Is Happy Tango still a useful book to own?

Post updated August 2022.

Tango in Buenos Aires is finding its dancing feet again, post pandemic, and is evolving. And Happy Tango has well and truly become a  joyful snapshot of a wonderful period in our collective Buenos Aires tango history! I am so glad that I wrote it, and grateful to all who have bought it, used it and enjoyed it over the last twelve years 🙂 Some of the advice in the book will still help, even though the scene is somewhat changed and will be forever changing.

I am no longer updating this website.

I know you will find your own way, as we tango dancers do! I wish you good luck and very Happy Tango, always. Sallycat.x.

Happy Tango sallycat compilation 1

What I wrote here in 2019:

Twelve years since I first danced in Buenos Aires. Nine years since Happy Tango was first published. And seven years since the Second Edition came out in paperback! Incredible… where does the time go?

I think a Third Edition is unlikely to happen. We’ve considered it, but, on reflection, I feel that the book should remain at its own moment in time. If that changes, I’ll let you know!

Meanwhile, is it worth buying a copy of the Second Edition if you’re headed to Buenos Aires?

An Amazon UK buyer wrote in 2018,

“Although I’d read a lot of the general advice before on Sally’s blog, it was worth the purchase to get it all together in one place.

The tango scene does change in BA and it has been a while since this book was published, so don’t depend on it for things like times or addresses. However most of the well known milongas mentioned are still there and the advice on them is still spot on.”

Thank you Randy for taking the time to review the book!

Soooo, the friendly advice in the book surely still stands and will help you navigate your way through the tango scene, especially if you’re a first-timer. Alas, some places have closed and some milongas have closed or changed homes or days of the week, but the great website and app ‘Hoy Milonga‘ keeps you easily in the picture with its up-to-date daily schedules of milongas and classes. So use Happy Tango in combo with that and you should be good to go.

If you’ve enjoyed reading Happy Tango, do recommend it to someone else who would enjoy it too. Thank you!

Sallycat