Tango is a direct expression of what poets try but cannot express in words: struggle can be pleasure and celebration.
Nowadays tango can be easily learned - in almost every city there are studios and schools that teach incendiary dance. Moreover, tango is considered a classical dance and is included in the program of many dance competitions. But this was not always the case.
Initially, tango was danced in bars, cafes, gambling houses and "quilombos" (places intended for prostitution). Later, so-called “dance houses” appeared, which provided girls for dancing and entertainment.
We need to remember that, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, everyday dances were performed in such a way that the partners stood opposite each other at a distance. These types of dances were usually designated by the word “contradanza” (Italian). At the same time, the dancers’ movements across the space of the site were, in some way, linear. The contacts of the partners with each other were reduced only to the contact of hands at certain moments of the dance. There were also “circle dances”, in which movement took place in a circle.
"Minue" (with the emphasis on the last "e") was a very popular household dance during colonial times in Argentina. The habanera dance, one of the predecessors of the tango, was also of the contradanza type. The word "contradanza" itself could come from the English term "country dance" (country dance - lit., "country dance"), transformed into the French Contredance, and then into the Italian Contradanza. Mozart and Beethoven wrote “contredanze” (German). And already the Viennese waltz and quadrille replaced the contradancer from the ballrooms.
The Viennese Waltz was the first dance in the world to use true close-up positions, and the Polka was the second dance in Europe to use this controversial new method.
Polka butterfly 19th century.
IN European society There was conflicting opinion towards this, considered immoral, way of dancing, and people carried this opinion with them when they emigrated to Argentina.
If I'm not mistaken, sometime around 1850, when the Paris Opera was going through difficult economic times, its director had the bold idea of including the Viennese Waltz in some productions, as an experiment. The idea was a great success, and a curious audience again filled the theater. Paris, being the center of the arts and refined taste, gradually made this dance of "close embrace" acceptable to the rest of the world.
In the future, it is in this historical context that we need to consider the place of tango during its emergence, and in the subsequent period 1880-1910, as well as the question of why men were forced to dance with men.\
The Viennese Waltz was the first everyday dance to use the “close position.” This is the way we dance these days... and we think it is the most logical way to dance as a couple... however, back in the day... in the second half of the 19th century, such public closeness of bodies was considered scandalously obscene. It took society many years to gradually accept it as the norm.
Now, we come to the period when tango was born, in 1880, or shortly before that. The outskirts of Buenos Aires, bars, gambling establishments, brothels... single men spend their time socializing, drinking, gambling, looking for "romance" in the company of women of dubious reputation, trying out the moves of these new dances... milongas and tango. We can imagine that in such places and under such circumstances, any experimentation with dance movements was acceptable, regardless of good or bad taste, ambiguity or even outright obscenity. We must remember that in those days even just dancing against each other, when right hand a man touching his partner's back was a little too much... and then a dance appeared in which there are close embraces, cheek to cheek, chest to chest, legs reaching between the partners' legs, in a long conversation about love and passion, with grabs, flirting glances and stroking... , in a word, writing a prologue to the love story that will soon follow.
Initial themes often included hints of sex and obscenity. When tango became a social norm, the dance and its lyrics were purified or completely changed. Some elements of these themes are still present in the dance, although they have lost their original meaning. For example, the name of the most famous tango “El Choclo” (corn cob) had a phallic meaning
The author of the tango "EL CHOCLO" was Angel Villoldo.
A small digression.
Angel Villoldo, musician and poet, was born February 16, 1861 and died October 14, 1919. His full name- Angel Gregorio Villoldo Arroyo/Angel Gregorio Villoldo Arroyo. Nicknames: A. Gregorio, Fray Pimiento, Gregorio Gimenez, Angel Arroyo, Mario Reguero.
He is called the "Father of Tango".
This is somewhat of an exaggeration of the title, since there were many circumstances that gave rise to this music. But Villoldo's influence at the very beginning of tango and his participation in the development of tango rightfully gives him this well-deserved title.
