Tango Facts: How Much Do You Know About This Dance Form?

Earlier, tango dances and their music was known as tango criollo or simply tango.

As enthralling as it looks, this slow, elegant, and passionate Latin dance captivates its audience with the dancer's moves. It is a social dance that is performed with a dance partner.

Tango dance originated from lower working classes, communities of European immigrants, and former slaves of Buenos Aires in Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay, and slowly became one of the popular dances of modern history.

Towards the end of the 1880s, as the popularity of the dance boomed, it slowly began to evolve from dance halls and brothels of slaves, working-class communities, lower-class communities to the dance and theatre halls in larger cities. These communities included both people of African and Caribbean heritage and indigenous Argentines.

Did you know the word 'tango' refers both to the music and dance style? The dance is a passionate and intimate dance between partners, mostly couples, and the tango music that accompanies the dance is often melancholic and filled with desperation.

The Origin Of Tango

Tango dance had its origins in lower and working-class communities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. However, tango music was derived from the fusion of various forms of European folklore music, South American milonga, and African rhythms.

Traditional tango was the most popular tango style among others in the earlier history of the dance. As tango's popularity spread throughout the world, traditional Argentine tango was the only style that managed to survive. Over many years of modern history, it got adapted and evolved into the many tango styles that we observe today.

In the early 20th century, as dancers, singers, and orchestras traveled to Europe from Buenos Aires, this unique tango style spread all across the continent, starting with Paris, London, and Berlin.

Initially regarded as obscene and inappropriate for public display due to its sexual appeal, tango was soon accepted for its distinctive style and roots to African, Native American, and European culture.

By 1913, tango hit Finland and New York. In New York, this dance form morphed into another unique style referred to as the 'North American tango.' In North American tango, tango music was sometimes accompanied by a fast tempo and was collectively applied to dances in a 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm such as the one-step.

Types Or Techniques Of Tango

Tango evolved over the years with different types and techniques. Each of these styles is distinct, though they all evolved from the traditional Argentine tango. These adopted styles of tango show variations in step movements, timings, speed, the character of the movement, and the following of the rhythm of the tango song.

Argentine and Uruguayan tango are quite distinct from ballroom tango. In the latter, dancers move their feet first and then move their center of gravity. However, in Argentine and Uruguayan tango, their chests move first.

Argentine tango is mostly performed with dancers in close embrace or open embrace. There are different styles of this tango, namely tango canyengue, tango liso, tango salon, tango orillero, tango milonguero, and tango nuevo.

Ballroom tango is divided into international and American styles with some principal distinctions in basic technique and style. Characterized by strong, dramatic head snaps, ballroom tango has emerged from the initially popularized tango styles in Europe and America. Now, this tango is a standard dance in international ballroom dancing.

Tango became hugely popular across Finland in the '50s due to its melancholic themes that represented a similar element of Finnish poetry. Finnish tango is almost always in a minor key, with dancers performing in long strides without any up or down movements.

Every year, over 100,000 tango fans are drawn to the central Finnish town of Seinäjoki, which holds the annual Finnish tango festival.

Tango nuevo is a newer style of tango popularized by a younger generation of dancers. It is characterized by open and elastic movements often accompanied by jazz-style music, in addition to traditional tango compositions.

Tango Vs. Other Dance Forms

In comparison to other dance forms, tango is more of a sensual and slow ballroom dance with steps that are typically smooth and gliding. However, they can vary widely in timing, speed, and character and follow no single specific rhythm.

Tango's frame, called an 'embrace', is very flexible and open, adjusting to different steps and movements. This is contrary to other ballroom dances, which follow a closed position.

Did you know the government of Buenos Aires created a new law in 2003 concerning the establishment of a new H-line in the subway system? According to the law, this new H-line would provide a 'culturally tango tour of the subway'. Thus, all stations that included the H-line were decked to honor the memory of notable tango dancers.

Tango's Effect On Health

Did you know Frederick Salter started ballroom dancing in his 90s? He pursued dancing relentlessly, even after suffering a stroke. He died in 2016 at the age of 105, having remained active until just a few weeks before his death.

The health benefits of tango do not only contribute to a physical level of fitness, but also to a range of significant benefits to mental well-being. It alleviates stress and anxiety while increasing cognitive functions and serotonin levels.

Argentine tango also enhances the understanding and connectedness with partners, thus building strong confidence along the way. Research suggests that dancing tango can help reduce the risks of dementia, Parkinson's disease, depression, and other psychological disorders.

FAQs

How did tango get its name?

Some suggest that the Nigerian word 'shangó' was morphed, once the language reached South America through slaves of the slave trade. Another theory suggests that the name 'tango' came from the Spanish word 'tambor,' which means drum.

Who invented tango?

With the countless influences of European immigrants and former slaves, this dance evolved from the lower and working-class communities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the late 19th century.

What is the purpose of tango?

With the dance evolving on the streets of Buenos Aires, the sole purpose of tango was social integration and fun.

What kind of dance is tango?

Tango is a sensual and intimate ballroom dance performed by partners that have its origins in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries.

What does tango dance represent?

The tango dance represents the emotion of romance, which is expressed through their synchronized movements while in each other's embrace.

What are the four styles in tango?

The four different styles of tango are Argentine tango, Finnish tango, ballroom tango, and tango nuevo.