Reviews (12)

NOT FOR THE BEGINNER
THIS BOOK ADVERTISED 1300 FULL COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS AND DIAGRAMS. FOOT PATTERNS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN TEACHING SOMEONE TO DANCE THIS BOOK HAS ONLY ABOUT ONE DOZEN (12) DIAGRAMS AND IS MISLEADING. IF YOU LIKE TO LOOK AT PHOTOS OF DANCERS IT IS GREAT BUT TO MUCH READING AND WAY TO CONFUSING FOR A DANCER SUCH AS MYSELF WHO HAS HAD ABOUT 40 HOURS OF LESSONS. I FEEL THIS BOOK IS FOR AN ADVANCED DANCER ONLY. TOM BEHNEY

Good overview of ballroom dance
This book outlines most of the ballroom dances from a pictorial point of view with the assistance of footstep illustrations. Its virtue is it is pretty comprehensive, with most of the ballroom dances discussed. Even some dances considered a little risque, such as the lambada, are discussed in the book. No doubt that professional instructors will find areas of disagreement in the advice and the patterns developed, but no book can cover all the idiosyncrasies of styling that exist in ballroom classes. A good book to have when learning ballroom, and the price is very reasonable.

BEAUTIFUL BOO K - ALMOST USELESS INFORMATION
BEWARE: This book describes the International Style of ballroom dance. NOT the American style. Perhaps 10% of American dance students are learning International.

EXAMPLE: THE WALTZ

American Waltz:
The basic figure is a square in which the man starts by stepping forward with the left foot and the dancers return to the starting position in 6 beats, making a square.

International Waltz:
The basic figure is a zig-zag. The man starts with the RIGHT foot and the dancers travel around the dance floor in a zig-zag pattern.

It would be great if Paul Bottomer would write a similar beautiful book for American ballroom dancers.

Dave Palmer

good complement for beginning international dancers
Many of the dances taught in this book are international style. If you plan to dance in the USA, you should know that social dancing is mainly American style for beginners.

The book is richly illustrated with photos. However, the angle of the photos changes randomly. So if you see a dance couple facing different directions in consecutive photos, maybe they have turned, or maybe the photographer moved. You have to read the accompanying text to tell.

I think this book is a good complement for beginning to advance-beginnning international dancers. You cannot completely rely on the book to learn techniques because while it does touches on them somewhat, it mostly concentrates on dance patterns. It will give you a rough idea of what a particular step looks like and give you the name of the step. If you have learned the step before, this would serve as a good review.

Can't learn how to dance from this book.
It's a good reference book if you know how to dance. If you're a beginner and try to learn from this book, you're in deep trouble. Unless you can translate "move you left foot to left, reflex your right knee, shift your weight on to the left on beat 3" description into movement right away, you'll go through one basic movement in hours. If you want to improve your dance skill, it may be helpful. Since I'm a total beginner, I can't say that for sure. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An intriguing 'blurred genre'
Taylor's _Paper_Tangos_ is a great example of how autobiography and ethnography can come together to 'write culture'. The text is introspective, reflecting the nature of the Argentine culture at the time that Taylor lived in South America. In this respect, she was involved in 'participant observation'; it seems that everyone hid from society at the time (lots of scary terrorism going on). In _Paper_Tangos_, she finds refuge in the 'underground' tango culture, and discovers much about her past as she learns about the dance and social practices.

If you become Taylor's 'dancing' partner, and read this book on its own terms--outside of genre traditions and 'rules'--you may, like me, appreciate it for the unique perspective that it offers. This book has inspired my own writing and approaches to both memoir and ethnography. And the little flip book it really cool too!!

An odd little book
An odd little book about a former ballet dancer dancing tango in Buenos Aires. The author describes herself as blonde and beautiful. She marries and divorces an Argentine man, but it's all in the background of her consuming tango obsession. With disjoint time and amost hallucinatory digressions into the emotions brought to the surface by tango, this reads a bit like "Trout Fishing in America" if it were tango instead of trout. There is a flip book built into the pages where a tango turns first into a violent attack and then into sheets of falling paper. This low-tech animation wordlessly caputures the themes in the text. ... Read more

Book Description

Mauricio Castro's book offers a new system to help the dancer creatively develop his/her tango using solidly established technical foundations. The instructions can be easily followed with the help of a series of two and three-dimensional diagrams especially designed by the author.

The method is explained in a clear, concise and efficient way and includes lessons for the beginner to the most advanced in tango dance theory.

This book revolutionizes all of the traditional concepts used until now in the teaching of this sensuous, passionate and complex dance form which aquires enthusiastic new followers daily, all around the world. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

The Key to it's Secrets Revealed
This is the most appropiate subtitle for this book. Because, after a read it, the dance seem so much simple.

Very intresting
I started to dance 3 years ago, and this book has been the most helpfull tool to my learning process. It is very well design, and the graphics are clear to understand.

Very useful
I am glad I've found this book. I've been learning tango for a long time, and finally I have found a system that makes sense to me.

Great book about Structure
In my opinion it is a very good book. It had clarify to me and my students a lot about this dance. I use it with all my students and we have great fun.

