Tango is a
partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...
, the natural border between
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combination of Rioplatense
Candombe
''Candombe'' is a style of music and dance that originated in Uruguay among the descendants of liberated African slaves. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed ''candombe'' in its Repres ...
celebrations, Spanish-Cuban
Habanera, and Argentine
Milonga. The tango was frequently practiced in the brothels and bars of ports, where business owners employed bands to entertain their patrons. The tango then spread to the rest of the world. Many variations of this dance currently exist around the world.
On August 31, 2009,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
approved a joint proposal by Argentina and Uruguay to include the tango in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.
History
Tango is a dance that has influences from
African and
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
culture. Dances from the
candombe
''Candombe'' is a style of music and dance that originated in Uruguay among the descendants of liberated African slaves. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed ''candombe'' in its Repres ...
ceremonies of former African enslaved people helped shape the modern day tango. The dance originated in lower-class districts of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
and
Montevideo. The music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from Europe. The words "tango" and "tambo" around the River Plate basin were initially used to refer to musical gatherings of slaves, with written records of colonial authorities attempting to ban such gatherings as early as 1789.
Initially, it was just one of the many dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
s and street
barrel organ
A barrel organ (also called roller organ or crank organ) is a French mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and one or more ranks of pipes housed in a case, usually of wood, and often highly decorated. The basic principle is the sam ...
s spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of European
immigrants.
When the tango began to spread internationally around 1900, cultural norms were generally conservative, and so tango dancing was widely regarded as extremely sexual and inappropriate for public display. This led to a phenomenon of
culture shock
Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...
. Additionally, the combination of African, Native American and European cultural influences in tango was new and unusual to most of the
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. .
Many neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires have their particular tango histories: for example
La Boca
La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. It retains a strong Italian flavour, many of its early settlers having originated in the city of Genoa.
Geography
L ...
,
San Telmo
San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...
and
Boedo
Boedo is a working-class ''barrio'' or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The neighborhood and one of its principal streets were named after Mariano Boedo, a leading figure in the Argentine independence.
It is the home of San Lorenzo de A ...
. At Boedo Avenue,
Cátulo Castillo
Ovidio Cátulo González Castillo (6 August 1906 – 19 October 1975) was an Argentine poet and tango music composer. He was the author of many famous works, such as ', ''El aguacero'' (lyrics by ), ' and ''Caserón de tejas'' (both with music by ...
,
Homero Manzi
Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi (November 1, 1907 – May 3, 1951) was an Argentine tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos.
He was born on November 1 of 1907 in Añatuya (province of Santiago del Ester ...
and other singers and composers used to meet at the
Japanese Cafe with the
Boedo Group
Boedo is a working-class ''barrio'' or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The neighborhood and one of its principal streets were named after Mariano Boedo, a leading figure in the Argentine independence.
It is the home of San Lorenzo de A ...
.
In the early years of the 20th century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the first European tango craze took place in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, soon followed by
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, and other capitals. Tango historian
Nardo Zalko, a native of Buenos Aires who lived most of his life in Paris, investigated the mutual fertilization between the two cities in his work, ''Paris – Buenos Aires, Un Siècle de Tango'' ("A Century of Tango"). Towards the end of 1913, it hit
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
as well as
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. In the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, around 1911, the word "
tango
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
" was often applied to dances in a or rhythm such as the
one-step. The term was fashionable and did not indicate that tango steps would be used in the dance, although they might be. Tango music was sometimes played but at a rather fast tempo. Instructors of the period would sometimes refer to this as a "North American tango", versus the so-called "Argentine tango". The tango was controversial because of its perceived sexual overtones and, by the end of 1913, the dance teachers who had introduced the dance to Paris were banished from the city. By 1914, more authentic tango stylings were soon developed, along with some variations like Albert Newman's "Minuet" tango.