Together with Alfredo Gobbi and his wife, the Chilean Flora Rodriguez, parents of the violinist Alfredo Gobbi, he travels to France to create a phonogram, being hired by "Gath & Chaves", one of the largest Argentine shops of that period.
This event gave a huge boost to Argentine music in Europe, and subsequently many of these recordings were also sold in Buenos Aires. But Villoldo also occupies an outstanding place as a composer. Examples of his works are the tango "El Portecito", "El esquinazo", "La budinera", "Soy tremendo", "Cantar eterno", later, in 1917, recorded by the duo "Gardel-Razzano".
Local orchestras treated all these compositions favorably and included them in their repertoire.
But undoubtedly the most important tango was “El choclo”. Important because of its melody and rhythm, which were in fact very indicative and characteristic, even before the existence of the tango “La cumparsita”.
How true this is is confirmed by the following story. During the First World War, Argentine journalist Tito Livio Foppa was on the German front. When at an official reception a musician played the “national anthem” on the piano in his honor, it turned out that he was actually playing the tango “El choclo,” which he mistook for Argentine patriotic music.
Another fundamental tango, "La morocha", has a simple
lyrics.
Villoldo created it in a hurry for the composer Enrique Saborido, who successfully performed this tango in 1906 on the Fragata Sarmiento, a cruise for army cadets. And this tango is considered the first tango to gain popularity in Europe.
Villoldo, a wonderful poet and musician, left a huge number of works, including such works as "El Torito", "Cuidado con los cincuenta", "Una fija", "Yunta brava", "El Cachorrito", "Pineral", " El Pimpollo", "Trigo limpio", "La bicicleta", etc.
These poor suburbs were called arrabals, and it was here that the fusion of several musical and dance forms took place. The bipartite Cuban habanera and its European variant, the Andalusian tango, introduced by Spanish dancers and not related to ordinary tango, collided with such creations of the rural Argentine hinterland as the payada (poetic improvisation, often performed to a simple guitar accompaniment) and the raunchy, syncopated milonga, which The songs quickly turned into a dance popular among the Arrabal population. Then the milonga intertwined with the Afro-Argentine candombe, a rhythmically complex, uninhibited dance that the compadritos adopted from the black residents of Buenos Aires. From this explosive mixture were born the music and dance now known as tango.
At first, tango did not go beyond the confines of brothels in arrabals, so high society treated him with contempt. But thanks to organ grinders and immigrant musicians who began to include these new, exciting melodies in their repertoire, it gradually penetrated into numerous cafes and onto the streets of the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, inhabited by a more respectable public. Around the turn of the century, the bandoneon, invented by the Germans, began to supplant the guitar - in combination with strings, its voice gave tango a special sound, characteristic only of it. Like jazz, it was a fundamentally new music. And although it combined already known styles, it was more than the sum of its parts.
Respectable families and women of good reputation did not want to participate in this act in any way, and the women in the brothels had to pay for it... so if a man wanted to practice this new dance, he had only one option... another man.
Groups of men would come together to practice, improvise, and innovate, creating new movements and new steps in the process. This approach helped the rapid development of this dance.
Being a good dancer meant then (and even now) a reliable way to attract women's attention... men practiced in their environment so that they could then surprise and arouse the admiration of women and other men.
…Thus, men dancing with each other had nothing to do with homosexuality.
The next scenario on the agenda was “el patio de los conventillos” (communal dormitories). These “conventillos” provided shelter to thousands of poor immigrants who arrived from all over Europe (most of all from Italy and Spain), and some from the Argentine “outback”. These were long open spaces, bordered on both sides by rooms and kitchens. As a rule, the bathrooms there were shared.
It took many years for tango to spread in these "communal apartments" because their residents were, for the most part, decent people who did not want their families to be exposed to this sinful music and dance. Saturday evenings and Sundays were devoted to celebrating weddings, births, baptisms, and other celebrations. It was on such occasions, little by little, that someone asked the musicians to play a tango, and then someone danced once such a dance, cleansed of sinful movements, for example, “Cortes and quebradas” - a simplified version, which was also at first tolerated with disgust , but later became very popular.
