines studied in the
US and many Argentines working in American
companies. We want to expand these ties in
trade, scholarships
Afterwards, they dined with 400 guests at the Kirchner
Cultural Center
— 41 —

VJing & DJing
IGOR SHPIGELMAN (El Esperjero)
Victroleras, Tandas and Cortinas
I am a tanguera. A tango dancer, teacher, djane, journalist and story writer. A passionate
tango lover, an addict, an admirer. At my first milonga back in 2003, I got
A friend of mine, milonguera from San Francisco, likes to repeat if you have a tango-related question, you
will hooked undoubtedly instantly. find an But, answer I in would the universe not have of tango continued lyrics. While if my this teachers statement is had mostly not related played
to Gotan ìprofound Project’s questionsî, first about CD relations in one of in their and out lessons. of milongas, Since interpretations then, my of focus codigos, is on etc. modern there
are tango two both trivia questions as a dancer often and asked as in a the DJ. DJ forums — When the first tango DJs emerged? and When
the custom to play tandas separated by cortinas appear? There are unambiguous answers contained in the
tangos, themselves.
When the First Tango DJs Emerged?
In January 1931 Mercedes Simone, and, later in the
same year, Orquesta tÌpica Victor with Vicente Crisera
recorded a delightful tango La Victrolera, with lyrics of
Melecio Peres to the music written by Pascual Clausi.
Victrolera, noviecita de mi vida,
por quÈ te fuiste un dÌa
y huiste con otro amor.
si yo tanto te querÌa
que eras alma y vida mÌa,
volvé, volé victrolera
que me mata el dolor
Victrolera, girlfriend of my life,
Why did you leave one day
And run away with another love?
I loved you so much
That you were my life and soul,
Come back, come back victrolera
And put an end to my pain
Who was this mysterious Victrolera? Victrola was the
trademark for the Victor Talking Machines gramophones
that soon became a generic name for any
gramophone of that era. Victrolera was the name
for the girl in charge of changing the disks on the
Victrola,, the first DJs, as we now call them. We can
conclude that by 1930, victrolera was already an established
job with a name, worth of a dedicated to
her job special tango, pretty much like pulpera from
the famous vals La Pulpera de Santa Lucia, and that
this job was given predominantly to girls.
If we move back in time a bit more, we might find
out when the first victrolera emerged. Actually, we
can do this by reconstructing some of the events in
the recording industry and tango history. The initial,
acoustic recordings appeared as far back as in 19th
century, and it was indeed promoted for the dance
parties, as we can see from the 1905 advertisement.
However, the sound lacked both the quality and the
loudness needed for any reasonable milonga.
Things changed dramatically
with the introduction of
electric recording and of the
new players ñ so called Orthophonic
Victrolas. One of
these big cabinet is shown
in the 1949 movie, Alma de
Bohemioî, where victrolera
Eva saves the night of Alberto
Castillo.
Victrola logo with the famous
His Master Voice
— 42 —