For special customers target.
It's a very good book. Through its pages you can learn the more modern concepts not only about argentine tango but also the most innovative dance techniques. The author break all the learning and teaching dance rules. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tango dancing is enjoying a rediscovery with concert performances such as Forever Tango and Tango Argentino, but this book by French author Evelyne Pieiller and Spanish photographer Isabel Muñoz makes no attempt to tell the Argentinian dance's history. Rather, it approaches its subject obliquely, with a long piece of fiction and a series of tango song lyrics, translated into English, and accompanying the book's centerpiece, a series of remarkable, glowing, mildly erotic photographs. All freeze the tango dancers in action: tangles of entwined limb tightly clad in stretched satin and fishnet, sweating, and not always just with exertion. The lyrics, presented here as poems of passion and betrayal, capture both the essence of the dance, and the sharp tang of the lifestyle that produced it. Rarely does a book capture pure mood so well--to exclusion of virtually everything else. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Tango in Words and Photographs
"Tango" is a stylish and sexy coffee table book for fans of the tango. It features 80 duotone (black and white) photographs by Isabel Munoz of dancers in various stages of tango. On the facing pages there are lyrics of popular tango songs, displayed like poetry, in both Spanish and English. A short story by French author Evelyne Pieiller prefaces and introduces us to the photographs and lyrics. Many of the photographs are erotic, and some are semi-nude, so this book may not be to everyone's taste. But "Tango" beautifully captures the drama and eroticism of this dance that was born of competition in the bordellos of Buenos Aires and has achieved -just enough, but not too much- respectability as it continues to capture the imagination of couples around the world.

Isaballa Munoz's "Tango" is red hot!!
This steamy book captures the intimacy of the tango. It is a great gift to buy for any tango afficionado and even your lover.

Not only does the book have photographs, but also lyrics to Spanish songs along with the English translations. The lyrics tell stories of love,betrayal and recollection of a lost lover.

A tango for two book, be careful who you are giving it to...
I bought this book in Buenos Aires, I was looking for a tango book as a present for my tango teacher when I saw Isabel's book: it stood among all the others.. but it wasn't the right one for my teacher, it was instead the right one for my lifetime partner, my wife! So I bought two tango books that night in Buenos Aires... ... Read more

Book Description

Should you ever give up the fast track? Could you settle down with the spirit of adventure still in your blood? And just how do you say "Mr. Wrong" in Spanish anyway? Fueled by tango addiction, the hope of romancing a sultry porteño, and a one-way ticket to Buenos Aires, Marina Palmer is about to find out.

Approaching her dreaded thirtieth birthday -- without a doting husband, a fabulous apartment, or children and a nanny -- Marina Palmer suddenly found herself adrift in anxiety. She was a successful advertising executive but was bored by her job. Lasting love was proving elusive and her weekly visit to the therapist had multiplied by three. Then, on a whimsical vacation to South America, Palmer discovered the passion that her life was missing. At a steamy two a.m. milonga, she caught her first glimpse of Argentina's signature dance and fell head over heels from the sidelines.

Leaving behind her fast-track career and her desperation to meet "the One," Palmer returned to Buenos Aires to pursue a new dream. Moving thousands of miles from friends and family, she arrived in Argentina seeking a dancing partner, storybook love, and the tango lessons that might ultimately help her earn a place on the professional circuit. Exploring her new city by day and seducing sexy Argentines on the dance floor by night, her tango obsession ruled her life. She'd never been thinner -- tango is the world's most erotic weight-loss plan! -- more confident, or closer to her definition of having it all.

From auditioning for the Broadway hit Forever Tango, to becoming a street dancer on the infamous calle Florida, to discovering just how irresistible the sizzling porteños can be, Marina Palmer chronicles her exhilarating misadventures in Buenos Aires in no-holds-barred diary-style confessions full of adventure, romance, heartbreak, and steamy sex.

Inspiring, outrageous, and bursting with passion, Kiss & Tango is the ideal book for anyone secretly daydreaming of taking their own gamble of a lifetime.

Book Description

Born in the slums of Buenos Aires in the last decades of the nineteenth century, the tango--the most erotic, most passionate, most melancholy of dances--has remained spectacularly alive for more than a hundred years. Today it is the focus of a new cult, casting its spell throughout the Americas, Europe, the Pacific basin, and Japan.What is the secret of the tango's appeal? In Tango!, four experts from Europe, North America, and Latin America explore its fascinating history from the earliest beginnings to the present. Historian Simon Collier traces the tango's roots in Argentina and charts its rise from the brothels of Buenos Aires to become the quintessential expression of Argentine popular culture. The writer Artemis Cooper discusses the amazing tango craze of the 1910s in Europe and North America, while anthropologist Maria Susana Azzi looks at the tango's peak years in Argentina, the period from 1920 to 1950. Finally, Richard Martin, Curator at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, charts the international boom in the tango's popularity in recent times. He looks, too, at the relationship of woman to man and man to woman in the tango. To match the spectacle of the tango, the book is illustrated with more than 250 photographs and drawings in color and black and white. Special features are built around the brilliant color photography of Ken Haas, recognized worldwide for his fidelity to the spirit of the dance. And as an evocative reminder of the rhythms of the dance, some of the most celebrated tango songs are discussed and quoted. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good!
Good but not great. The book follows all the story of tango but there is something missing....many of the pictures are unfortunately 2-paged and cannot be appreciated (plus I couldnt find any passion in any but 2 of them) although the book seems to getting better as you go towards the end. The edition is of course luxury but i can't say i was amazed. Anyhow a good choice for an absolute beginner to tango but I would suggest Horacio's Salas "the tango" in every case.

