Tango
originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata, which is an area of Gaúcho cultural heritage mostly associated
with northern Argentina and Uruguay, and the dance and music spread to the rest
of the world soon after.
Early tango
was known as tango criollo, or put more simply tango. Nowadays, there
are many tango dance styles, including Argentine tango, Uruguayan tango,
ballroom tango and international styles, for example, Finnish tango, and
vintage tangos. What many consider to be the authentic tango is that closest to
that originally danced in Argentina and Uruguay, though similar styles of tango
have developed into maturely distinct dance styles of their own right.
In 2009,
Argentina and Uruguay suggested that Tango be inscribed onto the UNESCO Intangible
Cultural Heritage Lists and in October of the same year UNESCO approved it.
Tango is a
dance that has influences from European and African culture. Dances from the
candomblé ceremonies of former slave peoples helped shape modern day Tango
while the musicianship appears far more Eurocentric and we can honestly say
that compared to most modern danceforms Tango most certainly appears to derive
itself from some European masochistic orientation towards an orderly upright
coupling. And yet having written that, it is an essentially urban South
American dance with an extraordinary sensuality and without any personal experience,
it certainly appears to be a closeknit, sternly erect, synchronised embodiment
of coupledom. It originated in lower-class districts of Buenos Aires and
Montevideo. The music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from
Europe, with the violin being integral. 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 in those urban conglomerates, but it soon
became popular throughout all levels of 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, primarily Italians, Spanish
and some French. Of all the famous intercontinental dances from South America,
it is probably the most ‘European’ and it appears that amongst all those
immigrants, the musicians made the best of what they had and the urbanites have
been stepping up to tango musicians’ mastery for several generations, making
tango what it is today, Argentina’s national danceform.
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,
soon followed by London, Berlin, and other capitals. Towards the end of 1913 it
hit New York in the USA, and Finland. In the USA around 1911 the word
"tango" was often applied to dances in a 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm. The term
fell victim to fashion and did not indicate that tango steps would be used in
the dance, although they might have been. 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 "Rio de la Plata
tango". By 1914, more authentic tango stylings had been developed, along
with some variations like Albert Newman's "Minuet" tango.
In
Argentina, following the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, and
authoritarian restrictions introduced
after the overthrow of the Hipólito Yrigoyen government in 1930 meant Tango was
thrown into decline. Its fortunes were reversed as Tango again became widely
fashionable and a matter of national pride under the government of Juan Perón. The
ups and downs of Tango left it in decline again in the 1950s with economic
depression and as the military dictatorships banned public gatherings, followed
by the popularity of north Ameerican fashions, including rock’n’roll.
In 2009 the
tango was declared as part of the world's "intangible cultural
heritage" by UNESCO.
The Tango danceform
consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of
Argentine, Uruguayan and more recently, other locations around the world. The
dance developed as a result of many cultural elements, such as the crowding of
the venue, many couples competition for status and the fashions in clothing.
The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where a lead dancer and a following
dancer have space between their bodies, or close embrace, where a leading
dancer and a fellow connect either chest-to-chest (Argentine tango) or in the
upper thigh, hip area (normally with more international tango).
We should
consider its many diverse naming and styles such as; canyengue, oriental tango,
which is usuallt Uruguayan, liso, orillero, camacupense, which is most
associated with Angolan dancers, milonguero, show Tango (a.k.a. fantasia), ballroom
tango and Finnish tango, which is a northern European form.
Worth note
and study is "milonguero", which is characterised by a very close
embrace, small steps, and syncopated rhythmic footwork. It is based on the
petitero or caquero style of the crowded downtown clubs of the '50s and is
accompanied by faster musicianship.
In
contrast, the tango that originated in the family clubs of the suburban neighbourhoods
(Villa Urquiza/Devoto/Avellaneda etc.) emphasises long elegant steps, and
complex figures. In that style, the embrace is regularly opened briefly, to permit
execution of the complicated footwork. The complex figures of this style became
the basis for a theatrical performance style of Tango seen in touring stage
shows. For stage purposes, the embrace is often very open, and the complex
footwork is augmented with gymnastic lifts, kicks, and drops.
A newer
style sometimes called ‘tango nuevo’, has been popularised in recent years by a
younger generation of dancers. The embrace is often quite open and very elastic,
permitting the lead dancer to create a greater variety of more complex floor
oriented circles and swirls. This style is often associated with those who
enjoy dancing to jazz and techno-oriented "alternative tango" music,
in addition to more traditional Tango.
Whatever
our first impressions of Tango are or have been, perhaps it is best appreciated
closer to home in Montevideo or Buenos Aires, where its feet have been firmly
and sternly set for several generations. No matter how international it has
become, Tango is well rooted in the southern Atlantic part of this magnificent
and noble continent. Tango is perhaps the most robust of all American dances,
where any couple appear to be struggling in an agonising display of
coquettishness in an endearing yet sincere struggle for dominance.
