Understand tango musicality and Express Yourself when dancing
[in 30 days]
without confusing music theory teachings, having to learn all the songs by heart, and even if you ‘don’t have a musical ear’.
If you’re a tango dancer, leader or follower, looking to know tango musicality better while confidently expressing yourself when you are dancing, then you already know that adapting your dancing to the music is key.
If you’re a dancer who wants to improve, you probably know the value of curiosity and learning.
No need to convince you there.
You’ve probably attended musicality classes with local or international teachers, or asked your favorite DJ for the name of 'that song they just played'.
You also likely know that there are famous orchestra conductors (Canaro, Di Sarli, D’Arienzo... to name a few) who were widely influential on the world of tango music.
HERE'S WHAT YOU
MIGHT NOT KNOW
ABOUT HOW IMPROVING YOUR TANGO MUSICALITY IMPACTS YOUR DANCING
-
Knowing intuitively what movement to do when
You might have already noticed that some movements work better on some songs than others. That’s because each orchestra conductor has favorite instruments that they they’re inviting you to bring to life. Knowing those gives you a ‘guideline’ that helps you dance without thinking. -
Making simple movements feel more exciting
With a clear knowledge of tango musicality, you don’t need complex movements to create a dance your partner loves. In fact, simple but musical movements like a legato walk or a choppy ocho milonguero easily elevate your dancing. Which means that you’re never boring to dance with. -
Being able to anticipate on the songs that you don’t know
By understanding how songs can be grouped into styles, and how specific orchestras architecture their music (why they choose a melodic approach vs. rhythmic approach, for example), you are able to respond musically to the phrasing of any song – even the ones that you haven’t heard yet. -
Giving confidence to the followers who want to express themselves
A deep knowledge of tango music helps you influence your partner, including if you are a follower: for example by suggesting a different embrace, changing the way you walk, decorating in a certain way... By connecting through the music, you become less dependent on the lead and more of an equal partner. -
Helping you choose your partners wisely
Not everyone loves dancing the same types of music. When you are able to recognise the style, you’re able to connect with your partner through the music… and choose your them specifically based on the song that is playing in the milonga. Allowing you to have more fun when you go dancing.
Even though the reasons to improve your tango musicality are obvious, the path to doing it successfully is anything but
Express myself when dancing? Awesome!
But how do I actually get there?
Perhaps...
... in your desire to improve, you went to a musicality class. You put on your shoes, started walking on the beat with the other students… but ended up wondering if this was getting you anywhere…
Maybe you went to a milonga and asked dancer friends who seem to know about musicality for help… but all you got were either vague answers (‘go with the flow’, ‘just do what your body tells you to do’) or, instead, super-detailed music theory explanations that just confused you even more.
Here’s why most tango dancers fail to master tango musicality
Without super clear explanations on how to recognise the different styles of tango music and which style the main orchestras fall into, most tango dancers feel completely lost.
Feeling that you should know intuitively?
They fall victim to the feeling that they should know instinctively what to do as a dancer… Or become overwhelmed by the amount of information that they think they have to learn.
The professional tango dancers always make it sound so easy!
A time-sucking sticky point is that very few teachers teach musicality classes.
And here is why this is so crippling.
When a dancer feels disempowered when dancing, they slowly lose the joy of being in the tango embrace… and end up giving up, thinking that tango is “not for them”.
Therefore, understanding how you can express the music when dancing is one of those elements a dancer can’t do without.
The 4 Reasons Why Most Dancers Aren't Able To Confidently Express Themselves On The Music
Reason 1
Taking it song by song instead of looking at the big picture
Every tango song is special. We too have our favorites!
But the biggest mistake most tango dancers do is approaching musicality by starting at the song level: they try to catch the rhythm, understand in the 4x2 music theory they have learned, try to recognize the instruments…
This works well when you have quiet listening time at home, but it doesn’t help in milongas, when you need to (literally!) think on your feet and express a song you don’t know.
Instead, looking into how tango music has evolved with clear guidelines for each style, helps you easily anticipate what might come next and respond to the changes in the music.
Reason 2
Not Knowing the guidelines per orchestra
You probably already know the biggest orchestra conductors: Canaro, Di Sarli, D’Arienzo… to name a few.
