Argentine tango for beginners

Learn the Basics, Milonga, Music & History of Argentine tango.

New to Argentine tango? Tango Lover gathers what every beginner needs to know: the first steps and the embrace, how a milonga works, how to hear the music, and where the dance came from. Written by a social dancer, so you can walk onto your first floor feeling at home.

Explore the four topics About this blog

Four ways into tango

Everything a new dancer needs to know. Pick where you want to begin.

01 Beginners

Your first steps into tango: the embrace, the walk, the basic steps and how leading and following really work.

  • First class
  • Steps & embrace

02 Milonga

How a social dance night works: tandas and cortinas, the cabeceo, the ronda and the etiquette of the floor.

  • Cabeceo
  • Floorcraft

03 Musicality

Tell tango, vals and milonga apart by ear, and meet the Golden Age orchestras DJs play every night.

  • Tango, vals, milonga
  • Orchestras

04 History

From the immigrant barrios of Buenos Aires to the Golden Age, Europe, America and nuevo tango.

  • 1880s to today
  • Golden Age

Latest articles

Fresh from the floor: the newest notes on the blog.

Beginners

The Difference Between a Tango Festival and a Tango Marathon

I've been working at an automobile plant for almost twenty years. I started in materials management, moved on to production control and ... Read article → Musicality

Why Anibal Troilo's Music Grows Your Musicality

Around the time I had gotten a little comfortable walking to Di Sarli, my teacher put on a song by Anibal Troilo. At first I was thrown. I... Read article → Milonga

How to Politely Decline a Dance at a Milonga, and the Culture Behind It

Tango: Respect for Choice & Freedom to Decline At an Argentine tango Milonga, anyone can ask for a dance, and anyone can decline. When I... Read article →