The elegant, passionate dance of the Argentine Tango was born in the steamy tropics of South America. The dance is a celebration of life mixed with flagrant sexuality more sensual than the American version that received condemnation in Buenos Aires. The Argentine Tango was just simply "unacceptable" in polite society and labeled "Dirty Dancing" in the US. The version introduced in the US in 1921 by Rudolph Valentino was much more tame than the Argentine Tango.
Buenos Aires has often been called "The Paris of South America" because of its cosmopolitan nature. This is the land of Evita and the Peron legacy, after all. 100 years ago, the streets of Buenos Aires were filled with people who emigrated from Europe and their descendants, many of whom were homesick for their native countries. As the Europeans mixed with the native Indian populations, an influx of immigrants from Cuba and rhythmic music from Africa began to have an effect on the population that favored the polka and the waltz.
Some say that the Argentine Tango was born when the gauchos (cowboys) would come to town seeking female companionship. The male stance came from their leather chaps becoming so stiff from weeks on horseback that they danced with their knees bent. Because of men's pungent odor from being out on the trail so long, the women would hold themselves at a distance and tilt their heads back. However colorful this urban legend may be, it's hard to think that a dance where bodies intertwine so freely and passionately could arise from smelly gauchos. In fact, the cowboy imagery probably arose from the 1926 movie "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" starring Rudolph Valentino. In the movie, Valentino plays an Argentine cowboy with a whip in one hand and a carnation in his mouth. This moment of the screen was so powerful that to this day, Tango is synonymous with a carnation in one's mouth and gaucho garb.
Not surprisingly, the steamy passion that is the Argentine Tango actually bubbled up from the Underworld - the seedy low-rent districts where brothels abound. It is a dance of seduction and foreplay that was considered obscene by civil society and was roundly condemned. Of course, so was the Waltz when it made its debut. Despite the graphic nature of the dance and its lurid roots, it strikes a nerve in all men and women in their very essence. The War between the sexes is a never-ending battle for love, dominance and submission in all human beings, regardless of the polite face and romantic gestures that may be overlaid upon the surface. We all crave the presence of another in our lives to desire, and to be desired. As in real life, the Argentine Tango is a dance of coming together, parting ways, and rediscovering each other anew. Far more expressive and libidinous than its American cousin, the Argentine Tango consists of a freer, less structured style. The dance is driven by the hot Latin rhythm of the music and fueled by the chemistry between the two partners. It's very hard to make a mistake dancing the tango, because as Al Pacino's character explains in Scent of a Woman, "You just tango on." That movie, of course, contains another famous Tango scene.
One can look like an expert with only a few moves. One just has to alter the moves as the tempo changes between fast and slow, elegant and dramatic. This is a dance that mirrors life. You move together, somewhat rigid, in unison. You break away, unite, embracing passionately with legs wrapped around one another. You twirl, dip, glide. You move slow only to explode in a furious flurry. It is a dance of opposites: man and woman, slow and fast, reserved and unbridled. It is the reason why Tango is so much fun to watch and learn to dance.
From the brothels of Buenos Aires to the Times Square high society of modern-day NYC, the Argentine Tango has come a long way. But it's appeal as the universal story of the drama of love and romance that still rings true today. It may be a favorite in Latin dancehalls, but you will steal the show on any dance floor.
Buenos Aires has often been called "The Paris of South America" because of its cosmopolitan nature. This is the land of Evita and the Peron legacy, after all. 100 years ago, the streets of Buenos Aires were filled with people who emigrated from Europe and their descendants, many of whom were homesick for their native countries. As the Europeans mixed with the native Indian populations, an influx of immigrants from Cuba and rhythmic music from Africa began to have an effect on the population that favored the polka and the waltz.
Some say that the Argentine Tango was born when the gauchos (cowboys) would come to town seeking female companionship. The male stance came from their leather chaps becoming so stiff from weeks on horseback that they danced with their knees bent. Because of men's pungent odor from being out on the trail so long, the women would hold themselves at a distance and tilt their heads back. However colorful this urban legend may be, it's hard to think that a dance where bodies intertwine so freely and passionately could arise from smelly gauchos. In fact, the cowboy imagery probably arose from the 1926 movie "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" starring Rudolph Valentino. In the movie, Valentino plays an Argentine cowboy with a whip in one hand and a carnation in his mouth. This moment of the screen was so powerful that to this day, Tango is synonymous with a carnation in one's mouth and gaucho garb.
Not surprisingly, the steamy passion that is the Argentine Tango actually bubbled up from the Underworld - the seedy low-rent districts where brothels abound. It is a dance of seduction and foreplay that was considered obscene by civil society and was roundly condemned. Of course, so was the Waltz when it made its debut. Despite the graphic nature of the dance and its lurid roots, it strikes a nerve in all men and women in their very essence. The War between the sexes is a never-ending battle for love, dominance and submission in all human beings, regardless of the polite face and romantic gestures that may be overlaid upon the surface. We all crave the presence of another in our lives to desire, and to be desired. As in real life, the Argentine Tango is a dance of coming together, parting ways, and rediscovering each other anew. Far more expressive and libidinous than its American cousin, the Argentine Tango consists of a freer, less structured style. The dance is driven by the hot Latin rhythm of the music and fueled by the chemistry between the two partners. It's very hard to make a mistake dancing the tango, because as Al Pacino's character explains in Scent of a Woman, "You just tango on." That movie, of course, contains another famous Tango scene.
One can look like an expert with only a few moves. One just has to alter the moves as the tempo changes between fast and slow, elegant and dramatic. This is a dance that mirrors life. You move together, somewhat rigid, in unison. You break away, unite, embracing passionately with legs wrapped around one another. You twirl, dip, glide. You move slow only to explode in a furious flurry. It is a dance of opposites: man and woman, slow and fast, reserved and unbridled. It is the reason why Tango is so much fun to watch and learn to dance.
From the brothels of Buenos Aires to the Times Square high society of modern-day NYC, the Argentine Tango has come a long way. But it's appeal as the universal story of the drama of love and romance that still rings true today. It may be a favorite in Latin dancehalls, but you will steal the show on any dance floor.
About the Author:
Tony and Melanie have been dancing, teaching, performing and creating fantastic choreography for over thirty years. The own NYC's premier dance center If you want to know more history of any dances make sure you check out their website. They are currently teachingdance lessons in NYC
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