My Two Cents on Music Selection

Of all the factors that contribute to a successful milonga, music stands among the top three—alongside a friendly environment and a well-trained crowd. For me, great music is what creates that magical connection between dancers. It stirs emotion, synchronizes movement, and sparks creativity. Without it, dancers cannot truly experience a fulfilled milonga no matter how good other conditions may be.

Unfortunately, the music played at our milongas is not always good. Too often, DJs settle for less compelling tracks while leaving true gems buried in their collections. I’ve heard arguments that dancers prefer new songs, that they tire of dancing to the same old pieces again and again, and that they would rather take risks than be bored. Such reasoning fuels the tendency to prioritize novelty at the expense of musical excellence.

Yes, new or lesser-known tracks can offer a sense of adventure—but that’s not the primary desire of most dancers. In practice, people gravitate toward familiar, danceable classics. These songs stir the urge to dance precisely because dancers know them well. Like singing or playing an instrument, dancing improves with familiarity. DJs should resist the temptation to chase uniqueness and novelty, instead, aim for a thoughtful balance—bringing in occasional surprises but grounded in a strong foundation of well-known, high-quality classics.

All too often, DJs fall into the trap of personal preference. Some stick to fast songs, others slow. Some chase rhythm, others melody. Some favor vocals, others avoid them. Some play only traditional pieces, others push contemporary sounds. I believe most of the songs played at milongas should come from the Golden Age, curated with a mix of tempos, moods, flavors, orchestras, eras, and styles to prevent monotony. Occasionally new tracks can be played just to add some freshness. A balanced blend keeps dancers engaged and enthusiastic. Most tracks should have a comfortable walking pace—not too fast or too slow, which is best suited for tango dancing.

When it comes to selecting music, I believe danceability should be the top priority. DJs must recognize that not all tango music is suitable for dancing. During Argentina's history, between 1955 and 1983, tango as a social dance was discouraged by military regimes, leading to the creation of tango music intended primarily for listening rather than dancing. Such tracks often feature erratic rhythms or jazz elements that are difficult to follow. These songs, no matter how novel or creative, should not be played at milongas (see Tango Music and Its Danceability).

The best tango songs, in my opinion, are those that balance contrasting moods. Good tango music is heterosexual rather than homosexual in nature. Its rhythm is masculine—strong, steady, firm and forceful, and its melody is feminine—sweet, beautiful, sentimental and evocative. This contrast mirrors the dynamic of the two sexes in the dance, who in essence are playing music with their bodies. Men and women are different instruments, each with a distinct sound, expressing a different mood. Neither is replaceable, and both are essential to a fulfilling experience. When one mood is missing—either rhythm or melody—the music loses its richness, its expressive gender dynamic, and its emotional depth (see The Characteristics of Classic Tango).

I believe tango, as an intimate dance, is best danced to music that is moving and inspiring. DJs should select songs that are beautiful, soulful, sentimental, and rich in syncopation, avoiding tracks that are emotionally flat, melodically dull, or rhythmically monotonous. In reality, truly danceable, high-quality tango tracks are vastly outnumbered by mediocre or undanceable ones. A skilled DJ must be able to tell the difference and ensure only the most beautiful, soulful, and danceable tracks are played at milongas.

I am a firm believer that only the top-tier, danceable pieces should be played, so fervent that I delete all unsuitable tracks from my personal collection. The truth is, you don’t need thousands of songs to curate a successful milonga. For a three-hour event, you need just 15 tandas—or 60 songs. By carefully selecting 600 exceptional tracks, a DJ can play ten full milongas without a single repeat. Quality, not quantity, is what truly matters.

I feel deeply grateful to the DJs who consistently deliver exceptional music—Tine Herrmann, Paul Akmajian, Burak Ozkosem, and Julia Ingram, to name a few. Every time I hear their music, the journey—no matter how far—feels worth it. Sadly, such experiences remain rare. I believe event organizers should set clearer expectations regarding music quality and that DJs should consider making their playlists public. This transparency would allow dancers to make more informed choices and elevate the standards of our dance. I hope, as our tango continues to grow, the music played at our milongas will improve as well, ensuring that wherever we go, we can always enjoy the very best dance experience.

Tango and Equality

Tango was created by people living at the bottom of society, and their imprints still remain in the dance. The original tango is a lowbrow dance—raw, unpolished, sensual, soul-searching, and comforting—touching the heart of one's humanity. Dancing that tango reminds Beatriz Dujovne of a birthing mother's ecstasy, struggle, agony, sweat, pain, and joy. Whether maid or queen, she writes, the birthing experiences of all women are identical, just like tango. "Tango is all of us in life's common places. It is who we are at the core, behind our social masks (see The Tango in All of Us)."

This shared humanness is a powerful source of emotional release for those at the margins of society. Tango liberates them because, in tango, they regain the dignity of being on the same footing. All tango dancers are created equal, whether they are taxi drivers or company executives, servant girls or first daughters. You connect with the person dancing with you simply as a fellow human being, regardless of their social status. Tango is where Cinderella and Prince Charming fall in love. "It melts down differences by zeroing in on our commonality," Dujovne wrote. "It feeds our hunger for being on a level with others."

Equality has been a dream of the American people since the creation of this nation. When early immigrants faced injustice under the English crown, they cried out for equal treatment. Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1776: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This document, The Declaration of Independence, laid the constitutional foundation for this nation.

After 240 years, however, the gap between rich and poor has not narrowed. In fact, it has only grown wider. Power corrupts. When we were under the oppression of a tyrant, we championed equality. But once in power, we began repeating the very injustices we once condemned. Self-interest and compassion are juxtaposed in human nature. When we keep a balance between the two, we thrive. But when we tip the scale—prioritizing only ourselves while disregarding others, when we create doctrines like individualism and personal liberty to justify selfishness, when we reinterpret the founding documents through a narrow, self-serving lens that favors the self over society, the rich over the poor, the powerful over the powerless, and the villains over the victims, when we allow ourselves to pursue self-interest at the expense of others, when we permit tycoons to use unfair competition to establish monopolies, when the rich are given the privilege to use their money to influence legislation and policy-making, when the law becomes the means to advance the interests of the privileged class, when freedom is used to promote arms sales, violence, doping, obscenity, homosexuality and alternative life styles, when personal liberty is used to undermine traditional family and family-based values—the very foundation of society, when divorce, irresponsible sex, single parent family and same sex marriage become the accepted norms and are sponsored by the state, we get ourselves further and further into the mess we are in now.

Ours is the lesson of freedom lost for the vast majority of people when we only seek personal freedom (see The Freedom in Tango). Only a few can win in the competition if equality and justice are not prerequisites for all other human rights. True freedom is freedom from being violated by others, not freedom to violate others. It is the right to act within the limits of laws necessary for the public good, not the right to harm society. It is a self-restrained human right under the principle that all men are created equal, not the right to do whatever one pleases at the cost of others. It is freedom from poverty and fear, not freedom to prey and shoot. In other words, a free society is an equal society based on compassion and cooperation, not on self-interest and competition. It is where individual rights are subordinate to the collective rights of humanity as a whole, where no one's freedom is deprived by another's freedom, and where brotherly love, coexistence, compassion, and sharing are common values of all people. It is a society consistent with the spirit of tango.

The following video captures these themes beautifully. It's skillfully directed, thought-provoking, and filled with humorous touches—from the crowd’s reactions, to the sparkle in the audience’s eyes, to the old woman being carried away. The performance itself is superb, with exquisite musicality and choreography. I especially admire the ending, where the elegant dignity of the underdog prevails over the arrogance of the elite. Watch it in full screen for the full effect.