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Soulful Tango |
 Nothing expresses the soul of Buenos Aires as much as tango. Originated in the 1890s, in lower-class districts of the city as a fusion of various forms of music, it was soon danced everywhere, as theatres and street organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, packed with thousands of European immigrants: Italians, Spanish and French. In the early years of the 20th century, dancers from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, starting the first European tango craze: in Paris, London, Berlin. In 1913 it hit New York City. Meanwhile, in Argentina, the onset of the Great Depression marked a decline in the dance popularity.
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Under the government of Juan Peron, its fortune was reversed, and tango became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride. It survived the 1950s economic depression and the military dictatorships banning public gatherings until its revival in 1983, following the Paris show "Tango Argentino". The show caused a renewed worldwide interest, and people everywhere started taking tango lessons. Early tango was known as tango criollo, or simply tango. Today, there are many tango dance styles: Argentine Tango, Uruguayan Tango, Ballroom Tango, Finnish Tango and vintage tangos. The style of the dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even fashion. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow maintain a space between their bodies, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect either chest-to- chest (Argentine tango) or in the upper thigh and hip area (American and International tango). |