In Argentina, the onset in 1929 of the
Great Depression, and restrictions introduced after the overthrow of the
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen (; 12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was an Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and two-time President of Argentina, who served his first term from 1916 to 1922 and his second ...
government in 1930, caused a temporary decline in tango's popularity. Its fortunes were reversed later in the 1930s, and tango again became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the first
Perón government, which in turn had a major effect on Argentinian culture overall.
Mariano Mores
Mariano Alberto Martínez (18 February 1918 13 April 2016), known professionally as Mariano Mores, was an Argentine tango composer and pianist.
Biography
Mariano Martínez was born in the San Telmo section of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1918. ...
played a role in the resurgence of the tango in 1950s Argentina. Mores's ''Taquito Militar'' was premiered in 1952 during a governmental speech by President Juan D. Perón, which generated a strong political and cultural controversy between different views of the concepts of "cultured" music and "popular" music, as well as the links between both "cultures".
Tango declined again in the late 1950s, as a result of economic
depression and the banning of public gatherings by the military
dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...
ships; male-only tango practice—the custom at the time—was considered "public gathering". That, indirectly, boosted the popularity of
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
because, unlike tango, it did not require such gatherings.
However, in the late 1980s the tango again experienced a resurgence in Argentina, partly due to the endeavors of
Osvaldo Peredo.
In 2009, the tango was added to the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.
Etymology
There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''tango'', none of which has been proven. An African culture is often credited as the creator of this word; in particular, it is theorized that the word derives from the
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
word ''
shangó'', which refers to
Shango
Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafi ...
, the God of Thunder in traditional
Yoruba religion
The Yoruba religion (Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), or Isese, comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Og ...
.
This theory suggests that the word “shangó” was morphed through the dilution of the Nigerian language once it reached South America via
slave trade
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. According to an alternative theory, ''tango'' is derived from the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
word for "
drum", ''
tambor''.
This word was then mispronounced by Buenos Aires’ lower-class inhabitants to become ''tambo'', ultimately resulting in the common ''tango''. It is also sometimes theorized that the word is derived from the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
word ''
tanger
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the ca ...
'', which means "to play a musical instrument". Another Portuguese word, ''
tangomão'', a combination of the verb ''tanger'' ("to touch") with the noun ''mão'' ("hand") meaning "to play a musical instrument with one's hands", has been suggested as the etymon of ''tango''.
According to some authors, ''tango'' is derived from the
Kongo
Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa:
* Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
word ''ntangu'' which means "sun", "hour", "space-time".
Styles
The tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of Argentina as well as in other locations around the world. The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where
lead and follow
In some types of partner dance, lead and follow are designations for the two dancers' roles in a dance pairing. The leader is responsible for guiding the couple and initiating transitions to different dance steps and, in improvised dances, for cho ...
have space between their bodies, or
close embrace, where the lead and follow connect either chest-to-chest (Argentine tango) or in the upper thigh, hip area (American and International tango).
Different styles of tango are:
*
Tango argentino
Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as AB ...
*
Tango canyengue
*Tango fantasia
* Tango liso
*Tango oriental
* Tango orillero
*Tango salon
* Tango camacupense (Angola)
*
Tango milonguero
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combinat ...
(tango apilado) (see also "
Milonguero")
*
Tango nuevo
Nuevo tango is both a form of music in which new elements are incorporated into traditional tango music, and an evolution of tango dance that began to develop in the 1980s.
Dance Origins
Prior to the 1990s, Argentine tango was taught with a didac ...
(new tango)
* Tango vals (Tango waltz)
*
Milonga
*
Ballroom tango
*
Finnish tango Finnish tango ( fi, suomalainen tango), or FINtango, music is an established variation of the Argentine tango but whose rhythm follows the Ballroom tango. It was one of the most popular music forms for decades in Finland. Brought to Europe in the 19 ...
*
Uruguayan tango
Uruguayan tango is a rhythm that has its roots in the poor areas of Montevideo around 1880. Then it was extended to other areas and countries. As Borges said: "...tango is African-Montevidean ruguayan tango has black curls in its roots..." He quo ...
