Tango is apartner dance and social Latin dance that originated in the 1880s along theRío de la Plata, the natural border betweenArgentina andUruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of ArgentineMilonga, Spanish-CubanHabanera, and UruguayanCandombe celebrations.[1] It was frequently practiced in the brothels and bars of ports, where business owners employed bands to entertain their patrons.[2] It then spread to the rest of the world.[3] A number of variations of this dance currently exist around the world.
Tango is a dance that has influences fromAfrican andEuropean culture.[6][7] Dances from theCandombe ceremonies of former African enslaved people helped shape the modern day tango. The dance originated in working-class districts ofBuenos Aires andMontevideo.Tango music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from Europe.[8] The words "tango" and "tambo" around the River Plate basin were initially used to refer to musical gatherings of slaves, with written records of colonial authorities attempting to ban such gatherings as early as 1789.[9]
Initially, it was just one of the many dances, but it soon[when?] became popular throughout society, astheatres and streetbarrel organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of Europeanimmigrants.[10]
When the tango began to spread internationally around 1900, cultural norms were generally conservative, and so tango dancing was widely regarded as extremely sexual and inappropriate for public display. This led to a phenomenon ofculture shock. Additionally, the combination of African, Native American and European cultural influences in tango was new and unusual to most of theWestern world.[11]
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 inParis, soon followed byLondon,Berlin, and other capitals. Tango historianNardo Zalko, a native of Buenos Aires who lived most of his life in Paris, investigated the mutual fertilization between the two cities in his work,Paris – Buenos Aires, Un Siècle de Tango ("A Century of Tango").[13] Towards the end of 1913, it hitNew York City as well asFinland. In theU.S., around 1911, the word "tango" was often applied to dances in a2 4 or4 4 rhythm such as theone-step. The term was fashionable and did not indicate that tango steps would be used in the dance, although they might be. 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 so-called "Argentine tango". The tango was controversial because of its perceived sexual overtones and, by the end of 1913, the dance teachers who had introduced the dance to Paris were banished from the city.[14] By 1914, more authentic tango stylings were soon developed,[which?] along with some variations like Albert Newman's "Minuet" tango.
In Argentina, the onset in 1929 of theGreat Depression, and restrictions introduced after the overthrow of theHipólito Yrigoyen government in 1930, caused a temporary decline in tango's popularity. Its fortunes were reversed later in the 1930s, and tango again became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the firstPerón government, which in turn had a major effect on Argentinian culture overall.Mariano Mores played a role in the resurgence of the tango in 1950s Argentina. Mores'sTaquito Militar was premiered in 1952 during a governmental speech by President Juan D. Perón, which generated a strong political and cultural controversy between different views of the concepts of "cultured" music and "popular" music, as well as the links between both "cultures".[15]
Tango declined again in the late 1950s, as a result of economicdepression and the banning of public gatherings by the militarydictatorships; male-only tango practice—the custom at the time—was considered "public gathering". That, indirectly, boosted the popularity ofrock and roll because, unlike tango, it did not require such gatherings.[16] However, in the late 1980s the tango again experienced a resurgence in Argentina, partly due to the endeavors ofOsvaldo Peredo.[17]
There are several theories regarding the origin of the wordtango, none of which has been proven.[19] An African culture is often credited as the creator of this word; in particular, it is theorized that the word derives from theYoruba wordshangó, which refers toShango, the God of Thunder in traditionalYoruba religion.[20] This theory suggests that the word “shangó” was morphed through the dilution of the Nigerian language once it reached South America viaslave trade. According to an alternative theory,tango is derived from theSpanish word for "drum",tambor.[20] This word was then mispronounced by Buenos Aires’ lower-class inhabitants to becometambo, ultimately resulting in the commontango. It is also sometimes theorized that the word is derived from thePortuguese wordtanger, which means "to play a musical instrument". Another Portuguese word,tangomão, a combination of the verbtanger ("to touch") with the nounmão ("hand") meaning "to play a musical instrument with one's hands", has been suggested as the etymon oftango.[21]
According to some authors,tango is derived from theKongo wordntangu which means "sun", "hour", "space-time".[22][7][23]
The tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of Argentina, as well as in other locations around the world. The dance developed in response to multiple cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, wherelead and follow have space between their bodies, orclose embrace, where the lead and follow connect either chest-to-chest (Argentine tango) or in the upper thigh, hip area (American and International tango).