Tango is more than music and dance.
Until I read "¡Tango!", most of what I knew from tango was what was told by instructors, including Daniel Trenner, Brooke Burdett, half a dozen Argentine nationals, an equal number of Canadians, and a Belgian. It was exciting to get all the information I needed in one place. Tango is more than just music and dance. It is a cultural phenomenon that began in the barrios and bordellos of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and spread throughout the world. At the base of this cultural phenomenon is the relationship between a man and a woman. Tango is not just an American or South American phenomenon. It has spread throughout the world, and is popular in such diverse countries as Finland and Turkey, as well as those areas where it evolved.

The text of the book is outstanding and well documented. I was pleased with the choice of artwork, old and contemporary photographs, and page layout. It gave me a great understanding of the tango as a cultural phenomenon. There is an excellent bibliography and the text is referenced with footnotes for those who wish to go to some original sources. I am one of those people who are always looking for recommendations for music, and I was pleased to see a two-page listing of tangos, which are available on compact disc. For those who travel, there is a listing of international tango centers. It is an incomplete list, but it would be helpful for those who travel a lot for business or pleasure.

If you like tango, this would be a good book to start your collection. Then you can proceed with "Le Grand Tango: The Life and Music of Astor Piazzola."

A Must for Every "Tango Household"
For a person just discovering the Argentine tango (or who wants to), this is an interesting, beautiful, coffee table book. It's filled with gorgeous illustrations and photographs, as well as poetry, lyrics and fun, historical tidbits about the music & history. It rambles, but that just makes it more fun to open it up and start reading from anywhere. It's been the kind of book that has made even my non-tango friends interested in the dance and cultures behind it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A superb reference for all aspiring tangologists!
The is the English version of Ferrer's "El Siglo de Oro de Tango". He categorized the hundred years of tango history into 8 periods, from the genesis of tango, through the development of various "orquestas tipicas", to the modernization of the music and the current popularity of its music and dance. Each period and its prominent musicians and poets were nicely described and at the end of each period, Ferrer listed the major compositions of that time. Some of these lists seem somewhat tedious for leisure reading, but they are very useful if you want to look up some particular information.

The book is also beautifully illustrated with vintage photographs of the major orchestras and dancers as well as the wonderfully decorated covers of the sheet music. If you are interested in the history of tango music, this is a very good introduction and reference. This is particularly true for people who can't read Spanish fluently. Yes, it took me almost 3 months to receive my copy. But it is well worth it!

Finally, just a brief biographic note on Horacio Ferrer. He was the lyricist for Astor Piazzolla for a very long time. His most famous lyrics included "balada para un loco", "Chiquilin de bachin", and "Maria de Buenos Aires" (an operita). He is currently one of the foremost tango scholars (among others such as Jose Gobello, Maria Susana Azzi, and Simon Collier). ... Read more

Book Description

The Tao of Tango is emphatically not a dance book, but rather the ultimate self-help book on the way men and women view relationships.

Written specifically to be accessible to both genders, [Johanna]...uses the Tango as a metaphor to describe the fragile balance of energies found in all interpersonal relationships, as they are perceived from the point of view of both sexes. The book includes physical exercises to help readers through the process of developing awareness of the self and of one's partner.

A "must" read for anyone desiring a balanced life and a loving relationship. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Insightful and Compelling
"The Tao of Tango is one of the most compelling, thought-provoking, informative and sensitive books I have ever read. This book was written from the heart of the author, Johanna Siegmann, to the heart of anyone seeking to understand the interplay of female and male energy in relationships. The use of the Tango as a metaphor for the "dance of life" is beautiful and profound in its simplicity...your spirit will dance with this one. "

Dances of the Heart
Johanna Siegmann contrasts the exotic and flowing nature of the tango with the everyday dance in relationships that we all do in life. It's a self-help approach that appeals to the romantic in all of us. Once we realize that we're all in the dance together, Johanna pinpoints just what happens when the tango begins and how to truly enjoy your life. A great read!

Tao of Tango
I swear by this book. I think anyone can relate to it and find some good insights. I have passed this book along to many of my friends and students in our local tango community, but also to many other "non-dancers" too. It's an easy read but full of depth and understanding that anyone can find applicable to theirselves and their lives.

