Alternative music milongas is a controversial subject for some tango dancers as they believe Argentine Tango should be only danced to traditional tango music.  They fell in love with traditional tango music and traditional tango dance.  For them, milongas should primarily be traditional golden age tango music with maybe some Piazzolla.

A respected DJ and tango teacher in our area sponsored alternative music milongas for a while.  For example, he played various types of music such as country/western, beach music, pop music, and even Christmas music during the holidays for dancing tango.

Personally, I enjoyed the alternative music milonga as a way to develop my dancing creativity.  Being that it was not traditional tango music, I felt there was no right or wrong in the way I danced, so I was free to experiment in leading different steps.

Not everyone felt the same way, so after about six months the alternative music milonga ended due to requests for more traditional tango music.  Many attended milongas just to hear traditional music as they reasoned one could hear non-tango music anywhere such as a car radio.  

Though some dancers do not mind a little alternative music, they prefer it as a spice or seasoning to the main course of traditional songs.  Other dancers only want traditional tango music when going to a milonga.  It’s their feeling that those who prefer alternative music are just ignorant of the beauty of traditional tango music.

True, some beginning tango dancers may be drawn to alternative milonga music without first having an appreciation for traditional tango music.  No worries, if they continue dancing tango after a while they will start to appreciate traditional music as it is most often played at milongas.        

Tango can be danced to any music with a steady beat or rhythm though some feel non-tango music is just as another assault on tango traditions.  They respect and love the tango traditions such as el cabeceo, wearing of black, and music divided into tandas with cortinas.  For them the traditions make tango special and different from other dances.

Being that tango can be danced to alternative music, not originally written for tango, just shows the brilliance of the dance.  Though some people feel alternative music milongas are an attempt to Americanize an Argentine dance, they are just experiments to unleash creativity and to better understand and appreciate the intricate figures in the dance.