Modern Tango World N° 6 (Montreal, Quebec) | Page 40

Tango Book Review
Alexandru Eugen Cristea
In Strangers’ Arms
by Beatriz Dujovne
Tango lives inside us telling its old stories again and again.
Tango is personal and universal at the same time.
The book In Strangers’ Arms begins by putting a reader into
a parallel universe, full of contradictions, contrasts between
light and dark, sad tangos and happy milongas — intense
moments in the presence of a complete stranger on empty streets. This book is a masterpiece of Argentine tango’s
social life written by Beatriz Dujovne.
It is full of photographies of people and places, one can
perceive the outpouring of feelings and stories from Buenos Aires and around the world. It is a sincere experience
of the moment, with all its glory and pathos accumulated
over the years. The book is a wonderful history lesson
and warm and caring study of people and places that
gave birth to the cultural treasure - tango. Beyond myths
and propaganda, beyond the false history told in some
American movies, and beyond all known metaphors, Beatriz Dujovne gives you the possibility to embrace the
real thing — an honest tango. She tells its beautiful but
troubled history with heart larger than life.
In the latter part of the book, the poetry of tango is intertwined with the poetry of everyday life in a
milonga. Because most of the tango songs have a story, the lyrics can be of an utmost importance when
we dance. We paint the music with our steps, dancing the lyrics with our hearts. Many famous t