Tango
"The Tao of Tango poses some fascinating theories about masculine/feminine [energies] and the powers each possess. Johanna understands the power of the dance, [and] what it brings to our lives. "

A brand new twist on the Tango
The Tao Of Tango is emphatically not a dance book (although the author Johanna Siegmann has learned the Tango so that the reader never has to) but rather the ultimate self-help book on the way men and women view relationships. Written specifically to be accessible to both genders, The Tao Of Tango includes physical exercises to heighten the senses. Author Johanna Siegmann compares male and female energy, also known as Yang and Yin, to archetypal Tango dancers, and from this draws insight for the reader to ponder long after he or she finishes this slim book. Fresh, unique, and definitely a brand new twist on the Tango. ... Read more

Book Description

Quickstart to Tango is the only book in print that contains the technique and development of either style of Tango.The book is packed with 60,000 words devoted to Tango.It fills the educational void for Tango dancers that are increasing daily in numbers.Additionally, there are histories of Tango's development and a conversation with Mr. Carlos Gavito the star of the Broadway Show Forever Tango and one of the most famous Tango dancers since Tango's Golden Age. 1.

Second in the Quickstart Dance series from the author of America's number one selling dance book.2.

Covers the basic choreography in both the Social-American Ballroom and Argentine Tango. 3.

This text is presented in a logical and cumulative format that includes all the basic skills necessary for the successful learning, partnering, and teaching both styles of Tango. 4.

Exclusive interview with Carlos Gavito from the Broadway cast of the smash hit Forever Tango.Also included are the history, myth, and lore of both styles of Tango.5.

An approach to Tango from a kinesiological point of view with an approach to mental and physical attitudes and philosophies. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Great book for beginners and all dancers!
Wow! Quickstart To Tango not only gives the beginner dancer an excellent understanding of the basics of Tango, but also provides some historical background of its origins and 'lore'. Mr. Allen's explanation and presentation of both the American and Argentine style of Tango, is very thorough and detailed. As a dancer of both styles of Tango (and International Standard as well), I was pleasantly surprised at Mr. Allen's ability to present the American and Argentine styles as separate and unique, yet also point out where the two styles are the same. I really enjoyed the practice exercises that are included; they are not only fun but very helpful in gaining a firm grasp of the basic movements. Also the 'common errors' and the solutions for them provides some excellent information for all dancers.. There is choreography included beyond the basics, which challenges the beginner and adds interest for those with some dance experience. Although this book is especially helpful to the beginner dancer, it contains some wonderful explanations of the proper dance technique in general. As a student of dance and competitor, I have found the information about technique in Quickstart To Tango to be very helpful in my lessons in all the dances! My instructor enjoyed this book as well and is even using some of Mr. Allen's physical analogies in his lessons and classes! Another big "plus" is the offer of online support to the reader. I decided to try it an e-mailed a question to the author - and he answered it the very next day! I am looking forward to book #3 of the Quickstart Series.

A MUST READ - AND RE-READ!
I became interested in Tango about 4 years ago after a visit to South America.When I returned home I went to a dance studio to begin lessons and to learn more of this fascinating dance. Two years ago my teacher recommended I get a copy of Quickstart To Tango and read it. "Do not read it like a dimestore novel, and do not look for footprints on the floor to follow - this book is more than that" he told me. And he was right! I appreciate the fact that Mr. Allen does not treat his audience like a kindergarten class - he assumes his reader is intelligent. And also when that reader buys a book - that reader must read it. If you are looking for a 'coffee table book' or a syllabus with charted figures, amounts of turn, specific foot placements of each partner, etc. then buy that type of book - there are alot of them out there. Quickstart To Tango contains exceptional explanation of the technique used in this dance - both American and Argentine. In fact the technique contained here is applicable to any dance. And the figure descriptions are quite accurate - but again you must be willing to read them! It is,as the cover states, a wonderful complement to dance lessons and I have used mine as such.But this book is also very helpful to beginners who have never taken a dance lesson. Quickstart To Tango is like the books we used in school - it is meant to be looked at more than once and, as you progress and learn more, the parts you re-read take on more meaning. I enjoyed the interesting historical background on the Tango, and was very entertained by the interview with the great Carlos Gavito. What a pleasure to read an informative book that I can continue to refer to and learn from. It was also a pleasant surprise to find that Mr.Allen is accessible by email happy to discuss Tango, answer questions, or provide help with anything he has written. Bravo, Mr. Allen and thank you.

This book sure helped us!!
We've been to many group classes and watched many videos. Everything they cover for the beginner is included in this book with one major difference - Mr. Allen gives us detail and explanations rather than just dance steps. Participating in group classes and watching videos are fine however, they require us to know the feeling in order to do the steps correctly. Beginners don't know or have the feeling so we tend to mimic what we see incorrectly. Allen in his book seems to have anticipated these problems and discusses them with the reader.

I urge the readers of this review as I have urged my fellow classmates to obtain this book as a great Tango reference book. By the way, the index is great for researching a specific element that you need to work on. Every Tango student should own this book!

Just.... Great !
Thank you Mr. Allen for finally explaining what makes this dance "work" ! I have been a fan (no pun intended) of Tango for a long time. I tried some classes and just couldn't "get it"....after reading this great book, I know why! It really isn't about where your feet go - it's about your entire body and this book explains that beautifully.
All of those beautiful movements that look so complex are really a collection of simple movements and the give and take between the partners- wow, I wish I had read this book first before spending my $$$ on classes!

