As a constituted genre, tango is a way of dancing in couples to a certain type of music. Argentine tango music continues to evolve even after a century of acquiring its defining characteristics, and TangoCreativo UK promotes dancing to new compositions and styles. Christian Fernandez Perotti is not only a social dance teacher, tango DJ and milonga organiser but also a music producer. These are his current and past projects, in the UK and Argentina.
DJ Sets
Playing records at milongas is the art of choosing the right song for each moment, non-stop, relentlessly. The DJ is the heart of the milonga, interpreting the organiser’s mind and pumping musical vigour to the body of dancers.
Tango social dances (“milonga”, “practica” or even “practilonga” in Europe) tend to be quite conservative regarding musical taste, structure and etiquette, so engaging DJs mostly play tango hits from the 30’s and early 40’s in order to constantly compel their audiences to fill the dance floor. However, Christian loves exploring new bands, so if you would like to hear something new, he can surely mix it in!
When the organiser allows, Christian also likes to play 3 tangos instead of 4 in each tanda. This dynamic allows him to play a wider variety of orchestras and the dancers to change partners more often. Tanda dividers (“cortinas”) match the vibe of the previous and following tandas, serving as smooth transitions rather than separators.
Roving Tango Trio (London, UK)
The Roving Tango Trio project began in April 2021 with the idea to bring quality music for dancing to milongas in the UK. Three fantastic Argentine piano, contrabass and bandoneon were brought together to record demos of The Cyclist (vals) and The Mill (milonga), composed and arranged by Leandro Schneider and Pablo Schiaffino of Duo Ranas respectively, to promote the project among organisers of milongas. The project continued with the incorporation of new arrangements of old classics such as ‘Comme il faut’, ‘Boedo’, ‘El chamullo’ and ‘El once’. Since then, they have performed in London, Cambridge and Norwich with great success.
Alas de Tango (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
The Alas de Tango orchestra began in February 2020 with the idea to bring new repertorie to milongas in Buenos Aires and the rest of the world. The project was launched during the covid pandemic, in June 2020, with the release of a music video recorded of Lucio Arce’s ‘Blues del sur’, a beautiful vals composed in the 21st century, arranged for dancing by Mariano Heler. The project continued with the incorporation of other new songs such as ‘Ella se fue’ (milonga), ‘Cita a solas’ (tango) and ‘Truco gallo’ (tango), new arrangements of old gems such as ‘Divina’, (tango) ‘Intimas’ (tango) and ‘Dede’ (vals), and transcriptions of classics from the 40s such as ‘Quejas de bandoneon’ (tango), Rosicler (tango) and ‘De pura cepa’ (milonga). The orchestra performed in milongas and concert halls in Buenos Aires for four years, until May 2024, when the producer and the director decided to take a break.
Research
Juan Miguel and Christian conduct research on diverse aspects of tango, both independently and collaboratively.
Christian’s unpublished dissertation The Edges of Tango: Social Network Analysis of Early 20th Century Tango Sheet Music from Cambridge University Library (2023, University of Cambridge) can be requested by email.
Juan Miguel’s book on the TangoCreativo method can be purchased on Amazon: TangoCreativo: an exploration of how to feel and dance tango
Milonga Cambridge Argentina
Whenever tango musicians come to the UK, the community of Argentines in Cambridge organises a milonga (social dance) with live music. Come join us for a wonderful tango social evening. Milonga, as close to Buenos Aires as it gets.
October 2024
The Saturday 5 October 2024 edition took place at St Philip’s Church, Cambridge. This time, we enjoyed live music by Arrebato Tango, as part of her European tour. Coffee, tea and cake were provided, as usual. The event opened at 3.30pm with a tango lesson on musicality for all levels by Christian Fernandez Perotti. Dancing took place from 4.30 to 7.30pm with Christian as DJ. Live music at 6pm. Thank you, Arrebato Tango!
December 2023
The upcoming edition will take place on Wednesday 6th December 2023 at the Cambridge Junction. This time, we will enjoy live music by the Roving Tango Trio with guest singer Nazarena Cáceres as part of her European tour. Drinks will be available at the venue’s bar. You can bring food in from adjacent restaurants, or pop out for food at the Leisure Park. Parking discount available for attendants. The event will open at 7pm with a tango lesson by Christian Fernandez Perotti. Dancing will go from 8pm to 11pm with Christian as DJ, and live music will take place at 9pm. Early bird tickets until 1st Dec!
November 2023
The third edition took place on Wednesday 1st November 2023 at the Cambridge Junction. This time, we enjoyed live music by Duo Baires Connection, with Julieta Iglesias (piano) and Ianina Pietrantonio (flute). The event opened at 7pm with a tango lesson by Christian Fernandez Perotti. Dancing went on until 10.30pm. Christian was also the DJ!
October 2023
The second milonga of the series took place on Wednesday 4th October 2023 at the Cambridge Junction. The evening was be dedicated to Córdoba. We received two artists from that Argentine province: DJ and dancer Daniel Toloza, and guitarist and singer Luciano Soria. The event opened at 7pm with a chacarera lesson by Daniel Toloza, who was also the DJ!
September 2023
The first milonga of the series took place on Wednesday 6 September 2023 at St Athanasios Community Hall. Live music was performed by Duo Rivera-Márquez (piano & bandoneon), from Argentina, which came to Cambridge exclusively for this event. There was a musicality lesson by Christian Fernandez Perotti, who was also the DJ for the evening. We had a fantastic time!