*
Maxixe (Brazilian tango)
These are danced to several types of music:
* Tango
* Electronic tango-inspired music (Tango electronico)
* "Alternative tango", i.e. music that is an alternative to tango, or non-tango music employed for use in tango-inspired dance
The milonguero style is characterized by a very close embrace, small steps, and syncopated rhythmic footwork. It is based on the or style of the crowded downtown clubs of the 1950s.
In contrast, the tango that originated in the family clubs of the suburban neighborhoods (Villa Urquiza/Devoto/Avellaneda etc.) emphasizes long elegant steps, and complex figures. In this case the embrace may be allowed to open briefly, to permit execution of the complex footwork.
The complex figures of this style became the basis for a theatrical performance style of tango seen in the touring stage shows. For stage purposes, the embrace is often open, and the complex footwork is augmented with gymnastic lifts, kicks, and drops.
A newer style sometimes called ''
tango nuevo
Nuevo tango is both a form of music in which new elements are incorporated into traditional tango music, and an evolution of tango dance that began to develop in the 1980s.
Dance Origins
Prior to the 1990s, Argentine tango was taught with a didac ...
'' or 'new tango' has been popularized in recent years by a younger generation of dancers. The embrace is often quite open and very elastic, permitting the leader to lead a large variety of very complex figures. This style is often associated with those who enjoy dancing to jazz- and techno-tinged "alternative tango" music, in addition to traditional tango compositions.
Tango de salon (salon tango)
Tango canyengue
''Tango canyengue'' is a rhythmic style of tango that originated in the early 1900s and is still popular today. It is one of the original roots styles of tango and contains all fundamental elements of traditional Tango from the
River Plate region (Uruguay and Argentina). In ''tango canyengue'' the dancers share one axis, dance in a closed embrace, and with the legs relaxed and slightly bent. ''Tango canyengue'' uses body dissociation for the leading, walking with firm ground contact, and a permanent combination of on- and off-beat rhythm. Its main characteristics are its musicality and playfulness. Its rhythm is described as "incisive, exciting, provocative".
The complex figures of this style became the basis for a theatrical performance style of Tango seen in the touring stage shows. For stage purposes, the embrace is often very open, and the complex footwork is augmented with gymnastic lifts, kicks, and drops.
Tango nuevo
A newer style sometimes called ''
tango nuevo
Nuevo tango is both a form of music in which new elements are incorporated into traditional tango music, and an evolution of tango dance that began to develop in the 1980s.
Dance Origins
Prior to the 1990s, Argentine tango was taught with a didac ...
'' or 'new tango' was popularized after 1980 by a younger generation of musicians and dancers.
Ástor Piazzolla
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...
, composer and virtuoso of the
bandoneón
The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, the bandoneon is held ...
(so-called "tango accordion") played a major role in the innovation of traditional tango music. The embrace is often quite open and very elastic, permitting the leader to initiate a great variety of very complex figures. This style is often associated with those who enjoy dancing to jazz- and techno-tinged, electronic and alternative music inspired in old tangos, in addition to traditional Tango compositions.
''Tango nuevo'' is largely fueled by a fusion between
tango music
Tango is a style of music in or time that originated among European and African immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay (collectively, the " Rioplatenses"). It is traditionally played on a solo guitar, guitar duo, or an ensemble, k ...
and
electronica (), though the style can be adapted to traditional tango and even non-tango songs.
Gotan Project
Gotan Project is a musical group based in Paris (France), consisting of musicians Eduardo Makaroff (Argentine), Philippe Cohen Solal (French) and Christoph H. Müller (Swiss), a former member of Touch El Arab.Madlen Albrecht ''Le développement ...
released its first tango fusion album in 2000, quickly following with
La Revancha del Tango in 2001.
Bajofondo Tango Club
Bajofondo is a Río de la Plata-based music band consisting of eight musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, which aims to create a more contemporary version of tango and other musical styles of the Río de la Plata region. It was founded in the ear ...