Tango a Wedding Delight
We wanted to dance Tango at our wedding in Las Vegas. We did!!
As absolute beginners we picked up this book by Jeff Allen and it really made sense as a great instructional and reference. The dance steps are located at the end of the book so we worked ourselves from the back to the front of the book using the wonderfully constructed index to find solutions to our problem areas. The front of the book is really the foundational experience of how to Tango walk, how to lead and follow, how to frame, how to rotate, and much, much more. This appears to be boring you know like learning to read & write so we rushed to get to the story.

At first we muddled through because we felt if we could just follow the steps we would be fine, we had more failures than successes. It appears the author had already anticipated this. We found this out by either rereading the introductory chapters or honestly reading them for the first time. Then we went back and forth from what Allen calls "The Technique," (we call them the nuts and bolts) to the "Tango Choreography," and began to solve the problems. We got out of the book just what we wanted!! We figured we saved many hundreds of dollars in class time.

Buy the book and really use it don't expect to just flip the pages and find magic!! You'll get out of Quickstart to Tango just what you want. ... Read more

Book Description

This entertaining volume describes the beginnings of the dance in Buenos Aires, biographies of famous tango dancers, what to wear, what shoes are best, tango etiquette, an in-depth section on tango music. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A "must" for all tango dance enthusiasts!
Paul Pellicoro On Tango is a comprehensive guide to the Argentine Tango dance, written by expert instructor Paul Pellicoro -- who is the man that taught and choreographed the tango scene for Al Pacino in the popular movie "Scent of a Woman." Individual chapters embrace the philosophy that anyone can learn the tango, and address everything from dance steps to what to wear to working in harmony with one's partner. An extensive lists of top-class places to go to for tango dancing around the world rounds out this superb instructional for dance enthusiasts. Paul Pellicoro On Tango is a "must" for all tango dance enthusiasts! ... Read more

Book Description

What is tango? Dance, music, and lyrics of course, but also a philosophy, a strategy, a commodity, even a disease. This book explores the politics of tango, tracing tango's travels from the brothels of Buenos Aires to the cabarets of Paris and the shak dansu clubs of Tokyo. The author is an Argentinean political theorist and a dance professor at the University of California at Riverside. She uses her "tango tongue" to tell interwoven tales of sexuality, gender, race, class, and national identity. Along the way she unravels relations between machismo and colonialism, postmodernism and patriarchy, exoticism and commodification. In the end she arrives at a discourse on decolonization as intellectual "unlearning." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A perfect work
I couldn't agree more with Mr. Stermitz.

-student of dance and cultural sociology

Tanog dancers beware!
This book is basically unreadable. I tried several times to wade through it and eventually gave up. I am sure there are some valuable points here but they are under deep layers of academic self indulgence. Tango dancers beware! This book is more about political theory than the dance.

History of Tango Including Social and Emotional Aspects

Histories of the Argentine tango are often polemical. Questions of propriety, national identity and social position have colored and distorted the perceptions of both authors and readers. In this tradition, Marta E. Savigliano, Assistant Professor of dance history at the University of California, Riverside, explores the history of the Argentine Tango as a dance form using sex/gender, wealth/class and color/race categories.

As a woman, a feminist and a dancer of tango, Savigliano is willing to investigate aspects of the tango that both attract and disturb many people. What is different and most provocative in Savigliano's history of the tango is her exploration of the sex-gender dynamics. Her description of tango includes its emotional context:

"As a powerful representation of male/female courtship, stressing the tension involved in the process of seduction, the tango performance has gone through several successive adjustments as it has been adopted and legitimized by the upper classes and by Western hegemonic cultures."

Savigliano's legitimization road introduces us to upper-crust Argentine lads slumming in the brothels of Buenos Aires, takes us through left-bank Paris of the 1910s, explains romantic reinterpretations of tango as it became THE dance of the Argentine middle class by the 1940s. We even visit more recent Japanese tango revivals.

Is the tango a display of unequal male-female power relationships? Who seduces whom?

Savigliano speaks as someone who knows well the tango, notably the heart and soul and the passion-tension in the dance. She views the tango woman not as a victim, but as a co-conspirator. The follower may not lead the tango, but she often knows more about what's happening than the leader:

"Translated into tango choreographic terms, [Tango] lyrics suggest that milonguitas could provoke the dance (call the attention of their target through their glances, figure, and dancing abilities) and tempt the class/race status quo into motion, but they would never lead or "mark" (marcar) in the moment at which the special steps were performed.

So Savigliano's answer is that the follower provokes and teases, and maybe controls the leader's heart and intentions, even while the leader is choreographing the dance, in spite of the fact that the economic power relationship may be quite unequal.

There are not many English language histories of the tango, so Savigliano's effort is a welcome contribution. On the whole, the writing style is accessible for an intelligent reader, although sometimes the academic approach is over-stressed and other times it is too artistic or impressionable.

The strength of this book is that human emotions and the male-female dynamic of tango have been brought into its historical analysis. The tango dance is quite unusual in this regard because without the experience of dancing tango an armchair historian simply persuing primary-source material would miss some of the most important elements no matter how deep the investigation.

