Thursday, September 3, 2009

A Brief History Of Tango

By Kristen Coel

Tango, also known as the dance of love, is certainly one of the most sensual and passionate dances out there. It is characterized by sharp and clipped movements, a close hold, and its staccato elements. Today, tango is loved and danced all around the world. In this article we will take a peek into the history of tango.

Tango originated at the end of 19th century, somewhere around 1880, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was born in the working-class neighborhoods and was very popular in brothels where the girls use it to entertain their clients. From there it soon moved to more established communities and into dancing houses.

Tango was introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. It is known that in 1909 it was danced on stage in Paris. After 1912, tango spread all over the world and the international tango craze began.

What does the word "Tango" mean exactly? Well, there are many theories and speculations about the origins of the word tango. The most credible is that it comes from the Latin word tango or the Portuguese word tangere, which both mean 'to touch'.

Today, many different styles of tango exists: Tango Argentino, Ballroom Tango, Tango Oriental, Tango Canyengue, Tango Liso, Tango Salon, Tango Orillero, Tango Apilado, Tango Nuevo, Finnish Tango, Chinese tango, and so on. The two main styles are Argentine and American ballroom style.

The basic tango is not so difficult to learn. The basic step consist of five steps taken to the 8 counts of music. The rhythm is slow, slow, quick, quick, slow. Tango is danced to music written in 2/4 or 4/4 timing. It's usually 4/4 - 4 beats to a bar of music.

Today, tango is still very popular and danced all over the world. One of the main reasons why is the ease of learning. And because it's sensual, passionate, and very worth trying.

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