, a
Rioplatense
Rioplatense Spanish (), also known as Rioplatense Castilian, is a variety of Spanish spoken mainly in and around the Río de la Plata Basin of Argentina and Uruguay. It is also referred to as River Plate Spanish or Argentine Spanish. It is the ...
music band consisting of seven musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, released their first album in 2002.
Tanghetto
Tanghetto is an Argentinian neotango and electronic tango music project created and led by musician and producer Max Masri. Winner of the Gardel Award and four times nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards. It's based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...
's album ''
Emigrante (electrotango)
''Emigrante (electrotango)'' is the debut album by Buenos Aires-based neo-tango band Tanghetto. The album was released in 2003, reaching gold sales in early 2005 and soon became platinum and double platinum. In 2004 ''Emigrante (electrotango)'' wa ...
'' appeared in 2003 and was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2004. These and other electronic tango fusion songs bring an element of revitalization to the tango dance, serving to attract a younger group of dancers.
New tango songs
In the second half of the 1990s, a movement of new tango songs was born in Buenos Aires. It was mainly influenced by the old orchestra style rather than by Piazzolla's renewal and experiments with electronic music. The novelty lies in the new songs, with today's lyrics and language, which find inspiration in a wide variety of contemporary styles.
In the 2000s, the movement grew with prominent figures such as the Orquesta Típica Fernandez Fierro, whose creator, Julian Peralta,
would later start Astillero and the Orquesta Típica Julián Peralta. Other bands also have become part of the movement such as the Orquesta Rascacielos, Altertango, Ciudad Baigón, as well as singer and songwriters Alfredo "Tape" Rubín,
Victoria di Raimondo,
Juan Serén,
Natalí de Vicenzo
and
Pacha González.
Ballroom tango
Ballroom tango, divided in recent decades into the "International" and "American" styles, has descended from the tango styles that developed when the tango first went abroad to Europe and North America. The dance was simplified, adapted to the preferences of conventional ballroom dancers, and incorporated into the repertoire used in
International Ballroom
Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television ...
dance competitions. English tango was first codified in October 1922, when it was proposed that it should only be danced to modern tunes, ideally at 30
bars per minute
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
(i.e. 120
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ...
– assuming a measure).
Subsequently, the English tango evolved mainly as a highly
competitive dance
Competitive dance is a popular, widespread sport in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, and improv—before a ...
, while the American tango evolved as an unjudged
social dance
Social dances are dances that have a social functions and context. Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance. They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competiti ...
with an emphasis on
leading and following skills. This has led to some principal distinctions in basic technique and style. Nevertheless, there are quite a few competitions held in the American style, and of course mutual borrowing of technique and dance patterns happens all the time.
Ballroom tangos use different music and styling from the tangos from the River Plata region (Uruguay and Argentina), with more staccato movements and the characteristic ''head snaps''. The head snaps are totally foreign to Argentine and Uruguayan tango, and were introduced in 1934 under the influence of a similar movement in the legs and feet of the tango from the River Plate, and the theatrical movements of the
pasodoble
Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military march gave rise ...
. This style became very popular in Germany and was soon introduced to England. The movements were very popular with spectators, but not with competition judges.
Finnish tango
Tango arrived in Finland in 1913. The tango spread from the dominant urban dance form to become hugely popular across Finland in the 1950s after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The melancholy tone of the music reflects the themes of Finnish folk poetry; Finnish tango is almost always in a
minor key
In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe a chord, scale, or key. As such, composition, movement, section, or phrase may be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor.
Intervals
Some intervals ...
.
The tango is danced in very close full thigh, pelvis and upper body contact in a wide and strong frame, and features smooth horizontal movements that are very strong and determined. Dancers are very low, allowing long steps without any up and down movement, although rises and falls are optional in some styles. Forward steps land heel first except when descending from a rise, and in backward steps dancers push from the heel. In basic steps, the passing leg moves quickly to rest for a moment close to the grounded leg. Dips and rotations are typical. There is no open position, and typically feet stay close to the floor, except in dips the follower might slightly raise the left leg. Unlike in some Argentine-Uruguayan tango styles, in Finnish tango there is no kicking of any kind, and there are no aerials.