Alfredo De Angelis playing, 15 minutes sets at 11:00 on Radio El Mundo. (Scan by M. Krugman).
Electric recording was introduced to Buenos Aires
in 1926, and so, pushed to new artistic standards
by Julio De Caro, accepted into the higher society
and propelled by the technology, new tango sextetos
started appearing almost daily. But their life was
quite short. Less than three years later, the crisis of
1929, together with the introduction of sound motion
pictures put an end to their blissful existence
With the swing of a pendulum from a lot in 1926 to
a few in 1929, the increased demand for tango music
could easily become higher than the supply, and
the job of victroleras, which had been technically
feasible since 1926, became a demanded occupation
in 1929. The tango La Victrolera was recorded
only a year later. We can firmly place the emergence
and the proliferation of victroleras in Argentina into
a single year period between 1929 and 1930, not
only in Buenos Aires, but in other cities as well, as
the angry letter, written by Those darnn Victrolas
in a local Santa Fe newspaper attests
However,, Matt Mateo pointed out in an online discussion,
we cannot yet say for sure, whether these victroleras
were indeed playing music for dancers in the
clubs, akin modern musicalizadors or DJs, or served
more like long-legged local attractionsf or the patrons
of cafes, as the heroine a Fellini-like story La Vitrolera.
When the custom playing tandas separated by
cortinas appear?
Firstly we should mention a well-thought answer
to this question that appeared in Tango-L mail list.
However, the brothel origin of tango, and the very
existence of tango academias is more of a legend
than a historical fact, and also, this answer was met
with lots of criticism on the ground that live orquestas
do not play music in tandas. Many modern tango
orquestas do not play any danceable music. Those
few that do, pften use tandas format, in one or another
form. But what about the orquestas of the
Golden Age? And what about the early DJs?
In the Golden Age a contract on the radio was a prestigious
and a lucrative source of income for any orquesta
tipica. The standard radio format was to have
an orquesta tipica play a live quarter-hour set, change
the type of programming for the next quarter-hour,
and then play another quarter-hour set, and so on. Of
course, any orquesta worthy of its name, would not
just randomly chose pieces from its repertoire, but
rather build this fifteen minutes set into a certain story,
with a beginning, culmination and conclusion. At least
for the radio performances, an orquesta tipica would
use a format, both by its length and its design similar,
although not identical to a modern tanda.
— 43 —

When did the peculiar custom of men gathering
in the middle of the dance floor, to cabeceo the
ladies sitting at the tables emerged?
The tango, Muchachos, Comienza la Ronda, by Leopoldo
Diaz Velez to the music of Luis Porcellano that
directly alludes to this custom. It was recorded by
both Osvaldo Pugliese with Roberto Chanel and Ricardo
Tanturi with Enrique Campos in 1943.
Muchachos, comienza la ronda
que el tango invita a formar
QuiÈn, al oir el arranque
de un son tan brillante,
no sale a bailar?
Guys, the round is starting
That the tango invites us to form.
Who, hearing this starter
which is so brilliant
would not go dancing?
In order for men to gather in the middle of the floor,
or to use an across-the-floor cabeceo, the floor itself
must have been cleared of all dancing couples, and
the only way to achieve that for the live orquesta was
to stop playing the music.
But, when did they stop? How long was a tanda?
As it turns out, we have precise answers to those
questions in the wonderful tango Danza Maligna, with
its anthem-like lyrics by Claudio Frollo and music by
Fernando Randle. It was first recorded by Azucena
Maizani in 1929, and later by Imperio Argentina, Carmelita
Aubert, and Francisco Lomuto, and in 1940
by Enrique Rodriguez with Armando Moreno.
This tango contains by far most favorite quote of mine:
Te invito a penetrar en este templo
donde todo el amor lo purifica.
Viviremos los dos el cuarto de hora
de la danza nost·lgica y maligna!
I invite you to enter this temple
where everything is purified by love.
Together weíll live through the quarter hour
of a nostalgic and evil dance!
This quote gives us both the timing of the historical
tanda, and the proof that the custom of dancing
with the same partner for quarter hour existed as
far back as in 1929. It is not a coincidence that this
timing is exactly the same as the timing of an orquesta
tÌpica set on the radio — the same magical
quarter hour.
A live orquesta of the thirties would play five to seven
songs in one uninterrupted set. Given a standard
length of a song of the time was between two and
three minutes, this would be about fifteen minutes.
It would include mostly tangos, but possibly an occasional
vals, polca or fox-trot, and in later years, milongas,
as well. The band would then go silent for a while,
allowing to clear the floor and change partners.
While the word tanda itself is of dubious origin, the
etymology of cortina (curtain) is obvious - the stage
curtain would be closed when the orquesta was not
playing. Also, we can imagine that in a big venue, cortinas
might have been spiced up by a solo number
of an aspiring talent. The most prestigious venues and
carnival organizers might hire more than one orquesta
on the same date, and alternate them over the course
of the night.
Without either disputing the academia origin of tandas
circa the beginning of the 20th century, or arguing
about modern orquestas habits, or relying on
eye-witness accounts, we have established that the
custom to play music in quarter-hour tandas separated
by cortinas was firmly planted with the live
orquestas as early as the year 1929.
Original recording of Danza Maligna, 1929.
— 44 —

