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Argentine Tango School

Tag: history

“La catrera” by Juan D’Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, 1938.

“La catrera” by Juan D’Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, 1938.

Arturo De Bassi

Pianist, composer, leader and author (April 24, 1890 – June 18, 1950)

Connected to the city’s theater and the musical world from an early age and, consequently, to success, we can verify that his first composition filed in the public copyright registry was given the number 505 in 1911.

He filed that day a number that would bring to him great satisfactions: “La catrera”, like many others also would.

Read more about Arturo De Bassi at www.todotango.com

Listen and buy:

We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

  • Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

Ver este artículo en español

More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

We have lots more music and history

How to dance to this music?

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About training by yourself Argentine Tango

About training by yourself

Marcelo Solis performing with Yanina 1994.

I have a personal story to share with you, in which you may find some similarities with your own, regarding the place that Tango has in our lives.

In the early 1990s, I decided to go full-time into my professional Tango dancing career. I had a busy job in the hotel industry, but I did not feel it was what I wanted to do. However, it was very convenient because I earned a good salary, and the flexible schedule allowed me to study in college and dedicate much of my time and energy to Tango.
 

I worked for a year and a half with a great partner. She was a skillful dancer, a great person, and a dependable friend who loved Tango like me. We won competitions, trained hard, took classes with the best Maestros, and performed at festivals, conventions, corporate parties, restaurants, and schools. We got so busy that our schedule started to conflict even with my convenient and flexible work hours.

I worked for a year and a half with a great partner. She was a skillful dancer, a great person, and a dependable friend who loved Tango as much as me. We won competitions, trained hard, took classes with the best Maestros, and performed at festivals, conventions, corporate parties, restaurants, and schools. We got so busy that our schedule started to conflict even with my convenient and flexible work hours.

Not only that. At that point, our gigs were providing me with more income than what I earned with my salary.

You guessed it… I decided to quit my job and dedicate all my time to Tango.

Within less than a week after that decision, I received a call: my partner had been in a car accident.
Long story short, she was fine but would not dance the way a performer should for at least three months.
 
Life often presents us with these kinds of challenges.

I took it as a test of my commitment to my decisions and Tango.

Argentine Tango dancing by Marcelo Solis and Mimi at Water Pulgas Temple in San Francisco California

I did not have my partner to train with, although our partnership strengthened. I did not have money to go to milongas. However, I danced daily, training, studying, watching videos, and remembering what I had learned.
I always remember that time as one of those moments in which my Tango improved exponentially.
I didn’t know it at the time, but as soon as we were able to start dancing together again, my partner noticed it.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful treat to surprise yourself and those who await us at the milongas when you go next time?

Long live Tango!

Here, I would like to share with you some exercises you can practice by yourself:



More Argentine Tango tutorials

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“Bailemos” by José Basso y su Orquesta Típica with Floreal Ruiz in vocals, 1956.

“Bailemos” by José Basso y su Orquesta Típica with Floreal Ruiz in vocals, 1956.

Pascual

Pascual “Cholo” Mamone

Bandoneon player, arranger, bandleader and composer (22 April 1921 – 15 September 2012)

This virtuous bandoneon player is, no doubt, one of the great arrangers of our Buenos Aires music.

Required by maestros of the level of Osvaldo Pugliese and Alfredo Gobbi, he achieved an outstanding prestige in the difficult art of embellishing melodies.

Always having a respect for the essence of each piece, such as it was devised by the composer, Mamone writes his arrangements and orchestrations with balance and detailed devotion, having specially in mind the style of the target orchestra and the distinguishing features of the singer.

Read more about Pascual “Cholo” Mamone at www.todotango.com

Listen and buy:

  • Amazon music

  • iTunes music

  • Spotify

We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

  • Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

Ver este artículo en español

More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

We have lots more music and history

How to dance to this music?

Argentine Tango class: pivots, walking and ochos exercises

Argentine Tango class: pivots, walking and ochos exercises

See more video lessons:

Ochos (“eights” in Spanish) are the combination of walking and pivots.

You need to regularly exercise them to perform them naturally. Here is how to practice.


Learn to dance Argentine Tango in the San Francisco Bay Area:

“Don José María” by Carlos Di Sarli y su Orquesta Típica, 1943.

“Don José María” by Carlos Di Sarli y su Orquesta Típica, 1943.

Rosendo Mendizabal was an authentic forerunner of Argentine Tango music

Rosendo Mendizábal

Pianist and composer (April 21, 1868 – June 30, 1913)

He was an authentic forerunner of our popular music.

As time goes by, the value and quality of his work grow with indelible edges; the following are titles that speak for themselves: “El entrerriano” and “Don José María”.

Rosendo generally played as a soloist, and his income depended on the generosity of the attendants.

A violinist and a flutist joined him. If the importance of the session made it necessary, the repertoire to be played was read on handwritten lead sheets because tangos at that period were not published.

His family was in a solid financial position, but when he was only three years old, he and his brother Sergio were orphaned by the death of their father.

During Rosendo’s adolescence, his financial resources allowed him to study piano at home.

We often read commentaries about his body features: a gallant brunet with certain arrogance in his features. 

The lavishness with which he spent his money finally emptied his pocket. Fortunately, his musical knowledge allowed him to teach piano at well-to-do homes. In such a way, he earned his living for a time.

Read more about Rosendo Mendizabal at www.todotango.com

Listen and buy:

We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

  • Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

Ver este artículo en español

More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

We have lots more music and history

How to dance to this music?

Continue reading