The annual Finnish tango festival ''
Tangomarkkinat
The Tangomarkkinat is the world's oldest tango festival. It is held early every July in Seinäjoki, Finland. As well as competitions to find the country's best tango singers, composers, and dancers, the festival features public dancing to live mu ...
'' draws over 100,000 tango fans to the central Finnish town of
Seinäjoki; the town also hosts the Tango Museum.
Comparison of techniques
Argentine-
Uruguayan
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
and
ballroom tango use very different techniques. In Argentine and Uruguayan tango, the body's center moves first, then the feet reach to support it. In ballroom tango, the body is initially set in motion across the floor through the flexing of the lower joints (hip, knee, ankle) while the feet are delayed, then the feet move quickly to catch the body, resulting in snatching or striking action that reflects the staccato nature of this style's preferred music.
In tango, the steps are typically more gliding, but can vary widely in timing, speed, and character, and follow no single specific rhythm. Because the dance is led and followed at the level of individual steps, these variations can occur from one step to the next. This allows the dancers to vary the dance from moment to moment to match the music (which often has both
legato
In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note wit ...
and/or
staccato elements) and their mood.
The Tango's frame, called an ''abrazo'' or "embrace", is not rigid, but flexibly adjusts to different steps, and may vary from being quite close, to offset in a "V" frame, to open. The flexibility is as important as is all movement in dance. The American Ballroom Tango's frame is flexible too, but experienced dancers frequently dance in closed position: higher in the elbows, tone in the arms and constant connection through the body. When dancing socially with beginners, however, it may be better to use a more open position because the close position is too intimate for them. In American Tango open position may result in open breaks, pivots, and turns which are quite foreign in Argentine tango and International (English) tango.
There is a
closed position
In partner dancing, closed position is a category of positions in which partners hold each other while facing at least approximately toward each other.
Closed positions employ either body contact or body support, that is, holding each other is ...
as in other types of
ballroom dance, but it differs significantly between types of tango. In Tango from the River Plata region, the "close embrace" involves continuous contact at the full upper body, but not the legs. In American Ballroom tango, the "close embrace" involves close contact in the pelvis or upper thighs, but not the upper body. Followers are instructed to thrust their hips forward, but pull their upper body away and shyly look over their left shoulder when they are led into a "corte".
In tango from the River Plate region, the open position, the legs may be intertwined and hooked together, in the style of Pulpo (the Octopus). In Pulpo's style, these hooks are not sharp, but smooth ganchos.
In Tango from the River Plata, Uruguay and Argentina, the ball or toe 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 of Tango, "
heel leads" (stepping first onto the heel, then the whole foot) are used for forward steps.
Ballroom tango steps stay close to the floor, while the River Plata Tango (Uruguayan and Argentine) includes moves such as the ''
boleo
Figures of Argentine tango are elements of Argentine tango.
Introduction and terminology
History
On the basis of several instructional tango books published between 1911–1925 early tango figures can be grouped into eight categories: corte, pas ...
'' (allowing momentum to carry one's leg into the air) and ''
gancho
A–K
Apple Jacks
A step on the spot, with twisting foot and the weight on the heel, likthis
Ball change
Ball change is a movement where the dancer shifts the weight from the ball of one foot to the other and back. This is mostly used in ...
'' (hooking one's leg around one's partner's leg or body) in which the feet travel off the ground. Both Uruguayan and Argentine tango features other vocabulary foreign to ballroom, such as the ''
parada Parada may refer to:
Places Portugal
* Parada (Alfândega da Fé), a civil parish in the municipality of Alfândega da Fé Municipality, Alfândega da Fé
* Parada (Almeida), a civil parish in the municipality of Almeida Municipality, Almeida
* Pa ...
'' (in which the leader puts his foot against the follower's foot), the ''
arrastre
Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as ABA ...