But what you might not know is that their approaches to the music differ.
Each conductor had favorite instruments. Each of them also responded to what was in fashion, at different times of their career, and thus created different styles of songs…
Former-pianist Pugliese, for example, uses the piano differently from Di Sarli, who cared mostly about helping dancers look elegant and precise…
When you understand how the main conductors orchestrated their music, you have ‘guidelines’ that clarify how you approach it.
Reason 3
Trying to be musical by changing your steps
A lot of dancers are worried that they will be boring. Thus, they link musicality with doing more, new steps.
If that’s the case for you, we understand where you come from: no one wants to always be dancing in the same way.
But the truth is, being a musical dancer has more to do with how you adapt your body to the music, than the steps or decorations you do.
What brings nuances to your dancing is not the movements you do, but the way you do them.
Things like: Are going walking legato or marcato? Is the music inviting us to relax, or tighten your embrace? Shall we change dynamics to be with a different instrument right now?…
This, in the end, is what makes your dancing sophisticated and personal.
Reason 4
Misunderstanding the follower’s role
Yes, there are two clear roles in tango, with the ‘leader’ suggesting steps, and the ‘follower’ accepting them.
But the follower is not a passive dancer, and takes an active role in the couple’s musicality.
Because most dancers start their tango with a leader/follower approach (which is normal: teachers do this to simplify the learning), it becomes difficult for both partners to see the dance as an equal musical conversation.
Yet, a musical follower confidently influences her partner. He or she communicates how they wants to express the music: with their physicality, their embrace, the way they move, their decorations…
For this to happen, you need to know tango musicality as well as you partner and be able to anticipate the phrasing in the music – even in songs she hasn’t heard before.
Even though a lot of people want to express the music when dancing… it’s not something most people achieve.
And the main reason for this, as you’ve likely seen by now, is that while many people listen to tango music at-home and try to know the songs…
… the information about musicality and music theory can feel overwhelming or confusing.
But when you know the styles and phrasing of tango music, together with how the main orchestras approached their music, then it becomes easy to express yourself when dancing.
You can then influence your partner’s musicality, dance “as one”, and be in the flow of the song.
The key ingredient is knowing how to adapt your body and anticipating the music’s changes.
And, with our permission, we’d love to show you how to do just that.
Hi, we're Pablo & Anne
Combined, we have over 28 years of tango teaching experience
And during that time we have helped thousands of students all over the world.
As tango-music lovers, we have also found the fastest way to help our students feel creative and musical when dancing tango.
Our focus is on clarifying the complexity of tango dancing, and sharing our knowledge in simple, easily understandable bites.
And if you've decided that now is the time for you to finally feel free to improvise express the tango music, well... we can't wait to share all our tips with you!
Introducing
Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula
The complete step-by-step tango musicality guide to help you confidently express yourself when dancing.
We’ve taken everything we have learned from our years of teaching tango (between the 2 of us, that’s 25 years of combined experience) and DJing in milongas all over the world (the UK, France, Russia, Japan...) : we’ve created a step-by-step tango musicality programme that teaches you not only to recognize the style of the orchestras, but also what to do when (and how) on the music.
The Complete Tango Musicality Formula is the only course of its kind that:
1.Helps you recognize the styles of tango music
2. Gives you ‘guidelines’ for the most influential orchestras (and you’ll be invited to break them whenever you want to!)
3. Show you how to adapt your physicality to the music, so that even your simplest steps feel personal
4. Empowers followers (and leaders) to influence their partner’s musicality
So, if you’re ready to finally confidently express yourself when dancing, while avoiding the overwhelm and confusion, here’s how we’ll get you there
Here's how we'll help you get here:
Module 1
The 7 Fundamental Principles of Tango Musicality
In this phase, we start by educating your ear. By learning about the key principles of musicality in tango dancing, you know what to listen for in a tango song, even if you've never hear if before! You are able to make decisions as a dancer, so you can adapt your movements and physicality to the music.