It took even longer for tango to reach the homes of middle and upper class families. Young men from such families made it a habit to visit the suburbs in search of excitement and adventure, returning home excited by their dissolute experiences. They began teaching this extraordinary new dance to their sisters, neighborhood girls, and other female members of their extended Argentine families, such as cousins and aunts. They were also taught a “purified version” of the dance.
If you think about the fact that Saborido sold about one hundred thousand copies of his tango “Yo soy la morocha” (I am that brunette) in the first few months of 1906, then you can determine that the tango was performed quite often, including respectable girls who placed the rhythms of this dance between the waltz “Blue Danube” and “Good Eliza”.
A little later, singer Flora Rodriguez recorded “La Trocha”. First on the cylinder, then on the disk, and also on rolls of perforated paper for the “pianola” (a piano that plays itself when two pedals are pressed). The theme of "La Morocchi" was quite innocent and therefore easily accepted. Thus, tango gradually moved from the margins to interior spaces Argentine home.
However, tango remained essentially a shameful, sinful element that was dealt with in secret. Politicians, both right and left, cursed him. For they did not want this new nation to be associated with such a “prostitute” dance. Then how did it happen that tango reached Europe? This is another story... Tango was born on the outskirts of the city, in bars, cafes, brothels; from here he moved inside the city, to the dance halls.
The next stage was the "patios" (courtyards) of the "conventillos" (communal apartments), and eventually the dance settled inside the homes of the middle and upper class of Argentina. Tango was still a pariah, the illegitimate son of pimps and disreputable women, dressed as a compadrito beggar.
The latent eroticism, coupled with the barely veiled sexual overtones of the choreography, was the undisputed dominant feature of early tango. The first poems to this music are replete with allusions to meetings in dating houses. Unfortunately, there are no recordings of early tangos from the 1880s and 1890s. Poems, including completely obscene ones, were often the fruit of improvisation. However, as it spread to immigrant areas, the dance began to take on new features. The melodies and verses interspersed with Italianized argot (lunfardo) sounded a sharp longing for the Old World, combined with the bitterness of disappointment and dashed love hopes that became the lot of those who moved to Latin America from overseas. However, in the first decade of the 20th century, when tango had already largely lost its provocatively sexual overtones, representatives of the wealthier circles of Argentine society still disliked this dance for its “low” origin.
Argentine poet Leopoldo Lugones denounced him as "a reptile crawling out of a mess." The attitude towards tango changed dramatically for the better when it was heard and seen in Paris. European high society did not share Argentine prejudices, and by the beginning of the First World War, the passion for the new dance, like an outbreak of an epidemic, swept from Paris to Rome and from Madrid to London. After the Parisians acquitted tango, the Argentine elite repatriated it and made it their fetish.
In 1914, the Minister of Public Education L.A. Kasso sent out a formidable circular to the trustees of educational districts, prohibiting the very mention of tango in Russian educational institutions. He wrote: “In view of the clearly obscene nature of the new, widely popular dance called “tango” and the information subsequently received by the Ministry of Public Education about individual attempts to teach it to students, I humbly ask Your Excellency to take the strictest measures to ensure that the said dance is not taught in educational institutions of the educational district entrusted to you, as well as that students of both male and female educational institutions haven’t attended dance classes where the shamelessness of “tango” is taught...
Despite the Great Depression, the period 1930-1950 became the "golden age" of tango. Many ensembles were created, which included outstanding composers and tango performers who have become classics of the style today: Annibal Troyo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Astor Piazzola and many others.
The more tango was banned, the more popular it became. Twentieth-century music is full of many different variations of the tango, from the joyful to the melancholic. Tango is poetry filled with passion, joy, pain and longing. The main theme of tango is unhappy, sometimes tragic, but always passionate love and spiritual fragmentation.
The next stop on this pilgrimage will be Europe.