Electronic tango-inspired music (Tango electronico)
"Alternative tango", i.e. music that is an alternative to tango, or non-tango music employed for use in tango-inspired dance
The milonguero style is characterized by a close embrace, small steps, and syncopated rhythmic footwork. It is based on thepetitero orcaquero style of the crowded downtown clubs of the 1950s.
In contrast, the tango that originated in the family clubs of the suburban neighborhoods (Villa Urquiza, Devoto,Avellaneda, etc.) emphasizes long elegant steps, and complex figures. In this case the embrace may be allowed to open briefly, to permit the execution of the complex footwork.
The complex figures of this style became the basis for a theatrical performance style of tango seen in the touring stage shows. For stage purposes, the embrace is often open, and the complex footwork is augmented with gymnastic lifts, kicks, and drops.
A newer style sometimes calledtango nuevo, or "new tango," has been popularized in recent years by a younger generation of dancers. The embrace is often quite open and elastic, permitting the leader to lead a large variety of complex figures. This style is often associated with those who enjoy dancing to jazz- and techno-tinged "alternative tango" music, in addition to traditional tango compositions.
Tango canyengue is a rhythmic style of tango that originated in the early 1900s and is still popular today. It is one of the original roots styles of tango and contains all fundamental elements of traditional Tango from theRiver Plate region (Uruguay and Argentina). Intango canyengue the dancers share one axis, dance in a closed embrace, and with the legs relaxed and slightly bent.Tango canyengue uses body dissociation for the leading, walking with firm ground contact, and a permanent combination of on- and off-beat rhythm. Its main characteristics are its musicality and playfulness. Its rhythm is described as "incisive, exciting, provocative".
The complex figures of this style became the basis for a theatrical performance style of Tango seen in the 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 calledtango nuevo or 'new tango' was popularized after 1980 by a younger generation of musicians and dancers.Ástor Piazzolla, composer and virtuoso of thebandoneón (so-called "tango accordion") played a major role in the innovation of traditional tango music. The embrace is often quite open and elastic, permitting the leader to initiate a great variety of complex figures. This style is often associated with those who enjoy dancing to jazz- and techno-tinged, electronic and alternative music inspired in old tangos, in addition to traditional Tango compositions.
Tango nuevo is largely fueled by a fusion betweentango music andelectronica (electrotango [es]), though the style can be adapted to traditional tango and even non-tango songs.Gotan Project released its first tango fusion album in 2000, quickly following withLa Revancha del Tango in 2001.Bajofondo Tango Club, aRioplatense music band consisting of seven musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, released their first album in 2002.Tanghetto's albumEmigrante (electrotango) appeared in 2003 and was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2004. These and other electronic tango fusion songs bring an element of revitalization to the tango dance, serving to attract a younger group of dancers.
Tango Porteño. Two Argentine tango street dancers in Corrientes street, Buenos Aires, 2020.
In the second half of the 1990s, a movement of new tango songs was born in Buenos Aires. It was mainly influenced by the old orchestra style rather than byPiazzolla's renewal and experiments with electronic music. The novelty lies in the new songs, with today's lyrics and language, which find inspiration in a wide variety of contemporary styles.
In the 2000s, the movement grew with prominent figures such as theOrquesta Típica Fernandez Fierro, whose creator, Julián Peralta,[25][26] would later start Astillero and the Orquesta Típica Julián Peralta. Other bands also have become part of the movement such as the Orquesta Rascacielos, Altertango, Ciudad Baigón, as well as singer and songwriters Alfredo "Tape" Rubín,[25] Victoria di Raimondo,[25] Juan Serén,[25] Natalí de Vicenzo[25] andPacha González.[25]
Ballroom tango, divided in recent decades into the "International" and "American" styles, has descended from the tango styles that developed when the tango first went abroad to Europe and North America. The dance was simplified, adapted to the preferences of conventional ballroom dancers, and incorporated into the repertoire used inInternational Ballroom dance competitions. English tango was first codified in October 1922, when it was proposed that it should only be danced to modern tunes, ideally at 30bars per minute (i.e. 120beats per minute – assuming a4 4 measure).
Subsequently, the English tango evolved mainly as a highlycompetitive dance, while the American tango evolved as a non-judgedsocial dance with an emphasis onleading and following skills. This has led to some principal distinctions in basic technique and style. Nevertheless, there are quite a few competitions held in the American style, and mutual borrowing of technique and dance patterns is a common practice.
