Tango Music for a Wedding Dance

Well my wedding is now only a few months away and it's time to put together our opening dance, which is going to be a tango. Now, I don't have a great grasp of tango music and would like to hear some suggestions on a good song to dance too.

So what's your favorite music to dance tang too?

Tango, at a wedding? Wow.
I'd try a waltz instead. Yo No Se que Me Han Hecho Tus Ojos.

Hmm. If I remember correctly, DM, our esteemed and fearless leader, did a tango for his wedding dance. 8)

Yeah, I don't know what to say. I've never put much thought into it, but a Tango would not be my first choice for a "wedding dance". There are many, many, many lovely Tangos, but my favorites are about breaking up and going to jail and dejection and murder and starvation and ladies who come in for just a Tango and disappear forever. That is not what a wedding is about. I like Homero Manzi's "Solamente Ella". I guess if people don't know what it is about, it won't make much difference.
"Moneda de Cobre"? "Uno"? Nahh.
"Milonguero Viejo"? Nahh.
"El Choclo"? I hope not with the original lyric.
"Mama, Yo Quiero Un Novio"? Okay, that one.
I guess an instrumental. D'Agostino's "Racing Club" or Laurenz' "Arrabal". Or it could be one of those fabulous Canaro waltzes.
Pugliese's "Amurado".
Or "Golondrinas".

Well we did pick a song which will work very well. The song is a modified version of Por Una Cabeza (pretty popular song as far as I can tell). Since most people at the wedding don't have any idea about Tango songs I don't think the meaning matters (this song is about a man's two loves - horse racing and a women).

Anyway, as for doing a tango to open, I think it's more dramatic and it is a passionate dance. We want to entertain our guests and get some value out of the buckets of money we've thrown into dance lessons!!!

Waltz on the other hand is nice but everyone does the waltz, so where is the fun in that? We'll do one to close the evening.

Argentine tango for a wedding dance

:roll: To me Argentine tango is an excellent choice for a couple's first dance as a married couple. Recently, as a dance instructor, I started specializing in helping couples prepare for their wedding dance. So far waltz is not at all popular. Most couples are picking love songs that they like and they have no idea how to dance to these tunes. Nobody has picked a waltz!

:lol: Argentine tango proved useful recently when no ballroom dance seemed to work for the couple's favorite tune. The interesting thing about Argentine tango (unlike other style's of tango) is that it can be done to a wide variety of music. Argentine tango can be extremely romantic, unlike American or English (International) tango. It does *not* have to be so bold, and stacato like other tangos.

:arrow: To see an example of how Argentine tango works well with jazz played in a restaurant/nightclub setting in San Francisco, take a look at the video clip at http://www.ilovemusic.com/argentine_tango.htm . (Click on the second photo to start the video clip. )

Just wanted to say welcome to the forums ilovemusic, and thanks for the link!

Hi ilovemusic! Welcome to the forums.

I can see we are on completely different wavelengths on this topic. I didn't even know what a wedding dance was before I saw the link. Welcome to the forums.

I danced Jealousy at my wedding. It was funny because the non-dance people at the reception thought we were mad at each other. :lol:

Hi, Tango...are you still around? How did the wedding tango go?

Yep, I'm still around. The opening dance was great. As far as people cheering goes I don't think I will ever hear cheers that loud again. All the money and effort put into the two minutes of dance was worth it. Aside from the pure enjoyment of dancing I think the working towards a 'goal' made our relationship stronger. In some of the still picture I can see how suprised all the guests were and it's great to see that not only did I enjoy it but everyone else did too. Ahh dancing is there nothing it can't do!

Anyway, I did have a videographer capture the dance so once I get a copy I'll post it on my website and you can check it out.

That sounds great, tango. I look forward to seeing the video. 8) Just curious. Did you decide to continue with the same dance studio, or have you found another place with less aggressive sales techniques?

Great to hear that it went so well for you tango!

I'm looking forward to seeing the video whe you have it up.

i also think you make a really good point about having a common goal and the role that can play in developing a relationships -- probably one of the resons that long term dance couples take on so much of the dynamics of a marriage I think.

I'm anxious to see that video clip!

I'm teaching Argentine tango to a to-be-married-soon couple who picked a country song for their first dance. NIghtclub-two step would also work, but so does Argentine tango. Argentine tango is such a flexible dance that it works with most any music that has a solid beat. It is interesting that it works with either quick waltz or music with music with 4 beats per measure.

The couple is learning figures like the calesita, where the follower balances on one foot and rotates while the leader dances in a circle. As the leader dances in a circle, his woman rotates so that she stays connected to him. The guy is learning to improvise so he can just dance tango rather than memorizing a choreopgrahy.

Here's a picture of a "real" calesita:
http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/instantes/left/calesita.html

The lady is also learning to play with her man's leg when he leads her into a forward ocho after completing a "sandwich." A forward ocho is a step where the follower steps forward and then pivots, making a figure 8. (Ocho means "eight" in Spanish.)

(In the sandwich, the leader captures one of the the follower's feet with both of his feet--sandwiching it so to speak.


Phil Seyer
http://www.argentinte-tango.com