Buenos Aires
TANGOLAB
TANGO - POETRY COURSES
Stine offers poetry courses — guided readings of tango lyrics — online.
The readings consist of a four-session program, each course diving into a specific poet or a particular theme.
In autumn 2026, she will also offer in-person courses in Copenhagen and Aalborg.
It is not necessary to know Spanish, BUT it helps to be curious about the language. If you already speak Spanish, the course is an excellent opportunity to expand your vocabulary and explore your lyrical level.
The course is open to all levels — including beginners.
PDFs with teaching materials are included.
If you are interested, please send an email to: buenosairestangolab@gmail.com
Poets
Homero Manzi
Enrique Santos Discépolo
Homero Manzi
This poetry course focuses on one of the greatest tango poets of all time, Homero Manzi (1907–1951). He wrote, among others, the lyrics to “Malena,” “Sur,” and “Milonga Sentimental.”
The course is a guided reading, meaning that I will guide you through selected tango lyrics, and along the way we will engage in a shared group discussion about Manzi’s work.
Over the four sessions, I will speak about the poet, the Buenos Aires he lived in, his friends, and the tango environment of his time. We will, for example, discuss who Malena was and what kind of Boedo neighborhood is portrayed in “Sur.”
Course Structure:
First chapter: Introduction to Manzi, with a focus on his fruitful collaboration with Sebastián Piana, who helped introduce the milonga into tango.
Second chapter: His relationship with Nelly Omar and the tangos connected to her.
Third chapter: Some of Manzi’s greatest texts — poetic and urban portrayals of a Buenos Aires that no longer exists.
Fourth chapter: Manzi’s early death. We will look at his final verses and how his talented friends bid farewell to the poet.
Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo is known, among other works, for “Yira Yira,” “Cambalache,” “Uno,” and “Tormenta.” When studying Discépolo, one inevitably encounters some of Argentina’s most fascinating and complex historical periods, as well as related cultural movements of the time.
In this online guided reading of Discépolo’s tangos — divided into four chapters over four sessions — we will, in addition to the poetry, explore:
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Discépolo’s childhood and his connection to grotesque theatre, where he made his debut as an actor.
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His social criticism during the so-called “Infamous Decade” (the 1930s).
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Censorship, as well as his controversial support for Juan Perón and Peronism, including the radio program Mordisquito.
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The final phase of his life and his legacy.
Feedback from previous Guided Readings:
“Highly recommended. Stine is an excellent communicator, and it’s fascinating to dive into Homero Manzi’s history and his influence on tango. It’s also a great place to start your journey into tango music.
“Recommended, considering a repeat session!”
“The course was very inspiring; the combination of music, poetry, history, and language is brilliant. It was a very well-structured program — perfect over four sessions. Good materials, nicely varied with music in between. I would love to participate next time.”
“Thank you for an exciting and challenging course. It has been interesting to gain insight into Manzi’s poetry, which I found quite inaccessible at first, but afterward, it has helped me a lot when reading it again with a ‘ubi sunt’ perspective. Coming from the recently completed course, I’d like to note that my initial approach was through tango dancing, with very little knowledge of Spanish. So I (and most Danish tango dancers) don’t understand the lyrics. We dance tango because it’s enjoyable, exciting, challenging, fun, and we experience a sense of community — all to fascinating music. We have fun together in our happy ignorance of the lyrics’ meanings. How is it for Argentinians? Do they listen to the lyrics, and how does that affect the way they dance a given tango? Early in my tango career, I asked a tango friend what the lyrics were really about; he said it was probably best not to think about it, as it was likely something sad. Later, I tried translating some of the lyrics myself, and I must admit he was right — even after the Manzi course. So I would like more courses on tango lyrics and see if perhaps a happy love story could emerge — like Tango i Nizza by Evert Taube.”