Tom Stermitz
Chautauqua Publishing ... Read more

Book Description

Astor Piazzolla was a musical genius, a man who used the national dance of Argentina as raw material for a whole new musical genre. In Le Grand Tango, Maria Susana Azzi and Simon Collier vividly capture the life of this extraordinary musician--a visionary who won worldwide acclaim, but sparked bitter controversy in his native land.

Azzi and Collier trace Piazzolla's early life from his birth in Argentina in 1921 to his childhood years on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where he first developed a talent for the bandoneon, the accordion-like instrument central to the tango. They describe his return to Argentina at age 16 and his rapid rise in the intoxicating world of tango, where he quickly earned a place with the leading dance band, and then formed his own group. But at the height of his success, Piazzolla decided to take tango music to a new level and studied composition with the legendary Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Combining deft musical analysis and intriguing personal insight, Azzi and Collier show how he created a dramatically new style of tango music influenced by jazz and classical pieces--a tango music meant for listening, not dancing. But they also show that, in the birthplace of the tango, he met fierce resistance. He eventually left Argentina for Europe, where he emerged as an international celebrity.

Since Piazzolla's death in 1992, his influence has only grown. Jazz giants such as Gary Burton and Al Di Meola--and classical stars Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Daniel Barenboim--have all recorded albums of his works. Now Azzi and Collier have given us the first biography of this astonishingly gifted musician. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Piazzolla fans should buy this book!
This is the best and most complete document about the life and work of Astor Piazzolla. The authors inter-link Piazzolla's work with the major events of his life and the artistic and political context of the time. If you are really interested in learning about Piazzolla, you should go ahead and buy this book.

An Engaging Hagiography
Nearly ten years after Astor Piazzolla's death, the debate still rages about whether or not his music is "tango". Well, some of it is, and some of it isn't. But the roots of all his music lie deep in the tango tradition and whether or not a particular piece is or isn't tango is of no real importance. The fact is that Astor Piazzolla composed some of the finest music in any genre and all Argentines can take pride in that. I have been a fan of Astor Piazzolla for nearly 30 years but only knew the music. After having read Le Grand Tango, I now feel as though I know the man. Having "met" him, my understanding and admiration of both the music and the man has increased exponentially. Azzi and Collier have authored an easy to follow, entertaining and informative book about El Maestro. One learns not only about his music but about his forceful personality and the forces which shaped Piazzolla and drove him to be the most dazzling musician of the 20th century. His life, his loves, his triumphs and his failures all spring to life here. Though most readers will likely be hardcore fans of Piazzolla, its flowing style makes it an engaging hagiographical read for anyone who has even a mild interest in music history or in the forces and personalities which have shaped and regenerated tango throughout second half of the 20th century.

Azzi and Collier have written a masterpiece.
Piazzola means tango for many people. The first tango music I ever purchased was Piazzola's music. His music dominated Sally Porter's movie, "Tango Lesson." This is a man that you must know about if you like tango, the dance and the music. Even if your interest is 20th century music, you will be fascinated. The story of Piazzola's life is a story of how cultures, music, and people are interrelated. As a person who was born in Argentina, his music was tango; as a kid named "Lefty" who grew up in Manhattan, he felt the influence of jazz. As a musician known as "El Gato," he built on the tango traditions of Troilo, Sarli, and Pugliese.

He began his musical career as a musician who could not read music. Anibal Troilo hired Piazzola because he had memorized the band's repertoire. He studied music and composition while playing in tango groups, and went on for more formal training in Paris. Piazzola loved everything from the classical music of Rubenstein to the jazz of Gershwin. Although we think of Piazzola in terms of tango, many of his contemporary tango aficionados hated his music because it was nontraditional, evolutionary, and avant gard.

This book was of value to me because it increased my understanding not just of Piazzola, but also of the major twentieth century tango musicians and composers. It may not make me a better dancer, but the increase of knowledge added to my appreciation of the music not just of Piazzola, but also of Pablo Ziegler, Romulo Larrea, and Felix Leclerc. It was a fitting complement to "Tango!" a collaborative book by Simon Collier, Artemis Cooper, Maria Susana Azzi, and Richard Martin. You don't have to be a serious student of music to enjoy either book. It will add to your appreciation of tango.

Le Grand Tango
Astor Piazzolla's music is nothing if not controversial. Among the Argentines themselves, there seems to be two opinions. One was voiced to me some years ago by an Argentine tanguera whose artistic views I always listen to, when she said that "Tango is tango, and Piazzolla is not!" The other is stated just as militantly in favor of Piazzolla's efforts. Wildly so.

Piazzolla died in 1992. But the debate still rages, and there's little middle ground. The reason for it is that Piazzolla remade the Argentine tango in ways that had never been imagined possible before him. He's one of those composers who takes a regional musical impulse and refashions it into a new statement of world-wide interest. Controversial he is, to be sure. But with the possible exception of the legendary singer Carlos Gardel, no one has expanded the consciousness of the world more with regard to the tango than Astor Piazzolla.