'' (in which the leader appears to drag or be dragged by the follower's foot), and several kinds of ''
sacada'' (in which the leader displaces the follower's leg by stepping into her space).
Famous tango singers
*
Carlos Acuña (1915–1999) was known for his deep, high and expressive voice. His foreign travels brought him success in Uruguay, Mexico, Italy and Spain, where he became a close friend of the exiled
Juan Perón.
*
Néstor Fabián
*
Carlos Gardel
*
Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche (January 29, 1926 in Saavedra, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires – August 27, 1994 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine tango singer of Basque descent, who epitomized the archetype of 1950s Buenos Aires' bohemian life, and became ...
*
Julio Sosa
Julio María Sosa Venturini (February 2, 1926 – November 26, 1964), usually referred to simply as Julio Sosa or El Varón del Tango, was a Argentines, Uruguayan/Argentinian tango (music), tango singer.
Biography
Sosa was born in Las Piedras, ...
(1926–1964) from Uruguay was one of the most important tango singers during tango's unhappy years in the 1950s and early 1960s. His passion for poetry led to his sole published book; his passion for fast cars led to his young death.
*
Olavi Virta
*
Reijo Taipale
Reijo Toivo Taipale (9 March 1940 – 26 April 2019) was a Finnish pop singer since the 1950s specializing in Schlager music and tango. Many of his albums have gone gold and platinum.
Biography
Taipale was born in Miehikkälä, Finland. Through ...
*
Tita Merello
Laura Ana "Tita" Merello (11 October 1904 – 24 December 2002) was an Argentine film actress, tango dancer and singer of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema (1940–1960). In her 6 decades in Argentine entertainment, at the time of her death, s ...
*Edmundo Rivero
*Pyotr Leschenko
Tango influence
Music and dance elements of tango are popular in activities related to gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming, etc., because of its dramatic feeling and its cultural associations with romance.
For the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, Adidas designed a ball and named it Tango, likely a tribute to the host country of the event. This design was also used in 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain as ''Tango Málaga'', and in 1984 and 1988 UEFA European Football Championships in France and West Germany.
In society
Tango appears in different aspects of society: Regular milonga (place), milongas and special festivals. A very famous festival is the Tango Buenos Aires Festival y Mundial in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
also known as World tango dance tournament. On a regional level there are also many festivals inside and outside of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. One local festival outside Argentina is Buenos Aires in the Southern Highlands in Australia.
Gender and tango
Typically the tango is performed between a man and a woman, however the two have very different aspirations within the tango. Women often looked to the tango to help them gain confidence and to help them find a potential relationship.
Men however looked to the tango for intimate reasons, and were known to be flirty and sexually willing.
[ Women, however, were primarily focused on the dance itself and became wealthy.][ As time went on and the tango culture changed, women and men often wanted to travel and compete and also teach tango classes and then both women and men are viewed as equals.][
Gender roles also plays a big part in the mechanics of tango due to the tango needing a leader. But in more recent times this is being challenged due to woman not wanting to be dependent on the male for the dance. In the early 1900s, there were often more male dancers than female so the dance was performed between two men. This allowed for both men to learn the leading and following roles of tango and adapt to both lead equally in the dance. This changed the mechanics of the dance to be closer to two equally leading roles between men and women or same sex pairs.
]
In film
Argentine tango is the main subject in these films:
* ''¡Tango!'' (1933)
* ''Kaatru Veliyidai'' (2017), directed by Mani Ratnam with the song Kaatru Veliyidai (soundtrack), Tango Kelayo composed by Oscar winner A. R. Rahman, A.R. Rahman and lyrics written by vairamuthu.
