111 Things About Tango You Need to Know
Music, lyrics, orchestras, poets, dancers, culture, history
By Ani Andreani
About this Argentine tango book
111 Things About Tango You Need to Know by professional tango teacher and dancer Ani Andreani brings every side of Argentine tango together in one book: the music, the dance, the orchestras, the poets, the history, the culture, the lyrics, the scene and the emotions.
Its 111 short, accessible chapters are clear, humorous and well researched, so you can open the book anywhere and learn something new in a few minutes. It explains the rhythms and phrasing of the music and the differences between tango, vals and milonga, introduces the orchestras every dancer should know, and tells the stories behind the most iconic tangos. It also covers the lyricists and lunfardo, dance styles from early salon to modern approaches, milonga codes and etiquette, and the history of tango from its origins through the Golden Age, its decline and its global revival.
What you will find inside
- Rhythms, phrasing, instruments and stylistic eras of tango music
- D’Arienzo, Di Sarli, Troilo, Pugliese and many more orchestras
- Poets and lyricists such as Manzi, Cadícamo and Discépolo, and the soul of lunfardo
- Embrace, connection, improvisation and musicality
- Milonga etiquette, codes, fashion and Buenos Aires culture
Who is this book for?
Beginners who want a complete overview, experienced dancers who want to deepen their knowledge, music lovers, and anyone curious about tango as a cultural phenomenon.
Why we recommend it
This is the book we would give to a friend who has just discovered tango and keeps asking questions. Ani Andreani writes like a good teacher: clear, funny and never condescending, so each chapter feels like a short conversation after class. The range is impressive, from orchestras and lyricists to milonga codes and fashion, and the bite-sized format makes it easy to read on a train or between tandas. Experienced dancers will still learn something new, especially about poets and lunfardo. It is a great first Argentine tango book and a handy reference you will keep returning to whenever someone asks you what tango really is.
Published independently in December 2025. Paperback, 364 pages, ISBN 979-8277087305. A German edition is also available.
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