Argentina developed very quickly between 1880 and 1930. The entire city of Buenos Aires was completely rebuilt during this period. The old colonial Spanish city, with one-story buildings and narrow streets, was replaced by a metropolis with wide avenues, beautiful parks and buildings of French and Italian architecture.
The country became one of the ten richest nations in the world, a position it held until the early 1950s, when paralysis and economic decline began... a situation that was destined to last for the next 30 years (until 1985, when world authorities determined that the country is a “developing market economy country”).
During this period of rapid development, the richest were in the habit of traveling to Europe at least once a year. They had large houses in Paris or London. Their receptions were regularly attended by nobility, celebrities and the rich. The French coined the phrase "he's as rich as an Argentine" to refer to extremely wealthy people. The sons of these people remained in Europe to study. It was they who introduced the Parisian nobility to Argentine tango. Tango immediately became a universal hobby.
Everyone started organizing parties with orchestras from Argentina, tango lessons and milongas. Women's fashion had to change to accommodate tango movements. The very bulky dresses of that time were replaced by lighter and looser ones. One famous clothing designer had a significant amount of unclaimed orange material. He decided to call the color of this textile “Tango Orange”. The material was sold out immediately, and the couturier had to order a new batch. Tango became the dance of the day. From Paris, it instantly spread to other large capitals: London, Rome, Berlin, and finally to New York.
And then, Tango returned to Buenos Aires, but already dressed in a tuxedo, and was greeted there as his favorite child. What a change!
The etymology of the word “tango” has not yet been fully clarified, but scientists agree that the dance itself and the accompanying music originated in Argentina at the end of the 19th century, when a stream of emigrants from Europe, including Italy, poured into the country. New arrivals naturally settled in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, congregating in the slums on the outskirts of these port cities. There they mixed with representatives of the Argentine "bottom", including famous compadritos - pimps and other petty criminals, heroes of local legends.
Milonga, according to José Gobelo (founder of the Accademia del Lunfardo, considered an authority on the subject of tango), is a word from the African Quimbunda language, being the plural form of the word mulonga. "Mulonga" means "word" in this language. Thus, "milonga" means "words." In 1872, when José Hernandez published his most famous book, Martin Fierro (which describes in verse the life of a gaucho, an Argentine cowboy), the term milonga had already taken on the meaning of a gathering where one could dance. A decade later, in 1883, Ventura Lynch wrote: “On the outskirts of the city, the milonga is so generally accepted that it is danced at all gatherings of people, it can be heard performed to the music of guitars, accordions, combs and paper, and street musicians play it with a flute orchestra, harps and violins. It is also danced in cheap casinos around the markets in 9/11 and Constitution Squares, during other dance events and funeral processions.”
Nowadays, milonga has several meanings: a style of music, a dance, a public place where one can dance, as well as its original meaning (a lot of words, or a long story). For example, in the phrase “no me vengas ahora con esa milonga” (“don’t start all this chatter now”).
As for the term “tango”, there is no consensus on its origin. When we turn to the prehistory of tango, everything becomes covered in a thick fog.
The word “tango” appeared much earlier than the dance with that name. At first, the word appeared outside of Argentina, on one of the Canary Islands, and in other parts of America, with the meaning of “a gathering of blacks for dancing, for playing drums; also, the African name for this drum.” The Dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy of Letters, published in 1899, defines Tango as “The fun and dance of the Negroes or the lower classes in America,” and also gives a second meaning to the word: “Music for this dance.” Here we must remember that for the Spanish world, America is an entire continent, and not just the USA. In this case, the dictionary spoke about the Spanish part of America, excluding the USA and Canada.
This dictionary gives a dubious etymology for the Latin word "tangir" (to play instruments). In Latin, “ego tango” means “I play.” It was natural to try to find a Latin origin for the word, although this etymology clearly has no bearing on its Argentine meaning. The 1914 edition of the dictionary gives the etymology of "tangir" or "tangere" - "to play or touch". Later editions removed this etymological reference.
