Dancers in this video
Evan Lysacek &
Anna Trebunskaya
Abbey Clancy &
Aljaz Skorjanec
Chelsea Hightower &
Joshua Allen
Colin Frith &
Jessica Beal
Harry Judd &
Aliona Vilani
Kara Tointon & Atrem Chigvinstev
Maria Menounos &
Derek Hough
Natile Gumede & Atrem Chigvinstev
Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough
Santiago Hernandez &
Isabella Rune
Sophie Allis
Baxter &
Brendan Cole
Vincent Simone &
Flavia Cacace
The history of tango began in
Buenos Aires, Argentina in the late
19th century. The dance started in the lower-class districts of
Buenos Aires taking place in the periphery of the city, bars, cafes and courtyards. Then tango took the next step into more established
Dancing Houses and later inside middle and high class
Argentinian homes.
Argentine tango music is much more varied than ballroom tango music. A large amount of tango music has been composed by a variety of different orchestras over the last century. Not only is there a large volume of music, there is a breadth of stylistic differences between these orchestras as well, which makes it easier for Argentine tango dancers to spend the whole night dancing only Argentine tango
Argentine tango dancing relies heavily on improvisation; although certain patterns of movement have been codified by instructors over the years as a device to instruct dancers, there is no "basic step."
One of the few constants across all Argentine tango dance styles is that the follower will usually be led to alternate feet. Another is that the follower rarely has his or her weight on both feet at the same time.
The worldwide spread of the tango came in the early
1900s when wealthy sons of
Argentine society families made their way to
Paris and introduced the tango into a society eager for innovation and not entirely averse to the risqué nature of the dance or dancing with young, wealthy
Latin men. By 1913, the tango had become an international phenomenon in Paris,
London and
New York. There were tango teas, tango train excursions and even tango colors—most notably orange.
The Argentine elite who had shunned the tango were now forced into accepting it with national pride.
The tango spread worldwide throughout the
1920s and
1930s. The dance appeared in movies and tango singers traveled the world. By the 1930s, the
Golden Age of
Argentina was beginning.
The country became one of the ten richest nations in the world and music, poetry and culture flourished. The tango came to be a fundamental expression of
Argentine culture, and the Golden Age lasted through the
1940s and
1950s.
Tango's fortunes have always been tied to economic conditions and this was very true in the 1950s. During this time, as political repression developed, lyrics reflected political feelings until they started to be banned as subversive. The dance and its music went underground as large dance venues were closed and large gatherings in general were prohibited. The tango survived in smaller, unpublicized venues and in the hearts of the people.
The necessity of going underground combined with the eventual invasion of rock and roll sent the tango into decline until the mid-1980s when the stage show
Tango Argentino opened in Paris.
Once again Paris was ground zero for igniting tango excitement worldwide. The show toured the world and stimulated a revival in
Europe,
North America and
Japan that we are part of today.
This video was produced by
The
Alto Minho Community Workshop
E-mail nandnjudge@gmail.com
- published: 09 Mar 2014
- views: 3385