Thursday, September 3, 2009

Historical Facts About Tango

By Kristen Coel

Tango is a passionate, seductive and mesmerizing dance, also know as the dance of love. It's characterized by quick, sharp movements, snappy dynamic, and a close chest-to-chest embrace. Today, it's one of the most popular dances in the world, enjoyed by young and old alike. In this article we will take a look at some historical facts about tango.

Tango was born in the working-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the late 19th century. It first sprang to life in the brothels of Buenos Aires where the girls danced with their clients. It soon gained popularity with more established circles and moved to dancing houses where it was quickly absorbed into mainstream society.

In the 1900s it spread to the United States and across the ocean to Europe. There is evidence that it was danced on stage in Paris in 1909. From there it swept around the world.

Although there are many theories and opinions on where did the word tango come from, it's most probable that it comes from Latin word tango or Portuguese word tangere. The translation of both words is - to touch. Quite appropriate, I would say.

Over the years many different styles of tango emerged. They are usually named after the geographic area from which they originated. For example: Tango Argentino, the American tango, the Finnish tango, the Uruguayan tango, the Chinese tango, tango Orillero, and so on. The most popular styles are tango argentino and ballroom (American) style.

Tango is not very difficult to learn. The basic steps are very easy. Tango Basic is a simple combination of five steps (3 slow and 2 quick steps) taken over 8 counts of music. The count is "Slow, Slow, Quick Quick Slow". Music for tango is written in 4/4 or sometimes 2/4 time.

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.

About the Author:

0 comments:

Post a Comment