Music historian Carlos Vega explains that in Mexico, back in the 18th century, there was a dance called tango. This dance was performed alone or by partners separately, not as a couple. The archives of the Holy Inquisition in Mexico make reference to the "ancient tango" in 1803. To some Mexican song.
The Dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy of Letters, 1925 edition, defines tango in the same way as in previous editions, but without the Latin etymology, and adds: “A dance of high society, imported from America at the beginning of this century.” Once again, Tango has gone all the way from the "lower classes" to the "high society". The dictionary includes two more meanings: "music for this dance" and also "Honduran drum". It was only in the 1984 edition that the word tango was defined as an Argentine dance.
*It seems that the African origin of the word Tango is accepted by most erudite scholars. Ricardo Rodriguez studied the languages of slaves transported to Argentina. These were tribes from the Congo, Gulf of Guinea and southern Sudan. Tango means “closed space”, “circle”, “a certain private space, the entrance to which must be asked.” Slave traders called the places where black slaves were kept, both in America and Africa, the word Tango. Those places where slaves were sold also received this name. We could discuss this topic in more detail, but... I'm afraid to bore you.
In short, the most likely original meaning of the word "tango" is an enclosed space where blacks gather to dance, and later - this dance itself.
The enchanting sounds of music, the beauty of movements and the dance that is born right on the floor - all this is Argentine tango. This dance was invented by emigrants at the end of the 19th century, who poured into Argentina in search of a better life.
Argentine tango is a kind of symbiosis of various music and dance cultures. Maybe that's why it's unique in its own way. And even though the first steps and sounds of tango sounded two centuries ago, this dance still fascinates the viewer today with its tender sensuality and fiery passion.
In Belarus, Argentine tango began to gain popularity about 10 years ago. And every year he gains more and more fans. On Sunday, and not only evenings, lovers of this dance gather for milongas (Argentine tango evenings). Here, to the sound of music, the dancers compose a new dance every time, because Argentine tango is an improvisation. It is on the spontaneity and immediacy of the movements and steps made by the dancers that this daring and gentle dance is based.
Vladimir Redko
If you can walk, you can dance tango. You choose the complexity of movements, tempo and character of the dance only yourself. Improvisation and spontaneity of steps are what “draw” the unique pattern of dance on the floor.
Sometimes you can hear that Argentine tango is called. Essentially it's the same thing. One of the main “attributes” of dance is communication and pleasure. By the way, during the evening dancing couples can exchange partners more than once. But more on that later…
Part one. History and path of Argentine tango
Argentine tango appeared almost two centuries ago. At that time, a large flow of emigrants poured into Argentina from the most different countries Europe. These were mostly men, almost always alone. They needed to rest, and often such a place was a brothel. Yes, to be honest, they needed the attention of women, often even those who sold their time and body.
One of the existing assumptions is that initially Argentine tango was purely male. With the help of dance, the stronger sex competed for the right to please a woman. By the way, if a representative of the fair half of humanity wanted to annoy the gentleman she liked, she could choose... a woman as her partner. In any case, Argentine tango is a couples dance. And the height of perfection is the dance of a man and a woman. Argentine tango has become universal language, through which men and women of various nationalities and cultures communicated.
But let’s leave the versions of how tango was danced at the dawn of its creation and move on. Gradually the dance “reached” the communal dormitories where poor emigrants lived with their families. And tango changed again - it became more chaste.
Argentine tango is considered the second dance (the first was the Viennese waltz) in which partners stand close to each other .
The end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century was a time when Argentina was actively establishing ties with Europe. Young people from wealthy families often stayed in Europe to study. It was they who introduced Argentine tango to Paris. So dance became a new hobby for the Parisian nobility. However, it was soon banned, mainly for religious reasons. But the 30-40s of the 20th century were a kind of era of dance revival. This time is called the “golden age of tango”.
In many ways, the Argentine singer and composer Carlos Gardel contributed to the flowering of the dance. His sentimental songs won the hearts of Argentines. People began to gather in small salons, where there was very little room for dancing. This is how the first dance evenings of Argentine tango (milonga) began to take place.