Le Grand Tango is the first complete biography of Piazzolla. Born in Buenos Aires in 1921, he spent eleven years of his childhood in New York City, in the East Village. Radio interviews with him reveal that he spoke fluent English with a Lower East Side accent. Even as a child, Astor's talent on the bandoneón, the large concertina-like instrument that is considered by most to be the soul of the tango, was noted. But he was not playing the tango at that time. The boy preferred classical music and jazz, Bach and Gershwin. His father Vicente, a barber and woodworker, pushed Astor to make himself into a true tango musician. But it was only when, at the age of thirteen, Astor met and was befriended by Carlos Gardel himself, that he began his serious studies in the tango.

Returning to Argentina at the age of sixteen, Astor threw himself into those studies and, almost immediately, was offered a job by another great innovator on the bandoneón, Aníbal Troilo. He joined Troilo's band and became one of its principal arrangers. It was at this time that his difficulties began, as some of the tango musicians found Astor's arrangements too complicated and too difficult to play.

That was because he was putting things into the arrangements that were largely unknown to tangueros. Counterpoint. Fugue. Polyrhythmic intensities that turned the more traditional, and simple, tango rhythms on their heads. Bartok. Stravinsky. Ravel. But Piazzolla was also a consummate tango musician, as anyone knows who has heard him play his own slow, lovely tangos. Despite his experimentalism, his abilities as a composer, musician and arranger simply could not be denied.

Azzi and Collier do a fine job describing Astor's artistic fire, and the debate which always followed in his wake. The book is also often quite funny, because Astor was a genuinely humorous man himself. And it sheds light on the difficulty of being so important an artist who must struggle so to be heard. At least when he was heard, he received the praise that he deserved. As one British critic put it, upon seeing Piazzolla play for the first time, "It was like going to inspect an interesting hillock and uncovering an erupting volcano."

The book contains a very useful discography of Piazzolla's work, excellent notes, a fine list of sources and a complete index.

In the end, Le Grand Tango may be of more interest to aficionados of Argentina and the tango than to the general public. But Piazzolla became so well-known that he was sought out by every kind of accomplished musician, from such disparate realms as jazz, classical music, opera and rock and roll, and they are all here in this book. As a chronicle of this very important composer's presence in the totality of world music, and his battles to make his own music heard and appreciated, it is invaluable. _________________________________

(Novelist Terence Clarke [The Day Nothing Happened, My Father in the Night, The King of Rumah Nadai] has just completed a screenplay that tells of the friendship between the thirteen year-old Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel in New York in 1934. teryclarke@hotmail.com)

El Libro que tanto esperabamos.....
Quienes de una u otra forma estamos interesados en la vida y obra del genial maestro, este libro ocupa el vacío dejado por la obra de Natalio Gorin y de Diana Piazzolla.Con una lectura entretenida Azzi y Collier nos van llevando de la mano por los laberintos que Piazzolla tuvo que recorrer hasta ser aceptado, reconocido y admirado en el mundo del tango y de la musica contemporánea;con una excelente discografia, notas y fuentes de investigación, este libro está destinado a ser de lectura obligada para investigadores musicales, músicos, amantes de la música de Piazzolla y público en general ... Read more

Book Description

El Origen prostibulario del tango. Su expansion y arraigo en la sociedad de principios de siglo. La Guardia Vieja. Prosa y Poesia. Los cantores de tango. El tango y la mujer. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

A masterpiece of clarity based on understanding and feeling
As the four times undefeated Argentine Tango World & European Supreme Champion, you would expect the author to know what he's talking about but this book makes you feel that he is with you as YOU discover the magic and feeling of the Tango for yourself. Everything becomes so clear. It has inspired me to get out there, take lessons and I'm having a wonderful time. Only now am I beginning to understand the care taken in bringing an understandable structure to this dance which so many others seem to lack. This structure allows the dancer to make rapid progress while fully enjoying the process. Brilliant !!!

Good book for beginning Argentine Tango dancers
This book has many figures in Argentine Tango dancing. The instructions are very easy to follow and the photos that go along with the instructions are well done. Not much detail is put into the instructions which allows this book to cover many figures superfically instead of a few figures in detail. Argentine Tango is a dance that almost certainly needs personal instruction but if you you to get a book this is a good one. This book would be great if you already know the basics or dancing such as frame, leading, following, etc. and want to add a few more moves to your routine ... Read more

Book Description

Illustrated "Last Tango left me depleted and exhausted. Some of the pain I was experiencing was my very own. Thereafter I decided to make my living in a way that was less devastating emotionally." Thus Marlon Brando recalled, in his autobiography, making Last Tango in Paris.Bernardo Bertolucci's graphic and harrowing account of sexual obsession, grief, psychic breakdown, and murder premiered in 1972 at the New York Film Festival. The print was escorted to the screening by armed guards. On the film's subsequent release in Italy, Bertolucci, Brando, co-star Maria Schneider, and producer Alberto Grimaldi were indicted on obscenity charges and found guilty. Controversy and censorship dogged the film, but it was a great commercial and critical success. Venerated New Yorker critic Pauline Kael called Last Tango "the most powerfully erotic movie ever made."David Thompson's fluent account of Last Tango in Paris details the conception, production, and fortunes of the film. Drawing on a new and extensive interview with Bertolucci, Thompson shows how the film crystallized Bertolucci's interest in art, literature, and psychoanalysis, and how it was realized through the consummate skills of cast and crew. Ending with a discussion of how important this film is for an understanding of Brando, Schneider, and Jean-Pierre Leaud, Thompson unravels the brilliance of Last Tango in Paris' depiction of human behavior and emotion. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Respectable study of once-notorious film.
When 'Last Tango In Paris' was first shown at the New York Film Festival in 1972, an ecstatic Pauline Kael declared it a New Beginning, a seminal turning point in the history of cinema, as tradition-shattering and forward-looking in its implications for the medium as Stravinsky's 'The Rite Of Spring' was for music. This kind of hyperbole, together with the film's taboo-busting depictions of sexual relations, led to the film becoming an immediate, controversial legend. Now that 'Last Tango' has become a respectable art-house staple, we can now agree with Roger Ebert who sees 'Last Tango' as an End, the last major European movie to make an impact in America, one of the last dramas to deal honestly with with adult themes, the culmination of a radical cinephile lineage that would be absorbed and defused by the Movie Brats.