* ''Adiós Buenos Aires'' (1938)
* ''Tango: El Exilio de Gardel/Tangos: the Exile of Gardel'' (1985), starring Philippe Léotard, directed by Fernando Solanas
* ''Tango Bar'' (1988), starring Raúl Juliá
* ''The Tango Lesson'' (1997), starring Sally Potter and Pablo Verón, directed by Sally Potter
* ''Tango (1998 film), Tango'' (1998), starring Cecilia Narova and Mía Maestro, directed by Carlos Saura
* ''Assassination Tango'' (2002), starring Robert Duvall, Rubén Blades and Kathy Baker, directed by Robert Duvall
* ''Orquesta Típica (film), Orquesta Típica'' (2005), documentary film about typical orchestra Fernandez Fierro, directed by Nicolas Entel
* ''12 Tangos – Adios Buenos Aires'' (2005), directed by Arne Birkenstock
* ''Tango libre'' (2012), directed by Frédéric Fonteyne
* ''Vaje v objemu / Practice in embrace'' (2012), directed by Metod Pevec
A number of films show tango in several scenes, such as:
*''The Threepenny Opera (1931 film), The Threepenny Opera'' (Die 3-Groschen-Oper) (1931), directed by G. W. Pabst, has number called Tango Ballade.
* ''The Plow That Broke the Plains'' (1936), directed by Pare Lorentz.
* ''The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921 movie), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'' (1921), starring Rudolph Valentino and Alice Terry, directed by Rex Ingram (director), Rex Ingram.
* ''Love in the City (1953 film), L'amore in città'' (1953), segment ''"Paradise for three hours"'' (Paradiso per tre ore), directed by Dino Risi, starring nonprofessional actors, featuring a long sequence in a ballroom, where a passionate tango of Mario Nascimbene is played.
* ''The Conformist (film), Il Conformista'' (1970), starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Dominique Sanda, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
* ''Last Tango in Paris'' (1972), starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider (actress), Maria Schneider, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
* ''The World's Greatest Lover'' (1977), starring Gene Wilder (who also directed), Carol Kane and Dom DeLuise.
* ''Death on the Nile (1978 film), Death on the Nile'' (1978), Peter Ustinov and Olivia Hussey tango whilst David Niven is the unfortunate partner to Angela Lansbury's rather eccentric version of the dance.
* ''Tango'' (1981), a short animation film by Zbigniew Rybczynski. Received an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards 1982.
* ''Never Say Never Again'' (1983), starring Sean Connery and Kim Basinger, directed by Irvin Kershner.
* '' Naked Tango'' (1990), starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Mathilda May, directed by Leonard Schrader.
* ''Scent of a Woman (1992 film), Scent of a Woman'' (1992), Al Pacino as blind Colonel dances Argentine tango.
* ''Strictly Ballroom'' (1992), directed by Baz Luhrmann.
* ''Addams Family Values'' (1993), Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston dance a tango so passionate that it literally burns the floor and makes all the champagne bottles in the nightclub pop their corks.
* ''Schindler's List'' (1993), starring Liam Neeson.
* ''True Lies'' (1994), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tia Carrere, directed by James Cameron.
* ''Evita (1996 film), Evita'' (1996), Madonna (entertainer), Madonna and Antonio Banderas dance a ballroom tango.
* ''Happy Together (1997 film), Happy Together'' (1997), directed by Wong Kar-wai.
* ''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001), featuring Ewan McGregor and "El Tango de Roxanne".
* ''Waking Life'' (2001), directed by Richard Linklater.
* ''Le Tango Des Rashevski'' (2002).
* ''Chicago (2002 movie), Chicago'' (2002), starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere, directed by Rob Marshall includes a song titled "Cell Block Tango" and is accompanied with a dance.
* ''Frida'' (2002), Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd dance a tango to the Lila Downs performed song "Alcoba Azul".
* ''Shall We Dance (2004 movie), Shall We Dance'' (2004), starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon, directed by Peter Chelsom.
* Madonna (entertainer), Madonna featured choreography inspired by the Argentine tango styles for the Die Another Day section of her 2004 Re-Invention Tour. Segments of the 2005 documentary ''I'm Going To Tell You A Secret'' show this choreography in use.