We will skip further twists and turns in the fate of the dance and move on. 1983 marked a new stage in its development. Tango schools began to open, the music became more diverse, significantly different from classical. In the 90s of the last century, to replace the stage and classical dance the current Argentine tango has arrived.
Vladimir Redko
Head of the Argentine tango school at the “Dance Cafe” club
Argentine tango is always a dialogue between a woman and a man. The skill of the dancers determines how subtly they feel the dance and its movements. The partner leads, but the beauty and emotions of the dance depend on how his partner “hears”.
Part two. Argentine tango - our days
To “get sick” of this dance, you only need to see it once. And it's love at first sight. Today, Argentine tango is perhaps one of the most famous social dances. If you are already 18, you can dance it. The main thing is desire, a sense of rhythm and the ability to improvise. You can learn the basic steps of dance at a specialized school. There are only 5 of them in Minsk. After all, despite its versatility, it is still a dance with its own rules and technique.
Milongas are held on certain days of the week. They are organized either in Argentine tango schools or in cafes. The main condition is the presence of a dance floor. Everyone can watch the dancers, but not take part. A person must have a certain level of dance knowledge and skills. By the way, in good warm weather you can see Argentine tango dancers in open areas. In Minsk, this is Aleksandrovsky Square. The outdoor milonga season begins around the end of April and closes in mid-September.
Vladimir Redko
Head of the Argentine tango school at the “Dance Cafe” club
Argentine tango is based on a sequence of steps. They are not learned, but are born spontaneously. The main thing in the dance is the partner; it is he who “writes” an essay on the theme given by the music.
There is no need to purchase special shoes to practice Argentine tango. For men - ordinary flat shoes with a small heel, and for women comfortable shoes or sandals, preferably with a small heel, are suitable.
Today fans of Argentine tango dance:
- tango;
- tango waltz;
- milonga.
All dance variations differ in music and the nature of movements, the technique and principles are identical. For example, tango waltz is gentle and soft, while tango is more daring, milonga is mischievous and cheerful. There is no rigid rhythm in Argentine tango. The dancers themselves choose the tempo and character of the dance. By the way, at milongas there is always music for all variations of tango.
Milonga is both an evening of Argentine tango and the name of the dance.
You can learn to dance tango within one month, but some people take longer. It all depends on the individual abilities of the dancer and the skill of the coach. The basic course lasts 6 months.
IN late XIX century in Buenos Aires, the history of dance was born that conquered the whole world. The port city became the point of origin of tango as a result of the large number of emigrants from other countries. During the Silver Rush, many adventurers flocked to the city in search of precious metal. Not finding easy money near the La Plata River, the emigrants settled in the capital of Argentina for permanent residence. They were mainly engaged in port work during the day, and at night they had fun and had fun in bars, gambling clubs and cafes. Dance came into use, becoming a universal “language” of communication between peoples of different nationalities. This dance was the real Argentine tango.
Tango took second place after the Viennese waltz in the close position of partners relative to each other, given that in the 19th century it was considered extremely indecent to approach less than 30 centimeters to a partner.
It took time for tango to be perceived as an independent dance, and finally tango moved from bars and cafes to communal dormitories. Perhaps not so high, but the dance was cleansed of sinful movements that symbolized the vulgar background, and turned into a more artistic and passionate image.
Having become popular, people of high society also liked the dance, but a lot of time passed before this society fully embraced dance as an art. Young wealthy boys often had fun in the suburbs, where they picked up the tango style of movements. Impressions of the new dance soon captured the entire high society and the dance finally acquired an exceptional status.
Thanks to these people, the dance began to develop and the next stage in the popularity of tango begins.
The journey of Argentine tango to European countries.
The 19th century is a century of rapid development in Argentina. Rich local officials extend their power to distant territories and visit the countries of the Old World several times a year. Here they make new acquaintances to promote their fame and business, and the younger generation is often left in Europe to study. It is the youth who introduce the Old World to the new, hitherto unknown sparkling dance of tango. Despite the universal passion for tango, the dance was soon banned as a result of the religious views of many rulers of the time.
