So far I have published two books with my essays on Argentine Tango. If we ever meet in person, I would be happy to sign them for you!
Published in 2021
Why Tango Volume II
More essays on learning, dancing and living tango argentino
This book is Volume II of my “Why Tango” series, published in Nov 2021. It contains a collection of 14 esssays in English written between Oct 2015 and Dec 2019.
As with Volume I, the book is not only written but also designed entirely by myself.
You can buy it as a PAPER BOOK or a Kindle ebook.
Essays in volume II:
Why musicality is hard to teach, but not impossible
Why you should practice tango both alone and in couple
Why your dance does not look good despite all the practicing
Why tango is tough on women and what to do about it
Why tango teachers ask you to imagine things
Why we believe technique kills emotion
Why leading and following actually work
Why we are told to dance with our hearts
Why we believe that dancing with better dancers makes us dance better
Why tango is a difficult dance
Why sometimes you learn nothing from the best teachers
Why women lead and men follow
Why tango often feels like therapy
Argentine tango as intimacy practice
Published in 2015
Why Tango Volume I
Essays on learning, dancing and living tango argentino
This book is Volume I of my “Why Tango” series, published in 2015. It contains 19 esssays in English, in chronological order, written between Oct 2013 and Dec 2014.
This book is not only written but also designed an set entirely by myself.
You can buy it as a PAPER BOOK or a Kindle ebook. A Korean translation is also available as an ebook!
Essays in volume I:
Why you should get out of the sandbox and start asking yourself questions
Why technique in tango really matters and why often it really doesn’t
Why your tango teacher desperately wants you to dance but keeps teaching you steps
Why years of tango will not make you an advanced dancer and what will
Why love and tango do not always go well together
Why the most important thing in tango is not a tango thing
Why we suffer when learning tango and how is that a good thing
Why we often misunderstand the words “lead” and “follow”
Why we fight when practicing, especially with people we love
Why tango changes your life
Why there is often so little dance in people dancing tango
Why tango dancers lose interest in improving their skill
Why we marvel at steps but yearn for embraces
Why leaders get bored with themselves and what to do about it
Why in tango we are not that social
Why all tango teachers tell you different things
Why we sometimes fly and sometimes crawl
Why most advice you get about your dancing is wrong
Why we are often confused about what it means to be “social”
Reader Reviews of Why Tango Volume I
“Veronica has collected a long series of fundamental questions that most aspiring or experienced tango aficionado will recognize. But where most of will contemplate and and wonder, Veronica digs deeper and more precisely into the answers than anyone else. The result is always amusing and enlightening, most of the time stunningly insightful and more than once moving or consoling. This book comes highly recommended, for long time tango dancers, beginners and even outsiders alike. The essays have such high quality and content that you can read all of them in one session. But surely after that will always return to them again and again, each time you want to talk about one of the ‘Why?’s with other tangueros or when something that happened to you in the milonga keeps nagging at you. Great work Veronica!”
“What a wonderful surprise:))) thank you Veronica, both inspirational and entertaining, and so much true! I ve read it twice and am sure wil re read again and again, as all the questions and problems discussed are real and as a dancer married to a dancer whom I met dancing at the milonga… We are facing those questions and problems every day, every practica, every workshop and every milonga. We are not proffessionals, but the essays are excellent in style and eloquent in language, as well as written with iron clad logic and well organized mind. Please, keep writing:))”
“If you are a tanguero, you should read this book. I’m intermediate (5 yrs) and got great insights that helped my dancing, or at least understanding about some frustrations and challenges, and joys.”
“Best book on Argentine tango background and life style in the world. Must read for any Tango aficionado.”
“It is a must-read book for everyone who dances tango, whether he or she are dancing a day, a year or a whole life. Every essay has its own theme and it is precisely crafted with a lot of wisdom – about the dance itself, about the community, about the human nature. I read it on one breath, discussed it with friends and definitely will re-read it again. Veronika, thank you for such a great contribution to the tango culture.”
“I have been working on Argentine tango for about 5 years. Previously I had spent many years learning social Ballroom and later competing as an Amateur. I had 14 years of group and private lessons along the way. Having been immersed in world of Ballroom first, I found the world of Argentine Tango very different and not in good ways. From my background and current experiences, the author displays *** a great deal of wisdom *** not only about Argentine tango but learning to dance in general. She addresses all the things I’ve heard and on occasion have myself felt negatively about the seeming lack of friendliness, not so sociable and even snobbish behavior of people in the tango world. The real paradox was that people I knew from tango classes where I take lessons regularly would seem to have no interest in dancing with me at Milongas. This behavior was so inexplicably non-Ballroom that I was very disappointed and my wife ready to give up on the dance completely. I feel that if you seriously consider the Authors advice and you honestly examine your feelings in the context she suggest, that your negative views of the tango world will tremendously soften with the new wisdom she will have helped you gain. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has had negative feelings about their time with Argentine Tango while: learning to dance it, attending a dance at your own studio or place of learning, going to dances where people don’t know you.”
I have contributed to the following book:
Tango Tips By The Maestros
Tango Tips By The Maestros, Building a Fulfulling Social Life in Tango
Provides an overview of the most important best practices in order to tackle the social challenges we all face when dancing tango.
This book brought together icons of tango, judges of the World Tango Championship (Mundial de Tango), world champions, and experienced teachers from around the world, and asked them one question: If you could give a few pieces of advice that you consider extremely valuable to a few tens of thousands of tangueros and tangueras, what would you say?
The maestros covered topics from musicality to elegance, from connection to balance, from embrace to trust, from body awareness to the difference between good and great dancers. Together, they tackled questions such as developing a personal style, reducing tension, creating warmth, dancing more, learning faster, breaking through the plateau that keeps some people’s tango the same, etc.
The purpose of the book is one: to help the eager tanguero and tanguera enjoy tango more and discover actionable, clear, and simple advice to develop further the necessary skills of this beautiful dance.
Find our more on Tango Tips by the Maestros Website
Verotango Quotes
A collection of funny quotes on tango, conceived and designed by me and published in Oct 2012.
Veronica Toumanova 