Ballroom tangos use different music and styling from the tangos from the River Plata region (Uruguay andArgentina), with morestaccato movements and the characteristichead snaps. The head snaps are totally foreign to Argentine and Uruguayan tango, and were introduced in 1934 under the influence of a similar movement in the legs and feet of the tango from the River Plate, and the theatrical movements of thepasodoble. This style became popular in Germany and was soon introduced to England. The movements were popular with spectators, but not with competition judges.[27]
Tango arrived in Finland in 1913. The tango spread from the dominant urban dance form to become hugely popular across Finland in the 1950s afterWorld War I andWorld War II. The melancholy tone of the music reflects the themes of Finnish folk poetry; Finnish tango is almost always in aminor key.
The tango is danced in close full thigh, pelvis and upper body contact in a wide and strong frame, and features smooth horizontal movements that are strong and determined. Dancers are low, allowing long steps without any up and down movement, although rises and falls are optional in some styles. Forward steps land heel first except when descending from a rise, and in backward steps dancers push from the heel. In basic steps, the passing leg moves quickly to rest for a moment close to the grounded leg. Dips and rotations are typical. There is no open position, and typically feet stay close to the floor, except in dips the follower might slightly raise the left leg. Unlike in some Argentine-Uruguayan tango styles, in Finnish tango there is no kicking of any kind, and there are no aerials.
The annual Finnish tango festivalTangomarkkinat draws over 100,000 tango fans to the central Finnish town ofSeinäjoki; the town also hosts the Tango Museum.
A Dutch tango demonstration film, showing French Tango", the "Argentina", the "Promenade", the "Reserve Wave" and the "Habanera",Haarlem, 1930.
Argentine-Uruguayan andballroom tango use very different techniques. In Argentine and Uruguayan tango, the body's center moves first, then the feet reach to support it. In ballroom tango, the body is initially set in motion across the floor through the flexing of the lower joints (hip, knee, ankle) while the feet are delayed, then the feet move quickly to catch the body, resulting in snatching or striking action that reflects the staccato nature of this style's preferred music.
In tango, the steps are typically more gliding, but can vary widely in timing, speed, and character, and follow no single specific rhythm. Because the dance is led and followed at the level of individual steps, these variations can occur from one step to the next. This allows the dancers to vary the dance from moment to moment to match the music (which often has bothlegato and/orstaccato elements) and their mood.
The Tango's frame, called anabrazo or "embrace", is not rigid, but flexibly adjusts to different steps, and may vary from being quite close, to offset in a "V" frame, to open. The flexibility is as important as is all movement in dance. The American Ballroom Tango's frame is flexible too, but experienced dancers frequently dance in closed position: higher in the elbows, tone in the arms and constant connection through the body. When dancing socially with beginners, however, it may be better to use a more open position because the close position is too intimate for them. In American Tango open position may result in open breaks, pivots, and turns which are quite foreign in Argentine tango and International (English) tango.
There is aclosed position as in other types ofballroom dance, but it differs significantly between types of tango. In Tango from the River Plata region, the "close embrace" involves continuous contact at the full upper body, but not the legs. In American Ballroom tango, the "close embrace" involves close contact in the pelvis or upper thighs, but not the upper body. Followers are instructed to thrust their hips forward, but pull their upper body away and shyly look over their left shoulder when they are led into a "corte".
In tango from the River Plate region, the open position, the legs may be intertwined and hooked together, in the style of Pulpo (the Octopus). In Pulpo's style, these hooks are not sharp, but smooth ganchos.
In tango from the River Plate, the ball or toe of the foot may be placed first. Alternatively, the dancer may take the floor with the entire foot in a cat-like manner. In the international style of tango, "heel leads" (stepping first onto the heel, then the whole foot) are used for forward steps.
Ballroom tango steps stay close to the floor, while the River Plate tango (Uruguayan and Argentine) includes moves such as theboleo (allowing momentum to carry one's leg into the air) andgancho (hooking one's leg around one's partner's leg or body) in which the feet travel off the ground. Both Uruguayan and Argentine tango features other vocabulary foreign to ballroom, such as theparada (in which the leader puts his foot against the follower's foot), thearrastre (in which the leader appears to drag or be dragged by the follower's foot), and several kinds ofsacada (in which the leader displaces the follower's leg by stepping into her space).
