The world of Argentine tango presents a glamorous façade of music and movement. Yet the immigrant artists whose livelihoods depend on the US tango industry receive little attention beyond their enigmatic public personas. More Than Two to Tango offers a detailed portrait of Argentine immigrants for whom tango is both an art form and a means of survival. Based on a highly visible group of performers within the almost hidden population of Argentines in the United States, More than Two to Tango addresses broader questions on the understudied role of informal webs in the entertainment field. Through the voices of both early generations of immigrants and the latest wave of newcomers, Anahí Viladrich explores how the dancers, musicians, and singers utilize their complex social networks to survive as artists and immigrants. She reveals a diverse community navigating issues of identity, class, and race as they struggle with practical concerns, such as the high cost of living in New York City and affordable health care. Argentina’s social history serves as the compelling backdrop for understanding the trajectory of tango performers, and Viladrich uses these foundations to explore their current unified front to keep tango as their own “authentic” expression. Yet social ties are no panacea for struggling immigrants. Even as More Than Two to Tango offers the notion that each person is truly conceived and transformed by their journeys around the globe, it challenges rosy portraits of Argentine tango artists by uncovering how their glamorous representations veil their difficulties to make ends meet in the global entertainment industry. In the end, the portrait of Argentine tango performers’ diverse career paths contributes to our larger understanding of who may attain the “American Dream,” and redefines what that means for tango artists.

From the backstreets of Buenos Aires to Parisian high society, this is the extraordinary story of the dance that captivated the world - a tale of politics and passion, immigration and romance. The Tango was the cornerstone of Argentine culture, and has lasted for more than a hundred years, popular today in America, Japan and Europe. 'The Meaning of Tango' traces the roots of this captivating dance, from it's birth in the poverty stricken Buenos Aires, the craze of the early 20th century, right up until it's revival today, thanks to shows such as Strictly Come Dancing. This book offers history, knowledge, teachings and in-sights which makes it valuable for beginners, yet its in-depth analysis makes it essential for experienced dancers. It is an elegant and cohesive critique of the fascinating tale of the Tango, which not only documents its culture and politics, but is also technically useful.

The dance of Argentine Tango: it's more than just a dance, it is also a culture ...This book is a valuable companion for all students of Argentine Tango. It introduces the reader to the history and cultural context of the dance, together with key insights. Written in a clear and accessible style, this makes an excellent and enjoyable compliment to dance classes at every level of ability. Prologue by Damian Esell.

In The Tango Machine, ethnomusicologist Morgan Luker examines the new and different ways contemporary tango music has been drawn upon and used as a resource for cultural, social, and economic development in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In doing so, he addresses broader concerns about how the value and meaning of musical culture has been profoundly reframed in the age of expediency where music and the arts are called upon and often compelled to address social, political and economic problems that were previously located outside the cultural domain. Long hailed as Argentina s so-called national genre of popular music and dance, tango has not been musically or socially popular in Argentina since the late 1950s, and today the vast majority of Argentines consider tango to be little more than a kitschy remnant of an increasingly distant past. Nevertheless, tango continues to have salience as a potent symbol of Argentine culture within the national imaginary and global representations. Ultimately, Luker argues that tango in Buenos Aires is not exceptional, but in fact emblematic of musical culture in the age of expediency, where the value and meaning of music and the arts are largely defined by their usability within broader social, political, and economic projects. Luker tackles here some of the core conceptual challenges facing critical music scholarship; the book will be an important resource for readers in ethnomusicology and music, anthropology, cultural studies, and Latin American studies."

In PAPER TANGOS, classically trained dancer and anthropologist Julie Taylor examines the poetics of the tango, while recounting a life lived crossing the borders of two distinct and complex cultures. Drawing parallels among the violence of the Argentine Junta, tango dancing, and her own life, Taylor weaves the line between engaging memoir and cultural critique. The book's design includes photographs on every page that form a flip-book sequence of a tango. 89 photos.

Just like a gymnast needs to stick the landing at the end of the routine, a well-timed and executed ending is essential to dancing Argentine tango. This unique book unlocks the secrets to tango endings that have consistently frustrated beginner and intermediate dancers. After years of searching in vain for a class on endings, Steve Darmo took it upon himself to learn everything he could on the topic. Realizing that the music drives the steps, he extensively researched the best music from the Golden Age. He studied over 1700 tangos recorded by the 20 most popular dance orchestras in order to prepare the most comprehensive work ever written on the subject.This book gives everything you need to become an expert at tango endings and greatly improve your dancing. It is packed with tips and is written in an easy conversational voice.