Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas is an early work from his twenties, a collection richly imbued with the folk colors of his native Argentina. The first piece, "Dance of the Old Herdsman", is a unique composition featuring different key signatures in the left and right hands, with delightful, jocular rhythms. At the end, a phrase reminiscent of open guitar strings (E-A-D-G-B-E) appears, leading into the second piece. The second piece, "Dance of the Graceful Maiden", features a maiden in traditional costume dancing with a touch of melancholy over an accompaniment figure reminiscent of a guitar. The third piece, "Dance of the Gaucho", depicts a gaucho—a young herdsman akin to a South American cowboy—and is a fierce and vigorous piece, as if percussive instruments are being struck.

The three character types appearing in this work can be seen as archetypes found in gaucho narratives—the gaucho, deprived of freedom by modernization and reduced to a peón (wage laborer) on an estancia (large ranch); the rancher's daughter, yearning for the phantom of a valiant gaucho; and the outlaw gaucho, deviating from social norms and reminiscent of his former heroic self. This work vividly portrays the landscape of the Pampas, woven by these three figures and the regional dance music associated with each.

Danza del viejo boyero (Dance of the Old Herdsman)

It is based on the rhythm of the malambo, a regional dance music where gauchos compete with vigorous steps. The 'disjointedness' perceived in this piece stems from its bitonality, where the left hand plays exclusively on black keys and the right hand exclusively on white keys. After the intensity of the sound peaks in the first half, the volume is reduced, and in the final section, a series of notes identical to those of open guitar strings appears. The disjointed steps and the guitar-like timbre may represent the melancholy of the old gaucho, who was tossed between old and new values during Argentina's modernization process.

Danza de la moza donosa (Dance of the Graceful Maiden)

It is characterized by a melancholic melody set to the elegant and leisurely rhythm of the zamba, a regional dance music (distinct from the Brazilian samba). The way the tension builds with a crescendo and chromatic ascent, only for the melody to immediately descend, is as if the daughter is sighing over unrequited love. In the middle section, the mood shifts from melancholy, and the intensity increases as if the daughter is revealing her painful inner feelings. However, this passion does not last long. Nevertheless, after a coda that sounds like distant thunder, an unexpected dissonance is struck, leaving a lingering impression that the daughter's suffering still smolders deep within her heart.

Danza del gaucho matrero (Dance of the Outlaw Gaucho)

A vigorous work with strong rhythmic elements. The tense chromatic descending figures and repeated dissonances at the beginning, along with abruptly struck chords, hint at the presence of the dangerous 'outlaw' gaucho. After the melody and rhythm of the regional dance music gato are employed, the bitonality from the first piece briefly reappears. Subsequently, it concludes grandly with chord combinations characteristic of the malambo (I-IV-V) and a vigorous rhythm. Through this celebratory depiction of the gaucho, Ginastera may have sought to restore freedom and pride to this figure, rather than branding him as an outlaw.