Carlos Acuña[TT][t.i] (1915–1999) was known for his deep, high and expressive voice. His foreign travels brought him success in Uruguay, Mexico, Italy and Spain, where he became a close friend of the exiledJuan Perón.[28]
Julio Sosa[TT][t.i] (1926–1964) from Uruguay was one of the most important tango singers during tango's unhappy years in the 1950s and early 1960s. His passion for poetry led to his sole published book; his passion for fast cars led to his young death.[29]
Music and dance elements of tango are popular in activities related togymnastics,figure skating,synchronized swimming, etc., because of its dramatic feeling and its cultural associations with romance.
Tango appears in different aspects of society: regularmilongas and special festivals. A famous festival is the Tango Buenos Aires Festival y Mundial inBuenos Aires also known asWorld tango dance tournament. On a regional level there are also a number of festivals inside and outside ofArgentina. One local festival outside Argentina isBuenos Aires in the Southern Highlands in Australia.
Gender roles play a big part in the mechanics of tango due to the tango needing a leader. But in more recent times this is being challenged due to woman not wanting to be dependent on the male for the dance.[32] In the early 1900s, there were often more male dancers than female so the dance was performed between two men. This allowed for both men to learn the leading and following roles of tango and adapt to both lead equally in the dance. This changed the mechanics of the dance to be closer to two equally leading roles between men and women or same sex pairs.[33]
AQueer Tango movement has emerged from the first Queer Tango Festival, held in Hamburg in 2001, to counter conformity to the traditional male-leader, female-follower convention.[34][35]
L'amore in città (1953), segment"Paradise for three hours" (Paradiso per tre ore), directed byDino Risi, starring nonprofessional actors, featuring a long sequence in a ballroom, where a passionate tango ofMario Nascimbene is played.
Addams Family Values (1993),Raul Julia andAnjelica Huston dance a tango so passionate that it literally burns the floor and makes all the champagne bottles in the nightclub pop their corks.
Rent (2005) hadAnthony Rapp andTracie Thoms perform a semi-elaborate ballroom tango in the song "Tango:Maureen" to describe their emotional relations and issues over a promiscuous girl they both dated.
Two to Tango (2021), directed by Dimitri Sterckens
Eve (South Korean TV series) (2022), She seduces Kang Yoon-kyum by dancing tango, and approaches by teaching tango to another chaebol owner. It connects with each other through the memories of Argentina's tango and bandoneon, comforting the soul.[37]
Finnish tango is featured to a greater or lesser extent in the following films:
^Chasteen, John Charles (2004).National Rhythms, African Roots: The Deep History of Latin American Popular Dance. University of New Mexico Press.
^Castro, Donald (January 1990). "The Soul of the People: The Tango as a Source for Argentine Social History".Studies in Latin American Popular Culture.9:279–295.
^Mroue, Haas; Schreck, Kristina; Luongo, Michael (2005). "Tango: Lessons in the Dance of Seduction & Despair".Frommer's Argentina and Chile. Wiley. pp. 76–77.ISBN978-0-7645-8439-8. Also available from"Tango in Buenos Aires".Frommer's.
^Diego Ruiz (February 8, 2016)."El Grupo de Boedo: mito fundacional" [The Boedo group: foundational myth] (in Spanish). Desde Boedo. RetrievedJune 22, 2024.
^Written and published in a French edition: Paris: Du Félin, 1998,ISBN2-86645-325-5. Reprinted in 2004,ISBN2-86645-569-X. Reprinted in paperback in 2016,ISBN978-2866458454. Published in Spanish translation: Paris – Buenos Aires, Un Siglo de Tango [Paris – Buenos Aires, One Hundred Years of Tango] Buenos Aires: Corregidor, 2001,ISBN9500513137
^Knowles, Mark (2009).The Wicked Waltz and Other Scandalous Dances: Outrage at Couple Dancing in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries. McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-3708-5.[page needed]
^Kim, Ye-sol (June 3, 2022).'이브' 서예지, 또 못 참겠나…박병은과 초밀착 탱고 유혹→19금 상상 정사 [어저께TV] ["Eve" Seo Ye-ji, can't you stand it again…Park Byung-eun and Tango temptation → 19 gold imaginary history [Yesterday TV]] (in Korean). OSEN. RetrievedJuly 16, 2025 – via Chosun ilbo.
