Tango

Tango in the streets of Buenos-Aires

Tango is a social dance form that originated in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The musical styles that evolved together with the dance are also known as tango. Early tango was known as tango criollo or simply tango. Today, there are many tango dance styles including Argentine tango, Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango, Chinese tango, and vintage tangos. Argentine tango is often regarded as the "authentic" tango since it is closest to that originally danced in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Music and dance elements of Tango are popular in activities related to dancing, such as figure skating, syncronized swimming, etc., because of its dramatic feeling and rich opportunities for improvisation on the ethernal topic of Love.

History

The word "tango" has no clear etymology. It may derive from a place-name used in African languages, or from the Portuguese word tocar, 'touch'. The name was widely used among Black communities in Spanish America to refer to a place where people gathered to dance. Later the name was applied to various Black dance forms, leading up to the development of what is now known as tango.

The dance originated in Montevideo and Buenos Aires during the late 19th century. The music derived from the fusion of music from Europe, the South American Milonga, and African rhythms. The word Tango seems to have first been used in connection with the dance in the 1890s. Initially it was just one of the many dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as theatres and street barrel organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of European immigrants.

The dance was soon found on the street, in bars, dance halls, and in the upper class venus such as the Teatro Opera, which started organizing balls that included tangos in 1902.

In the early years of the twentieth century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the first European tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed by London, Berlin and other capitals. Towards the end of 1913 it hit New York in the USA, and Finland. These exported versions of Tango were modified to have less body contact ("Ballroom Tango"), however the dance was still thought shocking by many, as had earlier been the case with dances such as the Waltz.

In Argentina Tango became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the government of Juan Perón. It declined in the 1950s with economic depression and as the military dictatorships banned public gatherings, followed by the popularity of Rock and Roll. The dance lived on in smaller venues until its revival in the 1980's following the opening in Paris of the show Tango Argentino and the Broadway musical Forever Tango.

Tango Styles

There are a number of styles of tango:

• Argentine Tango
  • Tango Canyengue
  • Tango Liso
  • Salon Tango
  • Tango Orillero
  • Tango Milonguero (Tango Apilado)
  • Wals
• Show Tango
• Ballroom Tango, see Ballroom dance
  • American Style
  • International Style

Argentine Tango (Tango Argentino)

Argentine Tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras, and in response to the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. Even though they all developed in Argentina and Uraguay, they were also exposed to influences reimported from Europe and North America. Consequently there is a good deal of confusion and overlap between the styles as they are now danced - and fusions continue to evolve.

n sharp contrast to ballroom tango and most other social dances, Argentine tango relies heavily on improvistion, and in theory, every tango is improvised. Although there are many steps and sequences of steps that a tango dancer learns, every dancer is free to change them without the criticism that "this is not Argentine tango."

Argentine Tango is generally danced anti-clockwise around the edges of the room, and it is acceptable to stop briefly in the line of dance to perform stationary figures. It is even OK to dance against the line of dance briefly, but only if there is plenty of room to do so.

Many moves are danced with chest-to-chest and head-to-head contact, with smooth "stalking" steps and dramatic flicks of the leg. A striking difference between Argentine tango and ballroom tango is that the follower leans toward the leader and in a close embrace dances "chest-to-chest" with the leader. In ballroom tango this style is unheard of, in fact, in ballroom tango the follower shyly pulls her upper body away from the leader whenever he draws her toward him.

Another interesting difference is that in Argentine tango, the leader may freely step with his left foot when the follower steps with her left foot. This is called "crossed feet." In ballroom tango this is unheard of and consider incorrect (unless the leader and follower are facing the same direction).

A third difference is that Argentine tango music is much more varied than ballroom tango music, allowing Argentine tango dancers to spend the whole night dancing only Argentine tango.

Tango Canyengue

Tango Canyengue was danced in the 1920s and 30s when the long tight fashion in dresses restricted the woman's movements. Consequently the style involves short steps. The dancers tend to move with knees slightly bent, the partners slightly offset and in a closed embrace. The style tends to be danced to a 2/4 tempo.

Tango Liso

Liso style Tango developed in small and crowded dance halls, where there was only space to take a few paces, before having to circle around each other while waiting for a space to open. The style is danced with an upright posture, usually with each dancer slightly offset to the right of their partner. If a close embrace is used, it is relaxed to allow the woman to preform turns. The dance involves just the simpler steps--decorative moves such as boleos, ganchos, and sentadas are absent from the style.

Salon Tango

Salon Tango developed in the less crowded upmarket dance halls, allowing space for boleos, ganchos, and sentadas to be perfomed. The style is generally danced in an open embrace.

