A Brief History of Tango

Tango originated in Buenos Aires & Montevideo in the late 19th century. At that time Argentina was a rich and rapidly growing country. Many immigrants flocked to the River Plate area, mostly young single men. Almost half of them were Italian. The rest were from other European nations. The immigrant population blended with the resident Spanish colonials and African slaves, indigenous Indians and Creoles, to create a very multicultural urban environment. The common language was Spanish, and music and dance were the major forms of self expression.

Tango sprang out of the poorest suburbs of the city, often ruled by gang bosses (compadron) who were inclined to settle differences with a knife fight. Women were in short supply and men danced with each other through force of circumstance. Thus Tango developed a very “macho” character. The pressure for men to demonstrate superior ability forged a new dance outside of normal dance conventions. Improvisation and lead & follow were major elements, with the added excitement of a very close embrace. Tango and its close cousin Milonga, was danced on street corners, bars, boarding houses and bawdy houses -- anywhere people gathered and a musical instrument could be played.

The music had elements from a myriad of cultural backgrounds: Spanish Habanera, Flamenco, African Candombe, East European Polka and Mazurka, Italian Mezzogiornos and folk dances of the Argentine Pampas.

Argentine society looked down upon the new dance (referred to by one writer as “that lizard from the brothel”), until Argentine playboys introduced Tango to Paris, around 1912. Here, although it was also considered shocking (“Are you supposed to dance it standing up?” a French countess was quoted as remarking), it rapidly caught on as a daring dance craze and spread to London and New York.

Demand for Tango lessons in these major cities became so great that it was taught mostly by people who had never seen the original, and thus the character of the dance changed outside of Argentina. It was also modified to become more socially acceptable, and changed yet again to meet the competitive aesthetic of Ballroom dancing. The resultant North American and International Tango, bear almost no resemblance to Argentine Tango, even the music has a different feel.

With Argentine Tango having become “mainstream” in Paris, Argentine society accepted its own Tango back into its arms, and it was then danced in all of the salons. The “wise guy” dress style of the original street toughs was still emulated by many men, even if their actual employment was more respectable (compadrito). Tango continued to develop as the social dance in Argentina, along with Milonga and Tango Vals. Argentine Tango reached its peak of innovation and sophistication in the 1940s and early 1950s under President Juan Peron.

The advent of years of repressive military governments in Argentina, and the worldwide phenomenon of rock music, led to a decline in Tango. Only a handful of teachers and dancers kept the old skills alive.

The downfall of General Galtieri in 1982 following the Falklands/Malivinas war, and the restoration of democracy ushered a rebirth of Tango in Argentina. A new generation of dancers, taught by the old guard, produced touring stage shows such as “Forever Tango” that were spectacularly successful. Audiences in Paris, New York and London were once again amazed by this dance that was so different to anything else that they had seen, and begged the performers to teach them the real Tango. So once again Argentine Tango now flourishes in every major City around the World for a new generation rediscovering the joy of dancing in a close embrace with their partners.