Highlights:
- Hearing the phrasing of the music so you know how to dance to the phrase
- Using the melody to architecture your dancing and telling a story throughout the song
-
Hearing the 5 different layers of tango music, so you can make decisions about what musical element to dance and open your possibilities
-
Recognizing the most common tango instruments to decide what to dance to, and how
Module 2
Recognise The 3 Styles Of Tango Music & Dance To The Simple Songs of Guardia Vieja
In this phase, we teach you about the 3 styles of tango music. We also help you understand the principles of the Guardia Vieja music so you can create your own guidelines when dancing to songs of this style. We start here as this is the “easiest style” to recognize and adapt your dancing to.
Highlights:
- Recognizing the 3 main styles of tango dancing and the tools you have to recognize the style
- Feeling in your body how each style impacts your own musicality
- How to recognize the Guardia Vieja songs and how this style impacts your embrace (and why)
-
The type of movements you want to do to feel comfortable on these orchestras
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How to express your musicality without using decorations on this style
Module 3
Adapt your dancing to the rhythmic music of the Milonguero style
We go deep into the most rhythmic style, milonguero. After this module, you will know how to adapt your dancing to rhythmic tango, and how you can bring sophistication to your dancing without always dancing to the beat.
You’ll also have developed clear guidelines to use whenever you hear this style of music in a milonga.
Highlights:
- How to recognize Tango Milonguero style and the difference with Guardia Vieja
-
How to adapt your embrace to the milonguero style (and how followers can use it to influence the dance)
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Why and how your physicality is the main change to do on rhythmic tango music
-
The type of steps for milonguero orchestras (what to do when, including when the singer comes)
Module 4
Express yourself on melodic music & develop guidelines for Tango Salon
In this module, we help you adapt your dancing to the most ‘elegant’ and precise tango music. By learning to recognize the most important instruments, you learn what to do when, to be on the music. The goal here is to help you truly embrace the elegance suggested by these orchestras.
Highlights:
-
What the Tango Salon style is, how to recognize it, and what the main orchestras are
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How to adapt your dancing to this style of music (style of embrace and steps) so you embody the elegance suggested
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How to decorate on the Salon style, and how it differs from milonguero decorations
Module 5
Embracing elegance & expressing sophistication with Di Sarli's music
We deep dive into the most refined and elegant tango orchestra: in this modules, we share guidelines for you to dance to Di Sarli's music. Nicknamed the 'Gentleman of tango' for the sophistication of his music, he has influenced countless other tango orchestras.
Highlights:
- How Di Sarli developped a unique style that is still danced to today all over the world
- What to listen for (and dance to) in Di Sarli's music (including the little gifts he gives to both leaders & followers)
- Why Di Sarli almost never used syncopation, and how this impacts your dancing
- How to listen to the piano on Di Sarli and what you can do to express it
Module 6
Embrace speed and express the hidden subtleties of Juan D'Arienzo' music
In this module, we show you how to express the energetic music of one of tango music's most charismatic orchestra conductor. Juan D'Arienzo (or 'the King of the beat) has influenced countless other orchestras with his rhythmic style, but there is a lot more to his music - and as a dancer, you don't want to miss the subtleties and richness of offers us!
Highlights:
- Developing guidelines to dance on the “king” of rhythmic tango music: Juan D’arienzo
- How to feel comfortable dancing to Juan D'Arienzo, even when the music goes "too fast"
- The gifts in the music and the types of decorations you can do in D'Arienzo's style
Module 7
Embrace complexity and dancing to the singer, with Troilo’s music
By then, you are at a more advanced level of understanding of the tango music, and we can go deep into the songs with complex musicality. You can start expressing yourself on the songs of orchestras such as Anibal Troilo’s, whose musicality is extremely nuanced and who gives prominence to the singers.
Highlights:
-
How some orchestras use different styles and what to do then
-
Recognizing Troilo’s musicality
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Developing guidelines to adapt your dancing to songs with “more complex” musicality
-
How to dance to the singer
-
How daring followers can catch the little, less obvious “gifts” in the music
Module 8
Break the rules and reach the highest level of expression in tango music (deep dive in Pugliese)
At this stage, you are ready to embrace the most expressive music of Osvaldo Pugliese. We help you understand his musical style so you have the tools you need to find your highest level of self-expression on his music (hint: like him, we’ll break of lot of rules here!). This is where a dancer’s musicality reaches its most personal level.