* ''Rent (film), Rent'' (2005) had Anthony Rapp and Tracie Thoms perform a semi-elaborate ballroom tango in the song "Tango:Maureen" to describe their emotional relations and issues over a promiscuous girl they both dated.
* ''Mad Hot Ballroom'' (2005), documentary directed by Marilyn Agrelo.
* ''Love and Other Disasters'' (2006), Jacks (Brittany Murphy) and Paolo (Santiago Cabrera) perform a tango together.
* ''Take the Lead'' (2006), starring Antonio Banderas, directed by Liz Friedlander.
* ''Tanghi Argentini,'' Oscar nominated short film by Guy Thys, starring Dirk Van Dijck and Koen van Impe
* ''Another Cinderella Story'' (2008), starring Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley. Performed during the Black and White Ball in the scene where Mary drops her Zune.
* ''Easy Virtue (2008 film), Easy Virtue'' (2008), in which Jessica Biel and Colin Firth dance a tango.
* ''Step Up 3D'' (2010), in which Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson and some of the supporting characters at a ballroom dance a tango to Jazmine Sullivan's ''Bust Your Windows''.
* ''Pixilation II'' (2011), short animation film by Kambras.
* Tango libre, ''Tango Libre'' (2012) starring François Damiens and Anne Paulicevich, directed by Frédéric Fonteyne
* ''Two to Tango'' (2021), directed by Dimitri Sterckens
Finnish tango is featured to a greater or lesser extent in the following films:
* ''Onnen maa'' (1993), starring Pertti Koivula and Katariina Kaitue, directed by Markku Pölönen.
* ''Levottomat'' (2000), starring Mikko Nousiainen and Laura Malmivaara, directed by Aku Louhimies.
* ''Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö'' (1990), starring Kati Outinen, directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
* ''Mies vailla menneisyyttä'' (2002), starring Markku Peltola and Kati Outinen, directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
* ''Varjoja paratiisissa'' (1986), starring Matti Pellonpää and Kati Outinen, directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
* ''Kuutamolla'' (2002), starring Minna Haapkylä and Laura Malmivaara, directed by Aku Louhimies.
* ''Tango Kabaree'' (2001), starring Martti Suosalo and Aira Samulin, directed by Pekka Lehto.
* ''Minä soitan sinulle illalla'' (1954), starring Olavi Virta, directed by Armand Lohikoski.
In popular culture
* A ''Sesame Street'' episode features a Tango Festival being held at the Furry Arms Hotel.
* ''The Backyardigans'' uses the Tango genre for the episode; Secret Agent.
Gallery
File:Tango 2 - San Telmo @ Buenos Aires.jpg
File:Tango in Plaza Dorrego.jpg
File:Carlos Gardel, Argentine tango singer, portrait.jpg, Carlos Gardel
File:Tango in BA.jpg
File:Camanita Tango 06 (3395529946).jpg
File:Tango Porteño.jpg, Tango Porteño
References
Further reading
* Davis, Kathy (2015). ''Dancing Tango: passionate encounters in a globalising world'. NYUP.
* Kassabova, Kapka (2011). ''Twelve Minutes of Love, a tango story'' (English), Portobello., 9781846272851
*
*
* Nau, Nicole (1999). ''Tango Dimensionen'' (German), Kastell Verlag GmbH, .
* Nau, Nicole (2000). ''Tango, un baile bien porteño'' (Spanish), Editorial Corregidor,
* Park, Chan (2005). ''Tango Zen: Walking Dance Meditation'' (English), Tango Zen House,
* Park, Chan (2008). ''TangoZen: Caminar y Meditar Bailando'' (Spanish-English), Editorial Kier,
*Savigliano, Marta E. (1995) ''Tango and the Political Economy of Passion''. Westview Press,
* Turner, David (2006). ''A Passion for Tango'' (English), Dingley Press 2004 Revised and augmented,
External links
Argentine Tango Radio
Tango in the Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tango (Dance)
Tango,
Tango dance
Partner dance
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Urban street dance and music
Articles containing video clips