David Thompson is not interested in charting this decline. His book is a straightforward account of the film's genesis, context, production and impact. The film arose from Bertolucci's sessions with a psychanalyist, which probably accounts not only for the film's visual motifs, but the confessional monologues that litter it. Bertolucci saw in 'Last Tango' a fusion - of American and European cinema; of formal mise-en-scene with verite and imporvisation, and Thompson sensitively draws out the film's tensions and contradictions. He discusses the film's visual influences (in particular, the paintings of Francis Bacon and the French films of the 1930s), and the contributions of significant crew members to the film's texture. His charting the story's development from Bertolucci's initial idea through financial considerations and crucial script changes and omissions to cuts made after the final premiere and the final release, not only shows us the adaptability and openness of Bertolucci's aesthetic, but also alerts us to the shifting nature of the film's meanings. His synopsis of the film itself, and analysis of key scenes, figures, techniques and the interaction of the two plots, is enlightening.

The book concludes with essays on the three lead actors, Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider and Jean-Pierre Leaud. Those on Brando and Leaud in particular show how Bertolucci conflated the actors' iconic image (Hollywood; French New Wave), and their real-life histories with their roles, making the film both more intellectually detached and emotionally engaging. His chapter on Brando, on the personal traumas that fed into his characterisation, goes some way to illuminating the devastating power of his performance.

Nevertheless, Thompson assumes that the reader knows 'Last Tango' is a classic, and so doesn't feel the need to defend it - his eliding the film's alleged misognyny is particularly troubling. Bertolucci says that he undertook psychoanalysis for artistic reasons as a way of stimulating and provoking himself and his actors in the search for those 'secret places' of the mind. It reminds me of the story about Dali who showed Freud a painting he thought revealed his unconscious: 'No, Salvador, that's a painting of what you consciously think is your unconscious'. Doesn't the same problem bedevil 'Last Tango'? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Clearly explains the basic premises to learn all dances.
First written 20 years ago and later updated, this book clearly explains the basic premises to the understanding and study of any dance form, new or old. Ms. Blair stresses that rhythm differentiates the dances from each other. Thus anybody will have no problem learning any dance. For me, it was a rediscovery of the dance principles which I had always known for decades yet had simply taken for granted. The book has given me a new perspective and renewed creativity in dance teaching. ... Read more

Book Description

Complete with videos and explanations!

These exercises are designed so you will be more elegant and gain more balance while you dance. They will set your body free, so you will move in a more natural way. The technique is base on discovering the functioning of your body while you do the exercises.

With videos, descriptions and explanations, you'll find this CD-Rom an excellent companion.

Want to develop your tango skills in a fun and accelerated way?Let Tango Discovery assist you in dancing with ease.

Tango Discovery has prepared the most extensive series available for today's tango dancer and tango instructor.More information is available online

Minimum Requeriments / Requerimientos Mínimos PC: Pentium with 100Mhz processor and 32 MB of RAM/ Monitor SVGA / CD-Rom 16X / Windows 95(r) or better / Microsoft(r) Internet Explorerr4 or better, or Netscape Navigator4 or better / Quicktime(r) 4 or better. Macintosh: Power Mac 100 Mhz processor 32MB of RAM / CD-Rom 16X / Mac OS 8.1 or better / Microsoft(r) Internet Explorer4 or better, Netscape Navigator4 or better / Quicktime 4 or better. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Balance and Coordination
This CD starts with a theory section, which alone may be worth the cost of the CD as it lays out the Tango Discovery method of learning tango. This method is clear, concise and simple.

A short section called "Technique" follows: Don't skip it! This section tells you how to practice these exercises in the most efficient way. I have found through trial and error that this is the best way to approach them. Read this section more than once!

Next is the heart of the CD; 24 exercises presented as movie clips with short descriptions. The clips are categorized as Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced.

Here is what I have noticed in my dancing after practicing these exercises for the last 6 months. The biggest improvement is balance. I am better able to lead and create styling without knocking my partner off balance. The next is coordination. My body seems to know better what to do. I don't have as many geeky moments when I improvise a new movement. The overall result is more confidence.

Covers a lot of ground
This is a great CD and a very quick read with lots of videos. The CD Rom covers a lot of ground I've never thought possible before. ... Read more