

The Sultry, Sensual Tango

Discover The History Of The Tango Dance

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The tango dance speaks eloquently in elongated lines of sensual conversation with no words uttered between a man and woman. The history of the tango is as tangled as the shapely leg of a woman intertwined around the leg of a man. Different sources claim different countries as the originators of the Latin dance of love, romance, and the culmination of the two electrifying emotions. Wherever the dance actually began means little in comparison to what it has become - one of the most passionate, closed dances of the world. If you day dream about dancing the tango with a ruggedly handsome man who exudes power and magnetism, the time has come to put your best foot forward and learn the tango dance.

History of the Tango
Depending on the source for historical tango dance information the reader finds varying views of where and how the Latin dance came into existence. The European countries, Spain and France, both claim to be the home of the original tango dance. The consensus agrees that no matter where the first steps of a new dance began, it is a Latin dance largely associated with Argentina and sometimes Uruguay. Even within the two South American countries, there is disagreement as to how and who first danced the rhythmic steps of love and passion. What historians do agree upon is that the tango music and dance is a fusion of four different cultures that come together to create a unique sound and dance. From Africa and India comes the rhythmic cadence joined by Pampas folk music and a strong overall influence of Latin beats and Native American cadence to the sounds of pampas folk music with a strong Latin influence.
In the mid 19th century, Argentina was a place with far more men than women. In Buenos Aires, hard working men searched for ways to pass the time.While there are those who say the tango was a dance of Pampas gauchos who brought into the city, others insist that the dance began in the dance halls, bars, cafes, and brothels of Buenos Aires. The lower class ladies and men took the risk and began closed dancing that was considered too risqué for the gentry and well-bred young men and women. Closed dancing requires a couple to be face to face and in each other’s arms as they twirl about the dance floor. The Viennese waltz was the first accepted “closed” dance, which paved the way for intimate dances between the sexes.

As highborn young gentlemen are wont to do, they ventured into the seamier parts of the city and discovered the erotic dance, tango. It was only a matter of time before the tango would be considered acceptable. The tango danced across the ocean to Europe where Paris made the dance even more celebrated before it journeyed back across the Atlantic Ocean to become the dancing rage of New York City. Rudolph Valentino danced the tango in the movie, The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse in 1921 popularizing the dance even more.

Today the tango is danced in various versions with the Argentine tango considered the authentic tango dance.
What is the Tango?
The tango dance is a dramatic couple’s dance that incorporates long lean lines and graceful stalking one person and then the other. The male leads as if asking a question and the female responds with expressive swirls of a full skirt.

Tango dancers often wear modern apparel suitable for a romantic rendezvous on the dance floor. Tradition dictates full skirts for women and gaucho pants for men along with boots and spurs. As the dancers proceed across the floor, they dance in a counterclockwise fluid motion.

The style of tango dance has changed over the years. Argentine, French, Chinese, Finnish and American tango each have unique moves. The ballroom or international tango has tango dancers using sweeping movements and quick snaps of the head that look like the point to an exclamation mark driving the message of love, romance, and passion through the powerful dance. Dancers change rhythms from slow and sensual to quick staccato movements of the feet. Always the man leads with sure-footed power as his partner surrenders to him or risks entangling them both in a knot of missteps.

The 1930s are considered the golden age of the tango. The sultry cat and mouse dance became as popular as the music that accompanied it. The popularity of the tango rises and falls like the dance itself from sweeping acceptance to falling back into the shadows only to resurge into the spotlight on the dance floor.
Tango Music
Tango dancers tell the story through body movement and the music that floats about them. A sextet of two violins, a piano, a double bass, and two bandoneons, an instrument similar to an accordion, comprise a traditional tango band. The music can include vocals and over the years, famous singers have recorded tango music and songs for listening or dancing. Lyrics put to the music often contained an element of humor recording the daily happenings on the streets of Buenos Aires. Somewhere along the line, a tragic romantic outlook took over tango music and it has remained so today.

Tango music contains paragraphs that are phrased to 16 or 32 beats. Punctuated with syncopation, the music lures the dances into the dramatic moves. Like the dance, tango music comes in styles. The two styles, melodic Argentine and European rhythmic differ in the use of percussion. The European style of tango music creates a driving downbeat with the use of percussion while the Argentine style may not include drums at all.

Tango Dance Lessons
Taking tango dance lessons may put the daydreams to rest. Learning how to dance the tango is as easy as finding the nearest dance instructor or studio that offers lessons. Begin the search for tango dance lessons in the yellow pages of the phone book. Look under dance instruction or dance studios.
The Internet holds a wealth of information. Go to a favorite search engine and type in tango dance lessons, learn to tango, or any number of words that include “learn, lessons, and tango.”

Do not forget to check with the local chamber of commerce. Many communities offer evening classes in popular past times. Ballroom dancing has made a dramatic comeback and communities are answering the request of residents who want to learn how to ballroom dance by including the tango and other dances in evening classes. You may find information by calling the local parks and recreation department in your city or town.

Johanna Siegmann wrote, “You must find the soul of the music.” Once the music begins, the tango dance takes the abstract concept of the music and fills in the gaps with lithe movements, slithering steps that stalk and without warning the music flies from slow to quick while the tango dancers follow with hot-blooded passion. Every emotion in the range of human existence is expressed through the tango dance: joy, sorrow, lust, heartache, passion, jealousy, and love. Learn the tango dance and share the story of you, a lover, and the passions you share all through eloquent movement.

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