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Argentine Tango is a social dance and musical genre. Tango is popularly associated with the dramatic stage performances. Yet, the dance as is socially danced is often more focused on inner values like intimacy, connection, and emotion. That reflects its origin in the poor working quarters of beginning of the century Buenos Aires, where a overly male (10:1) population used the dance to win a woman as a wife. Tango is the first improvised dance, the leader (usually a man) comes up with the steps according to his (her) interpretation of the music and mood.

History

Character of Tango

Difference of Argentine Tango and Ballroom Tango

Etiquette and Social Conventions

Videos on the Internet

External Web Sites

History

In the 1890s, a wave of immigrants arrived in Buenos Aires. With them, they brought their own dances that combined into the Tango: Candombe from African slaves brought the rhythm of drums. Polka and Viennese Waltz arrived with European immigrants. Rural Argentinians contributed the Milonga to Tango.

The beginning of the 19th century made Tango popular with the working class. They had been lured to immigrate with high prospects and meet poverty and hard work. Particularly, hard for the men was the extreme gender imbalance. Tango provided a man with the opportunity to woo a woman. The elite looked down on Tango, although their sons were secretly visiting Tango establishments.

1909-1912 initiated Tangos popularity in Europe and America. The rich sons of the Argentinian elite traveled the world for their education and introduced particularly France to the dance, which was taken up as a rage. The dance was scandalous at the time due to its close embrace and erotic downride sexual expression.

1935 began the Golden Age of Tango. The acceptance of Europe gave credence to Tango, and the Argentinian was forced to accept Tango as their cultural pride. Tango became more mainstream. Thus, elite artists and philosophers contributed making the lyrics less bass and more sophisticated. The large and sophisticated ballrooms in North Buenos Aires influenced the dance as well.
1955, the coup of General Peron changed Argentina. Tango had been associated with the opposition and was now repressed. Only a few enthusiasts maintained Tango.
1983, the military junta failed. People felt freedom and physical classes became extremely popular to experience the freedom they felt physically. Tango boomed and was revived. Also, the stage show 'Tango Argentino' toured the world stimulating a revival in Europe, America, and Japan.

Character of Tango

Argentine Tango is danced with the two dance partners facing each other. The leader's right arm is behind the follower and the left hand holds the followers opposite hand. The leader combines steps, turns, and embellishments into a patterns. The leader can interpret the music by using pauses, syncopation or choosing between the rhythm, melody, or vocals to dance to. Also, the dance looks highly aesthetic, the goal is usually to have a good connection with the follower.

A Milonga is a social Tango dance event. Couples will dance in a counter clockwise fashion over the dance floor staying within lanes. The leader is responsible for avoiding collisions. A dance partner is traditional contacted with a Cabeco (eye contact). The couple will dance for the duration of a tanda (set of 3 or 4 songs). The end of the tanda is announced by a cortina (a brief musical piece that is clearly not danceable).

Difference of Argentine Tango and Ballroom Tango

Ballroom Tango/International Tango differ significantly from Argentine Tango although they share the same background.

Ballroom Tango has standardized steps, while Argentine Tango improvises steps.

As Argentine Tango is improvised, leading is very challenging as the follower cannot know the steps before hand. To facilitate the leading, Argentine Tango dancers will often have contact at the upper body in a closed embrace. Ballroom dancers will have distance at the chest to follow the form of ballroom dances.

In Argentine Tango, a leader can step in the cross system as well as the parallel system. The system refers to the follower and leader stepping with the same foot or the opposite foot. Ballroom Tango strictly requires dancers to step with the opposite foot.
Argentine Tango music is much more varied as dancers are able to improvise to the change of music and actually the variety that it brings.

Steps

Walk - usually the leader walks forward and the follower backwards.
Salida - Eight count basic to enter the dance floor
Ocho - translated 'eight'; the follower making left and right turns backwards.
Ocho Cortado - translates as 'cut figure eight'. However, it is an interrupted giro.
Media Luna - a half giro (turn)
Media Vuelta - another kind of half turn
Lapiz - translated 'pencil'; curved figured traced by the toe as an adornment.
Molinete/Giro/Chave - a turn by the follower around the leader.
Sacada - Displacement of the partners leg.
Gancho - hook of one dancer's leg around the partner's leg.
Barrida/Arrestre - One partner sweeps the partner's foot across the floor.
Volcada - rotating the woman around her axis, while her axis is tilted toward the man, causes her to "capsize" making the free leg "spill" tracing a figure on the floor.
Colgada - both dancers pivot with their axes tilted away from vertical, counter-balancing each others weight.
Parada - one dancer, usually the leader, halts the motion of the other dancer usually by blocking with the foot.
Sandwich - one dancer's foot is trapped by the other dancer's feet around it.
Grapevine - traveling, turning step combination

Leading/Following

The leader initiates the followers movement with his torso. A pushing torso will initiate a backwards step for the follower. A turning torso will initiate a turn. The cessation of torso movement will stop the follower. Both the leader and follower may add embellishments/adornos on their own.

More about leading and following.

Embrace

Commonly, the leader and follower face each other. Their chests touch and the feet move back as far as possible without loosing balance. Observed from the side, it looks like a card house. The leader's right hand is holding the followers left hand in a relaxed position bent at the elbow. The other arms reach around the partner with the follower's arm being on top. There are many variations and details depending on the particular style of Tango and Tango philosophy.

More about the Argentine Tango embrace.

Styles

Tango Canyengue

Extinct style danced around 1920.

Tango Orillero

todo

Salon Tango

todo

Milonguero Style

Milonguero style is the dance of the crowded dance floors in Buenos Aires. It is danced with a slightly leaning posture and the chest of both partners touching each other. The leg movements and figures are more restricted in comparison to other styles. The focus is on the connection between the two dancers.

Tango Nuevo

Tango Nuevo is a contemporary development of Tango. It is based on the structural analysis of Tango and developed previously unexplored combinations of steps and figures. To accomodate the new figures, the embrace can be close, open or elastic. Also, the music explores alternatives to traditional Tango music, often Jazz or Electronica influenced music.

Show Tango/Fantasia

todo

Etiquette and Social Conventions

A dance invitation in Argentina is extended through cabeco. Elsewhere a one sentence dance request is proposed. Most people at Milongas and Practicas came to dance and will accept. An invitation can be rejected with a polite 'no, thank you.' Once on the dance floor, the leader is responsible to avoid collisions and dance in the line of dance. When a cortina (short piece of undanceable music) announces the end of the tanda (set of 3-5 songs), the dance partners will separate with a 'thank you.'

More about etiquette, social conventions, and floor craft of Argentine Tango