Highlights:
-
How Pugliese expanded the Tango Salon style and broke its rules
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What makes Pugliese’s music so unique (the different musical elements and the types of instruments)
-
How to reach your full level of self-expression and originality on this music
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Why your embrace changes dramatically on Pugliese’s music and the types of steps that match it
-
The types of decorations leaders and followers can use on this music
The ‘I’m a musical dancer’ Guarantee
In “Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula” you will educate your musical ear, recognize the styles of tango music, and discover guidelines on how to adapt your dancing to any song.
You will broaden your culture of tango music, discover your personal dancing style, and be invited to “break the rules” to reach your highest level of self-expression.
Now, here’s the thing.
We know that getting you there will require work on your part, and want to make sure this is for you.
Here’s how:
By the end of the first 14 days of starting the course, you will have received access to the first 2 modules of the course, as well as the "Bonus Inspiration module".
Meaning, you’ll have discovered the 7 fundamental principles of tango musicality, developed your ear for the 3 styles of tango music, and dived deep into the Guardia Vieja style.
You’ll also have received the playlists with the songs we’ll have studied so far.
If, by then, you don’t feel that you are well on your way to express yourself when dancing… simply reach to us at [email protected] before the end of those 14 days.
Confirm to us that you’ve watched the lessons of the 1st two modules in full, and we’ll refund you your investment.
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula - £416 Value
[8 step-by-step modules with playlists and bonus PDFs - lifetime access to the videos]
- Bonus 1: 4 Q&A sessions with Pablo & Anne (we're here to help you get unstuck & learn faster) - Value: £156
- Bonus 2: When & How To Decorate In The Dance - Value: £59
- Bonus 3: Inspiration Bonus -Analysing our dancing: What we do when on each style of tango music - Value : £75
Total Value: £706
When you add it all up, that’s a value of £706
But when you enroll today, you’ll get access to everything for just:
Normal Option
1 Upfront Investment of
£297
OR
VIP Option
Access to all the whole training & Bonuses
+ 2 30-minutes private online sessions with Pablo
£377
[ONLY 20 SPACES AVAILABLE]
Frequently Asked Questions
What people asked before signing up for "Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula"
Great question!
You don’t need a partner to do this: the Tango Musicality Formula is an individual at-home practice training.
Also, here is what we know to be true about musicality.
Expressing tango music is not about doing specific steps, knowing hundreds or movements, or decorating a lot.
There’s too much freedom in Tango dancing for that.
Instead, it is about understanding how to adapt to the music in an intuitive way.
So, in the Tango Musicality Formula, we take you through a step-by-step plan to help you hear the phrasing in the music, recognize the styles and orchestras, decipher the most complex tango songs…
…then decide how you want to dance them.
Ah. We hear you.
We too have done our fair share of walk-to-the-beat-till-it-hurts classes.
That’s not our approach, though.
Our goal is to simplify tango musicality and make it intuitive for you (after, the decision to be on the beat or not is yours)
By looking into the tango styles, and gradually helping you embrace the complexity of tango music, we actually of much deeper.
The Tango Musicality Formula helps you decide intuitively how to adapt your body to the music, which movements to do when, how to express the different instruments… down to how to step differently to Troilo, D’Arienzo or Di Sarli
(if you don’t know who these tango orchestras are, you will by the end of the course)
So, fear not: this is a fascinating course.
Such a great question!
You know what? We’ve been in our shoes.
None of us have a great musical ear. But we do love that music and worked hard making it ours.
See, we come to it from the point of view of dancers, not musicians.
In the Tango Musicality Formula, our focus isn’t on the music theory per say (though there is a bit of it), but rather on what a dancer can do and how to open up possibilities.
We know that tango dancing and musicality can be confusing, so our teaching approach is always to clarify and simplify.
We use a step-by-step approach to bring you from being confused to having a clear understanding of how you want to approach a tango song it as a dancer…
So, trust us: when we get to the most advanced songs… you’ll ready to for them.
Such a great question.
Just so you know, your situation is very common!
In fact, even though we go deep into tango musicality in this course, we’ve also created it with you in mind.
Because we know that if they are thinking too much when dancing, musicality is the key that will make your dancing more enjoyable for yourself and your partners.
So we’ve made sure this is accessible to all, not only the most experienced dancers.
