A journey through the history of Tango

Music and dance worked together in the building of Tango’s history, one of Argentina’s most classical cultural masterpieces. This tradition, also prevalent in neighboring Uruguay, is the result of a meeting of cultures not uncommon within the American continent. 

Latin America spans from the sparse Mexican desert to the icy Patagonia. The criteria for joining this expanse of 33 countries is the Latin-based language they speak, such as Portuguese or Spanish – the most common ones. 

These nations have a lot in common, mainly due to their similar colonial past. They are a massive pot of diversity and culture, encompassing various ethnicities, with many indigenous people still thriving today. Slavery also defined the population, with millions of Africans being forced to go there against their will. There are also the Spanish and Portuguese colonizers and other emigrants from several places worldwide, such as Italy, Germany and Japan.

That made Latin America a heterogeneous block with different backgrounds influencing each other and creating new and exciting cultures. Incredible manifestations of this diverse melting pot exist in various places: the Brazilian samba, Mexican Talavera pottery, Peruvian cuisine, and of course, the Tango. 

The Tango is one of the most recognized and celebrated Argentine traditions. If you ever visit Buenos Aires, attending a presentation is a must. Its classical format is still the most popular, the salon Tango, which consists of a dance performed by a pair, with a strong romantic component to the routines. 

It is considered a social dance due to its high popularity in Argentina, where people often get together to watch professional performances and engage and participate in ballrooms – the so-called Milongas.

The musical aspect of it is also very characteristic. The songs are in 2/4 or 4/4 time and can be played by a solo guitarist (normally acoustic), a duo, or an ensemble. Typical instruments used are the violin, piano, bass, guitar and the bandoneón, which delivers a sound typical of Tango. There are both sung and instrumental pieces.

As its popularity in Argentina and Uruguay remained strong, music and dance suffered a lot of changes through the years, adding modern elements and even subdividing them into different styles. 

Today, it is widely known all over the world. Proof of that is in its use in many Hollywood movies, such as Addams Family Values, True Lies, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, the animation Puss in Boots, and most notably, Scent of a Woman, which feature an iconic scene where Al Pacino’s character dances the Tango. In 2009, the Tango was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

As we gave you a glimpse of above, the history of Tango is the result of a mix of various cultures. It began at the end of the 19th century in Buenos Aires, with the exact origin still being determined due to the lack of documents to tell the story in any real detail. 

Historians agree, however, that it was born in the city’s poor neighborhoods. These areas had lots of people that emigrated from the Caribbean, as well as afro-Argentines and Europeans that were still arriving in the late emigrational waves to South America. Dance was a social way in which these people could get to know each other and interact, with each culture bringing its traditions, hence creating something new.

It is not unanimous, but some believe that the word “Tango” is of African origin and means “inside the house,” which were the spaces where people used to dance at the very beginning. 

These people lived in squalor, and since its origin it is believed that themes that deal with suffering and pain were present, with them still, to this day, recurrent subjects of Tango lyrics. 

A famous Argentinian poet, Enrique Discépolo, once said, “Tango is a sad thought that you can dance to.” Despite this, there are several songs about other topics. “Por Una Cabeza,” arguably the most famous one, is about a compulsive gambler comparing his addiction to horse racing bets and attraction to women. 

As its popularity rose, it spread all over Buenos Aires, with the rich starting to reach out to it and take part. During these early years, singer Carlos Gardel became a sensation and redefined the musical aspect of it. He died in 1935 in an airplane crash in Colombia.

With the Tango popularized, the Argentinian elite took it to other places, especially the United States and Europe where it became popular.

Between the 1930s and 1950s, when Argentina was going through a very prosperous economic period, Tango thrived with the emergence of salons, ballrooms, presentations and composers, such as Astor Piazzolla, Edmundo Rivero and Mariano Mores. This aided in the evolution of Tango, changing it into new and exciting forms. 

Over time Tango began to adapt and modernize. Of course, you can still find traditional presentations and new styles. An example of this is Astor Piazzolla, who began incorporating jazz elements into Tango music – the “Tango Nuevo” (New Tango). Traditionalists didn’t take to this change well back then, but today he is considered a great Argentinian hero. 

He opened the door for composers to experiment more. With the change in the rhythm, the dance moves also adapt to respond to it. Choreographies incorporate new details, but at its core is always a pair that aid each other in exploring freely during the dance. 

Some became more theatrical, others faster and some dancers would do routines with small steps where the dancers would tango more closely. Also, alternative Tango emerged, where people would use the movements while dancing to other rhythms. 

In the 1990s, another inventive way of using Tango music came to pass. It was the electrotango movement, where DJs would use traditional compositions or compose new ones inspired by the classics and twist them by adding electronic music. This was a great way to spark interest in younger generations and take it to new spaces, such as clubs. 

The history of Tango is still ongoing. Every day new people discover and fall in love with this art form, keep its legacy alive and bring their experiences and cultural backgrounds to it. Perhaps if you go to watch a show, you can become part of it too