Thus, Argentine tango had to leave Europe and return to its native land.
But it was not there! The heyday of the dance occurred in the 40s, again in Buenos Aires. Tango is given the status of national dance. The idol of most Argentines, Carlos Gardel, and his performance style also helped the dance reach the front pages. Records with soul-tearing romances won the hearts of tens of thousands of Argentineans, and the cheapness of records led to a powerful spread of music, and with it wonderful dance.
The time of tango orchestras is coming, tango is danced everywhere, even in cramped cafes and salons.
In 50, as a result of the change political regime Argentine dance is once again hiding underground. Soon they completely forget about tango, and young people listen to other music. The form of communication is changing and no one is interested in tango anymore.
The rebirth of tango and its resurrection.
In 1983, the militaristic regime fell, which led to more free communication and preferences.
For the first time, a performance called “Argentine Tango” was staged on stage, which served as an impetus for the revival of an almost forgotten dance craze. Of course, the difference between stage and ordinary tango is great. The movements have changed - previously they were simple, uncomplicated and confused, but now the dance has acquired a clear technique of movements, passionate swings and bends, and many elements have appeared that are unusual for the viewer. This caused an unprecedented stir!
Tango began to conquer everything more countries Europe, then America. Schools began to be formed that taught dance techniques, tango master classes were held, as well as concerts with the participation of famous maestros. Musician Astor Piazzollo created a completely new movement in music called tango nuevo. The rhythm of the singles was sharper, the music harder and bolder. Sensual motives resonated with emotional ones and caused trembling in most listeners. Then the so-called electronic tango appeared. Progress forced the music to change and the dance movements to be shaped according to the general mood.
Later in the 90s, the tango we know today appeared. Classic Argentine tango was formed on the basis of feelings and emotions younger generation Argentina. Tango nuevo is characterized by plastic slow movements that at one moment turn into passionate jumps and bends.
When teaching those who wish to attend our school, we devote Special attention emotions and temperament of dance modern style tango. After all, initially tango is a dance-dialogue between two partners who penetrate each other, feel each other and together, in a passionate impulse, form the temperamental movements of tango. As time changes, the style of performing dance movements also changes. Currently, the most progressive and popular direction of Argentine tango is tango nuevo.
Black and red colors in clothes, the languid gaze of partners and the closeness of bodies - the dance has not yet begun, but it is already making hearts beat faster. This effect is produced by passionate and fiery tango. The history of this genre is full of unexpected facts and secrets. What do Africans have to do with the origins of dance? Why was it associated with the color orange in Paris? And what tango melodies are considered the most popular? Find answers to these questions in our article.
What is tango?
If we turn to encyclopedias, the answer to the question posed sounds very one-sided: tango is an Argentine dance for couples. But if we dig deeper into the etymology of the word, then we see Interesting Facts. There are several versions of the origin of the term:
African. In Tanzania, located in East Africa, there is an area called "tanga". In addition, with the help of this word, Africans used to designate a closed, special space;
Latin Linguists believe that the term is based on the Latin verb tangere, which means to touch, touch. It has a similar meaning French verb tangier;
Spanish The option is less plausible, but has a right to exist. According to him, the word comes from the Spanish taner - to play a musical instrument.
When talking about tango, you can’t ignore it peculiarities. The dance is characterized by:
fast rhythm;
a variety of movements that involve all parts of the body;
sharp turns, in large numbers;
close contact between partners, due to which the passionate nature of the genre is created.
The best tangos
We invite you to listen to famous melodies in tango rhythms.
"Por una cabeza" Carlos Gardel. The melody, whose title translates as “Lost His Head,” was written in 1935. But the composition gained universal fame after it was performed in the film “Scent of a Woman.” The magnificent dance performed by Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar to the melancholy playing of the violin is mesmerizing and remains in the memory forever.
