The most important thing to pay attention to in your tango dancing is the MUSIC!

When I first began my tango journey, I preferred instrumental tango songs. But years later, I find that songs with a wonderful singer– like Raúl Berón or Angel Vargas– can really make my heart burst with emotion.

Typically written in castellano and lunfardo (a type of slang developed in the late 19th century in Buenos Aires…more on this in future posts!), tango lyrics are pure poetry. In some ways, it might be a blessing that most of us here in America don’t understand the lyrics– it’s said that some old milongueros purposely block out the lyrics when they dance because otherwise, they would break into tears right there on the dance floor! Even our dear Maestro Jorge gets a bit watery-eyed when he listens to the lyrics. That being said, light hearted and humorous tango songs do exist, just not in abundance. We don’t want you to be depressed by tango music, but rather, be aware when you dance that tango without emotion is like falling in love without a heart!

There are many lyric translation resources out there on the internet. To get you started, here are some favorites:

• Planet Tango: http://letrasdetango.wordpress.com/
• Tango DC: http://tangodc.com/lyrics/
• Poesía de gotán: http://poesiadegotan.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!