And don’t forget that as soon as you join, you get access to the “Fundamentals Of Tango Music”: there, we get you up to speed and teach you all the fundamentals of musicality (our 4X2 phrasing, how to recognise the instruments, how to hear the beat, etc…)
We know that getting you there will require work on your part, and want to make sure this is for you.
Here’s how:
By the end of the first 7 days of the course, you will have received access to the “Fundamentals of Tango Music” lesson, as well as the first 2 phases of the course.
Meaning, you’ll have had the opportunity to start developing your musical ear to the different styles of tango music and learned how to adapt your dancing to the Guardia Vieja songs.
You’ll also have received the playlists with the songs we’ll have studied so far.
If, by then, you don’t feel that you are well on your way to recognise the different tango styles while feeling so confident in your ability to adapt your tango dancing to any song… simply reach to us at [email protected] before the end of those 7 days.
Confirm to us that you’ve watched the lessons, and we’ll refund you your investment.
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula - £416 Value
[8 step-by-step modules with playlists and bonus PDFs - lifetime access to the videos]
- Bonus 1: 4 Q&A sessions with Pablo & Anne (we're here to help you get unstuck & learn faster) - Value: £156
- Bonus 2: When & How To Decorate In The Dance - Value: £59
- Bonus 3: Inspiration Bonus -Analysing our dancing: What we do when on each style of tango music - Value : £75
Total Value: £706
When you add it all up, that’s a value of £706
But when you enroll today, you’ll get access to everything for just:
Normal Option
1 Upfront Investment of
£297
OR
VIP Option
Access to all the whole training & Bonuses
+ 2 30-minutes private online sessions with Pablo
£377
[ONLY 20 SPACES AVAILABLE]
The Complete Tango Musicality Formula is PERFECT for you if…
- You’re just getting started with tango musicality and want to do it right… By using a clear, step-by-step approach that helps you know exactly what to do, and why, when you step on the dancefloor, even if the song that is playing is new to you.
- You’ve been trying to learn tango musicality for a while. But you don’t feel that you’re yet at a level where you can confidently express yourself, especially when dancing with a new partner. You’re looking for clear guidelines that will help you ‘simplify’ your approach to tango musicality
- You love tango but feel that there is something lacking in your knowledge. You have a sense that you have more potential for self-expression than what you are currently doing. You sense that learning about musicality will help you feel more confident and daring on the dancefloor.
- You know that tango dancing is demanding, and you’re willing to learn: Especially if you know that what us or other teachers are sharing with you will help you think less when dancing, and be more in the flow of the music.
- In fact, you’re already investing time and energy each week actively trying to master tango musicality: And you’re passionate about it. Only problem is, without clarity about the tango styles and how to recognize the different orchestras, you’re left with lots of open questions and don’t feel that you can fully express the music the way you want to yet.
- You’re sometimes worried about being “boring” when dancing and care about how your partners feel in your embrace: You don’t want to be someone who always dance in the same way. Instead, you want your partners to love dancing with you! The Complete Tango Musicality Formula shows you how to make even the simplest steps more musical… and, thus make your dancing more exciting for your partner.
- You’re ready to focus less on the steps and more on the music: You’re just not sure where to start, as it feels that there is so much to learn. You want a clear “shortcut” to go from being confused to being able to dance to the music.
- You know about the styles of tango music and want to recognize a song’s style instantly: You’re excited about recognizing a song’s style instantly, so that you can quickly adapt your embrace and your steps to the music.
If you said yes to at least 5 of those, then we can’t wait to see you inside “Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula”
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
Express & Understand: The Complete Tango Musicality Formula - £416 Value
[8 step-by-step modules with playlists and bonus PDFs - lifetime access to the videos]
- Bonus 1: 4 Q&A sessions with Pablo & Anne (we're here to help you get unstuck & learn faster) - Value: £156
- Bonus 2: When & How To Decorate In The Dance - Value: £59
- Bonus 3: Inspiration Bonus -Analysing our dancing: What we do when on each style of tango music - Value : £75
Total Value: £706
When you add it all up, that’s a value of £706
But when you enroll today, you’ll get access to everything for just:
Normal Option
1 Upfront Investment of
£297
OR
VIP Option
Access to all the whole training & Bonuses
+ 2 30-minutes private online sessions with Pablo
£377
[ONLY 20 SPACES AVAILABLE]
