Esther and Domingo Pugliese are two of the most important milongueros alive today. They are disciples of the late Carlos Estevez (Petroleo), widely considered to have been the most influential tanguero of the 40's. Esther and Mingo are teachers of many of the most important young tango stars of today. Pablo Pugliese, their son, is a fantastic dancer and teacher in his own right. When the Puglieses were offered work in the USA and Mingo was advised not to travel by his doctor, the mother/son duet was born. They have become some of the most popular guest teachers ever to visit the US. Now 19, Pablo is pursuing his own career as a performing dancer, and tours with his mother less often. The first three videos of the Pugliese series capture the mother and son duet at their peak in 1998. Daniel believes that the clarity of Pablo's approach made for some of his most successful translations yet. Each video includes archival performances from their most recent tour as well as studio demonstrations. The two new videos record Mingo himself with Esther teaching advanced elements as a continuation of the series in 1999. Mingo also appears with Esther on our Masters Sampler.

BUY: Basics of Salon Tango with Esther and Pablo Pugliese
This introduction to tango by the Puglieses is famous for its detailed and precise analysis. Be prepared for superb breakdowns and explicit instructions about what to practice. Concepts of walking and turning, dance posture, and lead and follow are introduced. You'll understand how to create salidas and resolutions, and how to construct the dance embrace. The student learns to combine elements of walking, ochos, turns, and paradas ("sandwich") to form a dance. This tape is a tight, no-nonsense, encyclopedic approach to learning how to dance the tango, regardless of whether you have had the pleasure to meet the Puglieses in person or not. Filmed in 1998 in Buenos Aires. Produced, edited, and translated by Daniel. (approx. 90 mins.)

BUY: Intermediate Salon Tango with Esther and Pablo Pugliese
This video picks up where V312 leaves off. It is a good idea to get them both. The concentration is on the analysis of the giro, or turn, and how improvisations are created by recombining the basic elements of the dance in increasingly clever and complex ways. This video covers drags, boleos, ganchos, and adornments. The Puglieses point out that conceptual learning is most important. You can apply their ideas to unraveling any of the tango's secrets. Filmed in 1998 in Buenos Aires. Produced, edited, and translated by Daniel. (approx. 80 mins.)

BUY: Milonga with Esther and Pablo Pugliese
The Puglieses share the Milonga in the same careful step by step analysis as their tango. They teach a series of basic steps and then show how the steps lead to more complex variations. They keep on building until they have shared an incredible number of possibilities and combinations. This video is a must for a milonga archive. Filmed in 1998 in Buenos Aires. Produced, edited, and translated by Daniel. (approx. 80 mins.)

BUY: Advanced Salon Tango I with Esther and Mingo Pugliese
Continuing the material begun by Esther and Pablo, Mingo reviews the basics of posture and lead and follow, and explores many variations of salidas. Turns, resolutions of the left turn, turn combinations, boleos, arrastres, and ganchos. This volume is packed with generous and exciting material. Filmed in 1999 in Buenos Aires. Produced and translated by Daniel. (approx. 60 mins.)

BUY: Advanced Salon Tango II with Esther and Mingo Pugliese
Advanced Salon Tango II continues in the spirit of generous investigation that Advanced Salon Tango I began. Now, using themes of amagues (fakes), changes of feet and enrosques, menŐs boleos, and the Vai Ven, the student is again given a long series of variations providing for hours of study. Mingo also includes material especially for slow music, and teaches jumps. Filmed in 1999 in Buenos Aires. Produced and translated by Daniel. (approx. 60 mins.)