Enrique Lomuto shared the stage with Rene Varela
and Anibal Troilo played with Oscar Aleman
(scan by M. Krugman)
Coincidentally or maybe not, it is this same year that
the job of a victrolera was established. The account
of events of 1929 is sufficient to believe that at least
some of the victroleras were indeed playing in smaller
milongas for the dancers, pretty much like the modern
DJs. Yet, I cheerfully admit that I lack any tango letras
to prove this claim. But whenever it happened, be it
in the 30s or in the mid-40s, as the last image proves,
the early DJs had no choice but to follow established
1929 pattern of the live orquestas to play the music in
tandas with either silent or musical cortinas.
— 45 —

B
Tango Moves
Raymond Lauzzana
In the last issue, we talked about the organization of the dance floor and various
ways to commence the dance (salidas). Remember, it takes more than music and
dancer to tango. The dancer must have a partner. You might and should practice
alone. But, you aren’t dancing tango until you have a partner. The essence of how
the tango works is the connection (la conexión), the way in which the dancers embrace
(el abrazo). There has been a lot of discussion about what the correct embrace
should be. Instead of entering into this debate, the various types of embraces will
be presented, leaving the reader to decide which embrace suits the music, their
style, and their partner. No matter which embrace is chosen, at any time during the
dance, it is fundamentally important to maintain a connection.
There is a common misconception that there are
only two types of embraces - closed and open. In
fact, there are many embraces and many ways that
the partners may maintain their connection. We’ll
explore a few of them. There are many more. In all
cases, whether open or closed, a tango embrace is
not rigid,. It is firm, but relaxed, like a freindly hug.
Basic Embraces
First, let’s cover the basic embraces and consider
the most common terms used to describe the embrace.
In all of the basic forms, the partners face
each other with the leader left hand holding the
follower’s right hand.
Closed Embrace (Abrazo Cerrado)
This is probably the most common tango face-to-face
embrace, The dancers’ chests are closer to each other
than their hips. The dancers may be in contact at about
the level of the chest. The point of contact will differ
depending on the difference in height of the dancers.
In the modern form of closed embrace, the dancers
do not hold their upper bodies arched away from
their partner. Instead, each dancer maintains their own
individual axis.
Open Embrace (Abrazo Abierto)
A common for all styles of tango dancing. In open embrace,
there can be as much space as desired between
the partners. In the open embrace, the chests are not
in contact. But, complete contact is maintained in the
embracing arms to give optimum communication. The
dancers do not maintain head-to-head contact and
they vary the space between them as they dance. Often,
the follower may reduce the embrace to holding
the leader’s biceps, while the leader may limit the right
hand contact to the follower’s waist during dynamic
movements.
Same Hand Hold for Doble Frente (Al Reves)
Alexandru Eugen Cristea & Alina Pelmus
— Photo by Cristian Martis
Close Embrace (Abrazo Intimo)
Oft times confused with the closed embrace, the close
embrace is quite different. Those that dance in close
embrace, usually maintain the same embrace thruout
the dance and never change their hold.
— 46 —

