LIFESTYLE
A SHORT HISTORY OF
TANGO
ango, a dance that originated at the be found - in the brothels, and dubious legend
T
turn of the century, developed in the has it that the women could choose their clients
melting pot of cultures that was Buenos based on their dancing skills. The man had three
Aires. Immigrants from Europe mixed dances to prove himself! In the mysterious way
with settlers from South American that popular culture develops, this dance
countries, and brought their native music and and music was both popularised, and
dances with. The word tango was used at the time moved up the social scale, where it
to describe various music and dances, for example met more refi ned cousins coming
the “Tango Andaluza” from Spain in the 1880s. down. It was picked up by the
Central to the emergence of the Milonga was the sons of the rich who preferred
culture of the black population, with dances such to spend their time in the
as the Candombe which contributed to the early less salubrious parts of
‘Cangengue’ movement and style - the cuts (cortes) their city.
from which became a central feature of Tango. By 1910 the rich
Buenos Aires was a very poor city, with almost sons of Argentina were
penniless immigrants coming to make their fortunes making their way to
on the plains of Argentina or Uruguay, then failing Paris, centre of the cultural and entertainment world. else - and a universally practised music and dance.
and ending up in the cities. In the early years of the They introduced the Tango into a society eager for By 1930 Tango was out of fashion in Europe, a
1900s two million immigrants arrived in Buenos innovation, and one not entirely averse to the risqué military coup in Argentina surpressed and censored
Aires from Europe; half from Italy, a third from nature of this import, especially as taught by the it for 10 years, and Gardel died in a plane crash
Spain. Many were single men, hoping to earn dashing, rich Latin boys who brought it. In 1913 in 1935. But out of this developed the Golden
enough to return to Europe, bring their family out the Tango had spread from St Petersburg to New Age of Tango; with a fl ourishing of music, poetry
or buy a bride from Europe. A poor, desperate York, not without controversy, and had become an and culture, the Tango came to be a fundamental
male population bred crime, brothels, gangsters international phenomenon, even if its heart was expression of Argentine culture. Indeed it was
- and the tango! The generally accepted history still on the Rio de la Plata and the cities of Buenos championed by the nationalist political movement of
has the tango dance originating from the minor Aires and Montevideo. The Argentine upper classes Juan and Eva Peron from 1946.
toughs, the compadritos, with nothing to their name who had shunned the Tango were now forced into The original passion of the Tango dance came
except macho pride, imitating the dances of the accepting it, because it was fashionable in Paris. under the hold of the British ballroom which tamed
African population, as they danced on the street. Hollywood glamourised and fed the Tango to a it, extracted all the risqué excitement and passion
Thus, possibly, the much wilder Candombe was mass audience, with Valentino as the most famous and produced a sanitised, very English Ballroom
mixed with the Milonga to form the early Tango. if completely inauthentic Tango-ing gaucho. At this version of the Tango. The resulting English style
Men learned together from a young age, there point a long confl ict started between Tango as the eventually took on the term ‘International Style’,
were few women, and certainly none to practice expression of the soul and experience of the Buenos becoming the competitive ballroom version practised
with. Tango inevitably moved to where they could Aires resident, the Porteño - inaccessible to anyone around the world. It virtually killed off the true
Argentine Tango in the UK.
But now it’s back in the UK! Over the last 10 years
the risqué Argentine Tango has again come out of
Buenos Aires with all its passion and excitement,
and has been growing by leaps and bounds. Even
“Strictly Come Dancing” in December had Argentine
Tango as opposed to Ballroom Tango demonstrated
and danced: the judges were at a loss to comment
on it as it was way out of their league. But people
saw it and fell in love with it.
Now you can learn to dance the amazing
Argentine Tango in Bromley and Tunbridge
Wells with weekly classes and Milongas.
Call 01689 857787 or see www.tangotango.
org.uk/info for more details.
24 | MARCH ISSUE
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