Technical Information
Copyright information
What format are the video's from iTangoCafe?
Can I view my downloads on my Mac / PC?
Why is iTunes the ideal player for viewing metadata?
How do I use digital chapter markers?
What is Metadata?
What Size will my Download be?
How does buying & downloading work?
Do our Prices Seem Fair?
Tango Instructional Information
How do I choose Tango Instructional Videos?
Archival Information
What is BttTV?
BttTV Archive - Video Quality
Click Tracks & Tango Music Rights
More on Music Rights & Artist Royalties
Copyright information
All sales of videos from this site support tango teachers, their heirs, and the mission of
iTangoCafe. These instructional
videos are copyrighted material that is licensed to you, for use on your personal
computers, and may ONLY be stored or viewed on media devices owned by the original
purchaser of the files. We have elected to provide all our digital media files without
the use of digital rights managment (DRM requires you to use a special player or enter
a password each time you view a file.). Buying from iTangoCafe is considered acceptance of
our
Digital Honor Policy. By purchasing you are giving us your word that you will protect
your digital downloads from unathorized copying and that you will instruct anyone who would
like to copy your files, that they must purchase their own copies from iTangoCafe.com.
What format are the video's from iTangoCafe?
All material sold through iTangoCafe.com is delivered as a digital video file.
The specifc format is MP4 Video with stereo AAC audio. The frame size is 720 x 480 pixels.
Almost any modern media player on any computer platform with MP4 support should play the
files back correctly. We recommend using Quicktime player, VLC media player, or iTunes
for playback because these applications will allow you to access the chapter markers
that have been embedded in the video files.
Can I view my downloads on my Mac / PC?
YES! Almost any modern media player on any computer platform with MP4 support
should play the files back correctly. We recommend using Quicktime player,
VLC media player, or iTunes for playback because these applications will
allow you to access the chapter markers that have been embedded in the video files.
Why is iTunes the ideal player for viewing metadata?
Importing your iTangoCafe video files into iTunes will allow you to sort,
organize, and search your videos just like the rest of your music library.
For example you could quickly find all the videos by "Tete" or all your tango
videos from the 1990's. Be aware of your iTunes settings when importing so you
don't end up with 2 copies of the file on your computer.
How do I use digital chapter markers?
The iTangoCafe video files have chapter markers embedded in them.
This will allow you to move to specific parts of the file similar
to the way you would navigate a DVD. Unlike a DVD, there is text
attached to each marker that tells you what is happening at that
point in the program. Below are specific explanations of how to
access the chapter markers in the 3 applications we recommend using
for viewing your files. These explanation are based on the current
version of the software, please update your software to the current
version before attempting to use chapter markers.
Quicktime Player:
Chapter markers are located below the video on the right side of the
viewer window. When you first start playing a file it will say "Opening
Titles". As you play the video the text will change to reflect what part
of the video you are in. At any time, you can click the text and a list
of all the markers in the file will pop up. Click on the text of the
marker you want to jump to. NOTE: You cannot access chapters while in "Fullscreen".
VLC Media Player:
Chapter markers are located on the "Playback" menu under "Chapter".
Click the text of the chapter marker you would like to jump to. NOTE:
You can access the chapter markers while in "Fullscreen". Simply hover
at the very top of the screen for a moment and the menu bar will appear.
Then follow instructions above.
iTunes:
You will find your videos under the "Movies" category. Once you select a
video to play, you can find the chapters on right side of the pop-up controller
that becomes visible whenever you move your mouse. The icon is three squares
with lines next to them. Click the icon, then click the name of the chapter
you would like to jump to. NOTE: You can access the chapter markers while in
"Fullscreen". Instructions are the same as above.
What is Metadata?
Metadata is extra information embedded in a digital media file.
The "tags" on mp3 files that tell you the name of the song and the
artist who created it, are metadata. The mp4 files from iTangoCafe
have been "tagged" with metadata, telling you the name of the program,
the artists featured, the year recorded, and other information.
What Size will my Download be?
The file size varies depending on the length of the program,
but it is approximately 400 MB per hour of material.
How does buying & downloading work?