One Hand Hold (Solo Uno Mano)
Dancers only hold their lead hands, the leader’s left
and the follower’s right. This is most commonly used
as a practice embrace to overcome the leader’s
grasping with the right hand. The right hand should
lightly hold the follower to the frame of their torsos
and should not be used to direct the follower’s
movement
Matched Hand Hold (Mano Contraria)
With the partners facing each other, the leader’s left
hand holds the follower’s right. The leader’s right
hand holds the follower’s left in the embrace.
Close Embrace at the Close Embrace Festival
Champaign, Illinois, USA
This embrace is what in popular terminology is called
cheek-to-cheek. The partner’s cheeks are in contact,
either left-to-right or right-to-right. The embrace
strong and consistant, Often, the followers arm may
be over the leader’s shoulder or wrapped around
his neck. As the name, implies this is a very intimate
form of embrace.
Practice Embrace (Abrazo Practica)
This is the least intimate of all of the embraces. It
used by novice dancers and by instructors with pupils.
There are two forms of practice embrace. In the first
case, both dancers hold each other’s biceps. In the
second form, the follower’s hands are placed on the
chest of the leader to provide a greater connection.
In both cases, the dancers are quite far apart, so that
they may observe each other’s movements.
Hand Holds
Fundamentally, there are only two types of hand holds.
But, in practice there are four. In the standard hand hold
for partner dancing, the leader’s left hand is opened to
receive the open palm of the follower’s right hand. The
leader then closes his fingers around her hand.
No Hand Hold (Sin Manos)
In this hands-free connection between the dancers,
no hands are held. The lead is indicated through the
movement of the upper torso, head turns, and eye
movements. This difficult form of leading and following
is a very important practice hold. It requires a great
deal of concentration and attention to each other.
Rarely do dancers dance an entire song this way. More
commonly, a few moves are made this way, and the
couple returns a matched hand hold.
Same Hand Hold (Misma Mano)
Gentleman’s left hand holds the lady’s left. His right
hand holds her right. This hold is common for Doble
Frente when both partners face the same direction.
Variations
OK, that was the basics. Here come some variations.
There are many more than we have room in
these pages to describe. Here are a few of the more
well-known kinds of embraces and holds. These are
only an idea of the variety of possibilities.
Neck Embrace (Abrazo Cuello)
In a Close Embrace, the follower may place her left
hand around the gentleman’s neck. This may be
enhanced by placing both hands around leader’s
neck. If she does this, the leader places his arms
around her waist.
Hammerlock (Bloqueo de Martillo)
Partners facing each other with opposing hands
held, similar to closed embrace, except that the
follower’s left arm is held behind her back in the
;eader’s right hand.
Teapot Embrace (Abrazo Tetera)
Similar to the closed embrace, except partners raised
arm are in contact at the elbow, so as to form an
upright angle, similar to the spout of a teapot.
Feathered Embrace (Abrazo Plumado)
Partners are offset 50%. Hips overlap, with upper
body torque towards each other.. This may be to
either side, left or right.
Cradled Hold (Cunita)
In cradled holds, the partners face the same direction
with one of the gentleman’s arm wrapped around
her waist, holding her inside hand. The othe hand is
crossed in front holding the gentleman’s other hand.
— 47 —

Cradled Hold (Cunita)
Partners face the same direction, as in the doble frente.
The follower may be to the right or left of the leader.
Their arms crossed over each other and wrapped
around the follower. The leader’s arms are over the
follower’s arms and wrapped around her waist. The
partners hold opposite hands. The follower may be
shifted from left to right. Often, the follower leans
back. to face the leader.
Reversed Promenade (Paseo Reverso)
Partners face opposite directions, side by side with hips
in contact.
Butterfly Hold (Mariposa)
From open hold, facing partners raise clasped opposite
hands to shoulder level or above. The leader’s left
hand holds follower’s right. All four hands are held
aloft forming the shape of a Y-shape.
Open Hold (Gentlemanos)
Typical salsa position. Partners face each other with
opposing hands held. The follower’s hands on top of
the leader’s.
Crossed Hand Hold (Con Mismo Mano)
Same as open hold, except that hands are crossed, so
that right holds right, and left holds left. Right hands
are usually on top. But, may be changed by subsequent
movements.
Pretzel Hold (Pretzel)
Identical to a crossed hand hold, except that hands
are crossed, so that right holds right, and left, left.
Diamond Hold (Diamante)
Similar to a crossed hand hold, except that hands are
double crossed, so that right holds left and a diamond
shape is formed by the crossed hands.
Maxexe Hold (Maxexe)
Facing each other, the dancers clasp their left hands
and hold them overhead. Their right hands are at their
waist. Dancers frequently sway and swivel their upper
bodies while they dance around each other.
Tandem Hold (Tándem)
Partners face the same direction, one behind the other.
Matched hands are held either at the shoulders or
on the hip. They move together in same direction. the
follower is in front of the leader.
Sidecar Embrace (Abrazo Compensado)
Same a close embrace, except partners are offset
outside each other. They may make hip-tohip
contact.
Butterfky Hold (Mariposa)
— Photo by Juan Mey
Open Butterfly Hold (Mariposa Abierto)
From butterfly, partners roll out to a single hand hold
with arms raised to shoulder level or above. The position
appears form a double-Y with partners standing
next to each other. Usually, they will return to a butterfly.
Shadow Butterfly (Sombra Mariposa)
From a shadow position with the leader behind the
follwer,, grasping her hands and forming a Y-shape.
There are many other embraces and holds that the
partners may take. It all depends on them and the music.
The most imprtant thing, regardless of the embrace
taken, is to maintain a connection with your partner.
Tango is conscious dance. There maybe dreamy moments,
even dreamy dances and tandas. But, awarenes
and connection with your partner is essential.
Banjo Embrace (Abrazo Compensado)
Same as sidecar embrace, but the opposite side.
— 48 —

