HISTORY OF

TANGO
The deep roots of Tango lie in African slavery. The Tango
is a mixture of dances peculiar to Blacks in Haiti, Cuba and
Argentina. Both the music and the dance were intense and
erotic. Tango was first danced in Europe before World War
I. It originates from Buenos Aires (Argentina) where it was
first danced in the ghetto of Buenos Aires. It was then
known under the name of "Baile con corte" (dance with a
rest). During the Spanish American War, a popular dance
called the "Habanera del Cafe" appeared which was the
prototype of the Tango. The "dandies" of Buenos Aires
changed the dance in two ways. First they changed the so-
called "Polka rhythm" to the "Habanere rhythm" and
secondly they called it "Tango".
In 1907 the dance was introduced in France; by 1912
it crossed the channel to England. The dance was so
popular in France and England that Tango teas
became the rage. It was danced in the United States
first by the Castles who elevated it to a dance
accepted in any ballroom, by purifying it of its coarse
associations and turning it into a thing of beauty. The
Broadway show, Tango Argentino, helped to rekindle
enthusiasm for this exciting, sensual dance.
The image so often associated with Tango is that of a
cat stalking its prey. This is, however, no tame
pussycat; imagine the sensual movement of a wild
tiger and you begin to approximate the correct
movement. Tango is not as flowing as Foxtrot or
Waltz; it has an intense staccato quality that makes it
unique. It is a dance of stops yet it is also a smooth,
fluid dance.

The three types of tango:
a. Argentine Tango: A dance created by the Gauchos in
Buenos Aires was actually an attempt on their part to imitate the
Spanish dance "Danza" except that they danced it in a closed
ballroom position.
b. American Tango: Unlike the Argentine Tango, in which
the dancer interprets the music spontaneously without any
predetermined slows or quicks, it features a structure which is
correlated to the musical phrasing. The dance is executed both
in closed position and in various types of extravagant dance
relationships which incorporate a particular freedom of
expression that is not present in the International style.
c. International Tango: This is a highly disciplined and
distinctively structured form of the Tango which is accepted
worldwide as the format for Dancesport events. The dancers
remain in traditional closed position throughout and expresses
both the legato and staccato aspects of the music.