All the videos sold through iTangoCafe.com are available for immediate
download after purchasing. To purchase you will simply add the videos,
that you would like to buy, to your cart. After you are finished shopping
you may click on "view cart" in the upper right hand corner of the website.
Your payment details will be processed through Paypal. After the completion
of your order you will receive an email containing a password that you will
use, along with the email address you used during ordering, to login to our
site (go to site menu: My Downloads.) Upon logging in you will find a link
for each video that you have purchased and may begin your downloads immediately.
Do our Prices Seem Fair?
Our goal is to offer fair prices for valuable, and often unique, content.
Today it is not uncommon to pay $80-$100 for a one hour private lesson, with a
good teacher. Even so, we know many talented instructors who make less than a
living wage as dedicated, full-time, teachers of Argentine Tango. Back in the 90s,
when Daniel created BttTV videos for sale in analog form (VHS tape), private lessons
were running $40-50/ hour, and a one hour video lesson was about $40/ volume. We have
decided the comparison of private lessons to instructional videos is a fair benchmark
to use in setting the value of instructional content.
This platform is intended to support the next generation of tango teachers, though
in our roll out you are first seeing the BttTV archive. By supporting our instructors
(or in the case of archival material their heirs, and our
Milonguero Historic Preservation Project.),
you are directly supporting the growth of Argentine Tango. If we are successful, and our platform
provides a real source of income for today's talented tango instructors, they will in turn be
able to create and provide better and better instructional material for you, the student of Argentine Tango.
We welcome your feedback (email
Shalom or
Daniel) about our pricing policy, our mission, and any concerns or comments
you have about anything that we are doing here at iTangoCafe. We are committed to being a
responsible and ethical part of our tango community and our greater community at large and
welcome you in joining us in
our mission.
How do I choose Tango Instructional Videos?
Instructional video is meant to supplement regular study and practice.
Check for Argentine Tango Classes on the Web in your local area. Serious
study will include classes in open and closed embraces, movement & technique,
lead & follow, and Milonga and Waltz, which are the other musical rhythms to which tango is danced.
Good instructional videos are edited into logical sections or chapters.Ê
Levels are indicated on many of the videos, but should only be a loose guide.
Basics classes can be most insightful to advanced dancers and advanced classes
can provide global ideas that inspire the beginner.
For Absolute Beginners start with Daniel & Rebecca's series:
First V102 and 103, cover LEVELS I, II, & III, and offer a global understanding
of the movements, technique, and lead and follow, which make up the foundation of
all tango styles. The work is offered with practice positions and exercises which
are easy to learn and practice. Having watched these videos tango's mysterious
secrets should be more accessible.
Then V104 takes you into the CLOSE EMBRACE, or MILONGUERO STYLE Tango, a more
intimate and social form invented in the smaller clubs of the 1950s and 60s,
but which is used everywhere these days.
V105 is a lesson on MILONGA rhythm danced in this style.
V 106, FOLLOWERS' TECHNIQUE. Rebecca's comprehensive approach allows the student
to choose from many different styles. Helpful for the serious student, man or woman,
at all levels of experience.
V107, THE EXCHANGE OF LEAD AND FOLLOW is for serious study. Demanding material for
students who have a good command of the fundamentals.
What is BttTV?
Bridge to the Tango was the original name for Daniel's Tango Tour to Buenos Aires,
first used in 1992. When Daniel added Tango Instructional Video to the mix, in 1995,
he used the Name Bridge to the Tango Video. When he added The Tango Catalogue in 1997,
a new parent company was created, International Tango Productions, INC. The acronym BttTV
came into use for describing the video productions within the catalog product descriptions.
In 2002 ITP, and The Tango Catalogue were sold to Tangocity, SA, of Buenos Aires. Daniel
retained ownership of the name and website Bridge to the Tango, and to his video production
Company, now, and still, officially BttTV.
BttTV Archive - Video Quality
All programs from the BttTV "Archive" have been digitized from VHS analog
masters produced during the 1990's. They have been digitally "restored" to
optimize the audio and video quality. Your download will have an "archival
feel".Ê Many of these videos are the only instructional videos ever made by
these golden age "milongueros" and while the video quality may not be perfect,
the instructional content is of signifcant historical and educational value
for anyone who is interested in improving and deepening their exploration of Argentine Tango.