Letters to the Editor
Thank you!
— Juliati Boudoir
I think you have done a great work with the magazine.
Sharing the tango from all aver the world is an
added value for Argentina. Well done!!
I think it is a great idea on your part. You are doing
the best thing. Music and dance are like brother
and sister so you have done a combination of
both. Let me say well done again !!
Congratulations !!!
— María (BéBé) Nieves Rebolledo Vila
Pozdravleniya!
Pensaron en hacer una revista!
BRAVISSIMOOOOOOO !!
— Rusty Rose
— Luis Lucha
— Mariano Pattin
Divinos! Felicitaciones por su trayectoria y por
el camino que están transitando! Orgullosa de
ustedes!
— Sandra Waigandt
For the record, I love that Adam and Ciko are on
your cover.
I am an American based in Riga and regularly
traveling the Baltic tango circuit, plus the extended
Scandinavian, European and Russian circles.
Let me know what you might need - feature
articlewise.
— Jamie Roberts
We welcome articles from around the world
please feel free to submit articles that describe
the tango scene in your community.
We also welcome proposals for special editions on
regional areas. Such proposals should be made by
several representatives of the community.
— MTW
I am interested to connect both our Buffalo Tango
Orkestra and myself as a book writer about
tango musicality.
— Moshe Shulman
Musicians and musical groups should submit their
new releases to Arndt Büssing on Facebook. He
is our music reviewer. For books, please contact Alexandru
Eugen Cristea. He is our book reviewer.
— MTW
Congratulations on your launch of a new tango
magazine. We would like to help you to promote it.
— Frank Perquin
We are alway looking for help promoting the magazine.
Specifically, if you have a festival or major
tango event planned, we would like to distribute
our flyers at your event. Please contact Raymond
Lauzzana for further details.
— MTW
I would like to order both editions of MTW, paying
postage and handling only once. Would that be
possible? I live in Germany.
— Emmy Brock
Great idea, Emmy. But currently, you must order
each issue seperately. We will work on changing
that in the future.
— MTW
I met Raymond in Austin at Esquina Tango and
bought the New York edition from him. I subscribed
to Modern Tango World and friended Ray on
Facebook.
But... I can’t figure out how to create an account so
I can log in..
— Walt Tashnick
No need to log in. We recognize you by your Facebook
name and you have access to all Modern
Tango groups and capabilities.
— MTW
I love it and really enjoyed the article on Julia Juliati
— Anonymous
— 49 —

I just read on Facebook of your new magazine.
I contact you simply because I am passionate about
everything related to the world of the tango, and
also because being the author of a book entitled
Tango T as. I was wondering if you might be interested,
if it were a section books in your magazine,
inserting a cover image of my book with its review.
Waiting for feedback from you.
— Francesco De Lucia
Book authors, please contact Alexandru Eugen
Cristea. He is our book reviewer.
— MTW
Greeting from Doha Tango Community. I would
like to thank you for doing such a wonderful work.
— Anil Kumar
Just received Modern Tango World Magazine! The
magazine is a great resource for any tango dancer
or for someone interested to learn Argentine Tango.
— Julia Juliati
Perfect...even “over packaged”...if that’s possible.
Anyway it arrived waterproofed and in mint condition:.
Perfectly accomplished!
— Antonieta Taylor
Dank u
Awesome!
— Ward Nuyts
— Valecia Cigar
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