Dance Styles- Tango



internet source: Tango

From its origins in Spain or Morocco, the Tango has evolved to be a popular social dance. The flirtatious music of the tango was considered immoral in the early 1800s. The ballroom version of Tango was shaped by the lower class of Buenos Aires. In the crowded night clubs, the men had to lead around and between the round tables, which shows in the many curving paths used in the tango variations.

In the 1900s, the tango spread throughout Europe and to America. It became popular in New York in 1921 when Rudolf Valentino danced the tango. Over time, both the music and the dance became more subdued, which helped the tango to become more respected by society. Many movies include Shall We Dance with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino, Evita with Madonna, and True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, also helped tango gain attention.

The Tango is a smooth dance that has three common styles- each executed with a dramatic flair. The American Tango is slow and slinky with open position, fans, and dips. It progresses CCW in the LOD and uses catlike walks and staccato foot movements. The International Ballroom Tango, which originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has a different hold with the follower's arm lower. It is characterized by staccato head snaps, with the couple moving as a unit within a closed position and in the LOD. The Argentine Tango is also danced only in closed position, yet it is more of a spot dance and uses a lot of leg and foot actions with no set basic, but rather spontaneous movement with the music.

internet source: American Tango

The American Tango is one of the easiest dances to learn, yet it also requires a strong connection with the music as well as with your partner. It is important to distinguish between a heavy measure and a light measure in the 4/4 time tango music. Once you can hear and feel the phrasing of the music, typically in 16 or 32 beats of music, you will start moving on the heavy measure of music. 



internet source: Ballroom Tango

The Ballroom Tango is an aggressive dance. There's not much smiling, but a lot of sexy seduction. It should be danced with both stalking and staccato walks, and sharp head and body movements, at lightning speed. Most dances are soft and flowing, but the Ballroom Tango goes in big blips, like a heart monitor on a screen. It stirs up real excitement when danced with the control and power it demands.



internet source: Argentine Tango

The Argentine Tango 's mood is intimate, conveying desire, jealousy and passion. It is a dance that is subtle in the upper body, with the dramatic action of Ochos and Ganchos going on in the legs and feet. There is no set timing for figures; slows and quicks are led by the man as he interprets the music. Unlike other dances, the woman is occasionally allowed to control the timing, making the Argentine Tango a 'dance dialogue'. The Argentine Tango is more authentic than Ballroom Tango, closer to what was danced in the brothels of Buenos Aires in the 19th century. It's an improvised, sexy dance that moves to the rhythm of the music. It is less aggressive than the Ballroom one, right down to the dancers' expressions, which should show passion rather than contempt. The judges are looking for intricate footwork, stunning Lines, plenty of musicality and dramatic, emotional relationship between the dancers.

The Styles in Argentine Tango
While it is sometimes said that there are as many styles of Tango as there are bars in Buenos Aires, in reality there are only three predominant styles.

Tango de Salon

In this style, the movements are built up moving along a line. It can also be dancecd to track counterclockwise around a medium-to-large floor such as a ballroom. This ‘Salon Tango’ is a slightly more formal style of Tango than the ‘Tango Orillero’.

Show Tango

perhaps the style most widely seen by the general bublic is show Tango, which is the breathtaking version seen in the series of Broadway and West End Tango productions of recent years. This is a stylized stage variant, and it is the remaining two styles that are the most commonly seen in Buenos Aires and in the many Tango clubs, schools, salons and milongas around the world. These come under the broad heading of the ‘Tango de salon’, and it is in this style that the real magic of Tango can be found.

Tango Orillero

This is a style more suited to smaller floors such as those of Tango cafes and bars. In this type of Tango, the man and woman weave intricate figures around each other while taking up very little space. This style is definitely more intimate.

Learn more about the other dance styles? Check here.
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