Click Tracks & Tango Music Rights
Due to music rights issues, in these new digital versions of BttTV archival video,
sold through itangocafe.com, the music for dance performances and dance demos with
music has been replaced with a click track that mirrors the the pace of the original
music even as the real tempos inevitably and subtly are in constant flux. That means
that the click tracks are being played by a live musician, who is listening to the
original recording. You can hear the actual beats, and accented beats, allowing you
to view the demo of the dance technique and get a good feel for the original music.
If you would like to view a performance, with it's original musical recording still
playing, you may do so on through the embeded player on each individual artists detail
page, along with an excerpt of the instructional content. We are sorry that the
instructional didactic content for which the legal rights are clear, has to be separated
from the original music, for which the rights are complicated.
More on Music Rights & Artist Royalties
When Daniel was producing these videos in the 1990s he was an inexperienced video producer,
really just an obsessed dancer who knew that if he didn't film these unknown, and unappreciated,
dancers that they might die without leaving any record of their tango. The videos were all filmed
based on handshake agreements, the "milongueros" not trusting written contracts. And the "milongueros"
would show up for their film sessions with cassette tapes of their own favorite musical selections,
often with no identifying playlist, which were the only songs they would dance tango to. So they
were filmed dancing to the scratchy, hissy music of their choosing. This meant that we had
recorded with far too much music, from different bands and recording companies, and that this
would make securing the rights to the music for video production both extremely complicated and
unaffordable. And these companies, which had been dedicated to recording tango in the 20s, 30,
and 40s, had been sold, consolidated, reacquired, merged, in a typical corporate evolution. And
that, at the time, much of traditional tango music was no longer even being produced for sale.
The Tango Djs were playing off of cassettes made from LPs.
There is more to what complicates this story. The Argentine Society for the protection of the
rights of composers and recording companies, was known, at the time, for being an example of the
dysfunction of Argentine quasi-legal, or governmental, organizations. It was clear, from ample
anecdotal evidence, that the deceased tango artists, and their heirs, were not receiving any royalties
from the sale of their music. It also appeared, as best it was possible to determine, that only actual
record rereleases of traditional tango music, both Argentine and European, were being produced and
distributed without real permission.
Daniel decided to give up on trying to sort out all the complications, and simply distribute, through
the Catalogue, the music and video that was available. At the time, no one was sure whether there was
a market, and the original sales that created Bridge to the Tango were very small scale and only to
the small group of first generation revivalist dancers. It was either sell tango or not tango, and
Daniel opted to tango.
Now, almost 20 years later, we live in a digital world. Traditional tango music is now heard all over
the world, though unfortunately almost completely on unauthorized recordings. It is almost certain that
the original recording artists and their heirs still never see any royalties from the use of their music.
But we certainly hope that they would prefer a situation in which tango has again become a popular musical
genre, rather than see a modern world in which tango would have disappeared as a musical form.Ê
And now you can see tango being danced to traditional music on the internet. This was not the case at the
time of BttTV's original releases in analog form in the 1990s. What was important then, to see the dance
as it is danced to its original traditional music, is now available for free and is ubiquitous online.
And we will release some of the BttTV performances for free on the internet, so you can see them too,
for free, and with the original music.
But what you are buying with your digital download is that part these original archival video sessions
which is of particular lasting value, and for which we can still pay royalties to the Artists, or their
heirs. The teaching is of tango dance, didactically presented by the artist milongueros, and the first
generation of their revivalist students, who created these various techniques. This way the purchase of
the pedagogy, for which we can pay royalties, is separated from the purchase of the music, for which
securing legal rights is a nightmare.
It was expensive to produce the click tracks, but this is the digital age, and we really do not want to
have to deal with the forces of the music industry, when what we are trying to do is get the work of this
particular subset of important dancers back into the mainstream of the tango's conversation.Ê
Bridge to the Tango has always paid royalties, quite generous ones compared to the industry standards,
to the teachers involved in BttTV productions, and will continue to do so, including to heirs and family
members, when the artists themselves have passed on.