In modern usage, the words "Salon" and "Milonguero" are often both applied loosely to older styles of Tango.

Tango Orillero

Tango Orillero is thought to have developed away from the town centers in the outskirts and suburbs, where there was more freedom due to there being more space on the dance floor. The style is danced in an upright position, and uses various embellishments including rapid foot moves, kicks--and even some acrobatics, though this is a more recent development.

Tango Milonguero (Tango Apilado)

Milonguero Tango developed in the 1940s and 50s in closely packed dance halls, so is danced in a very close embrace, chest-to chest, with the partners leaning - or appearing to lean - slightly towards each other to allow space for the feet to move.

In modern usage, the words "Salon" and "Milonguero" are often both applied loosely to a vintage style of Tango. In milonguero style the leader holds the follower in a very close embrace. This style can be intimidating for beginners, so various methods have been introduced to ease dancers into the milonguero style.

Ballroom tango illustration, 1914

Show Tango

Show tango, also called Fantasia is a more theatrical and exaggerated form of Argentine Tango developed to suit the stage. It usually includes many embellishments, acrobatics and solo moves.

Ballroom Tango

Ballroom tango, divided in recent decades into the "International" (English) and "American" styles, is descended from the tango styles that developed when the tango first went abroad to Europe and America. The dance was simplified, adapted to the preferences of conventional ballroom dancers, and incorporated into the repetoire used in International Ballroom dance competitions.

Subsequently the English Tango evolved mainly as a competitive dance, highly choreographed dance while the American Tango evolved as an unjudged social dance with an emphasis on leading and following skills. This has led to some principial distinctions in basic technigue and style. Nevertheless there are quite are few competitions held in the American style, and of course mutual borrowing of technique and dance patterns happens all the time.

Ballroom tango tangos also use different music and styling from Argentine tangos, with more staccato movements and the characteristic "head snaps." The head snaps are totally foreign to Argentine tango.

Dance ettiquette in Argentine tango and ballroom also differs.

Technique

The way steps are taken in tango are quite different in ballroom tango versus Argentine tango. Ballroom tango does not use gliding steps, but rather uses staccato steps. Although teachers some times call the steps out as SLOW SLOW QUICK QUICK SLOW. The SLOW steps are better described as QUICK-HOLD. Where the dancer rushes to make a step and then holds it as long as possible before rushing to make the next step. That's what gives the staccato action of the steps. This is an attempt to match the staccato accents that always appear in ballroom tango music.

Other forms of tango, including Chinese tango and Argentine tango uses more gliding steps which match the music, which tends to be romantic and less staccato. The basic position is a closed position similar to that of other kinds of ballroom dance. In Argentine Tango, the "close embrace," with full upper body contact, is often used. In Ballroom tango, the "close embrase" involves close contact, too, but the contact is with the hips and upper thighs and *not* the upper torso. In the Argentine Tango, the ball of the foot may be placed first. Alternatively, the dancer may take the floor with the entire foot in a cat-like manner. In the International style, "heel leads" (stepping first onto the heel, then the whole foot) are used for forward steps. Ballroom tangos, including American and International, are based mainly on the movement of the feet across the floor, while the Argentine Tango includes various other moves such as the gancho (hooking one's leg around one's partner's leg), the parada (in which the leader puts his foot against the follower's foot), the arrastre (in which the leader appears to drag the follower's foot), and several kinds of sacada (in which the leader appears to kick the follower's foot out of the way, by stepping into the follower's space).

Tango on film

• The Tango Lesson (1997), starring Sally Potter and Pablo Verón, directed by Sally Potter

• Tango (1998), starring Cecilia Narova and Mía Maestro, directed by Carlos Saura Here is an exciting video clip of this movie online

• Assassination Tango (2002), starring Robert Duvall, Rubén Blades and Kathy Baker, directed by Robert Duvall

See also

• Tango music
• Lunfardo
• List of dances

External links

• Reflections on the origins of tango
• tango etiquette
• tango etiquette
• show tango (Notice how the dancing is carefully choreographed to the music and how the leader leads the follower to wrap her leg almost around his waist at the end)

Argentine Tango

• free Argentine tango lesson + video clips
• Milonguero style instructional tapes
• On-line discussions

You can dance Argentine tango all over the world. Most major cities of the world have Argentine tango dance parties, for example:

• San Francisco, USA
• Sacramento, USA
• Berkeley, USA
• Argentina
• Argentina
• Japan
• Netherlands

Tango Music

• tango music online

• Two selections from the same Argentine tango piece in Tango for You. The first is slow, sweet, and romantic. In the second the bandoneon comes to an exciting conclusion.