“Por una cabeza” (listen)
"Tabakera" Goran Bregovic. This melody is considered one of the most famous among all the compositions of the musician, who became famous for his works for various films. The lyrics belong to the pen of the Polish performer Kaya, who managed to choose touching and sensual words.
"Tabakera" (listen)
"Espuma de Champagne" Jose Maria de Luquiesi. This melody is very familiar to Soviet citizens. True, the name “Splash of Champagne” is more familiar to them. A record with this composition appeared in the Soviet Union in 1937 and won the love of the public. Unfortunately, very little is known about the author of the melody. Jose Maria lived and worked in Argentina. His whole life was connected with music: first he taught at school and then led an orchestra. He wrote "Espuma de Champagne" in 1935. This is the author's only known melody.
“Champagne Splashes” (listen)
"La cumparsita" Gerardo Hernan Matos Rodriguez. This composition is recognizable from the first chords. Its author at the time of writing was only 19 years old and had nothing to do with professional music. Gerardo Hernan was preparing to become a diplomat. And tango was a hobby that brought the Uruguayan native world fame.
"La cumparsita" (listen)
"Hernando's Hideaway" Jerry Ross and Richard Adler. Tango, known to many from films and television shows. The melody was written in 1954 and still remains relevant.
“Hernando's Hideaway” (listen)
History of tango
1857, Buenos Aires. The construction of the railway, on which great hopes were pinned, is in full swing. They planned to export local agricultural products along the rails. True, there was not enough labor to provide the required volume of raw materials. Thus, Buenos Aires opened its gates to a large number of emigrants. Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Poles, Africans and other nationalities flooded the wealthy port city Latin America, having done possible appearance tango.
Historians are still arguing: where and when exactly this passionate dance originated. There is no precise documented information on this matter. But according to the majority, the first tango began to be danced among the poor, which consisted of emigrants of all stripes. They lived in port areas and on the outskirts of the city, where crime and poverty reigned.
The streets occupied by visiting Europeans looked more like slums. Escaped convicts, poor artists, soldiers and blacks walked along the streets, filled with the stench of the local slaughterhouse. They spent their time in shabby taverns and brothels, where music flowed, woven from the sounds of various instruments. It was tango.
Initially, the dance was performed exclusively by men. Women were not allowed to see him. On the one hand, macho men showed off in front of each other, on the other hand, they simply learned to dance. There was no talk of any passion or love.
Later, when the music was filled with the sound of the accordion, girls of easy virtue began to be attracted to the dance. This is where the traditional women's tango costume comes from: a tight dress with a provocative slit at the thigh, fishnet stockings and stiletto heels. Male dancers dressed more modestly: the suit was loose-fitting, their hair was combed smoothly and covered with a hat with a narrow brim. The local population specially gathered in brothels to drink another glass and admire the passionate dance to the sounds of the bandoneon, a small accordion.
In higher circles, tango was treated with disdain. This is not surprising considering the origins of the dance. But everything changed in 1912. It was then that the Universal Suffrage Law was passed, which equalized the poor and the rich, and tango began to penetrate into the developed areas of Buenos Aires, removing restrictions on dance movements.
New York, Paris, Berlin, London - tango confidently conquered the world. The history of the genre in the capital of France is especially indicative. Passion for Latin American culture led to the emergence of its own, European, tango. French choreographers, not without pleasure, changed the style of movements and musical accompaniment, setting their own standards. They even had to develop a special line of clothing named after the dance - it was simply inconvenient for women to perform sudden movements in fluffy dresses.
But not everything was so rosy. The Parisian bishops called tango a “lustful dance” because of the too close pressing of partners during the execution of steps. The press also spoke negatively, comparing tango with German imperialism. In its native Argentina in 1930, the dance also came under pressure from the ruling elite, who saw it as a danger. Thus began the decline of the genre.
Maria Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes, stage partners and former spouses, did not want to put up with the “death” of their favorite dance. In 1983, they staged the musical "Tango Argentino", which first conquered Paris and later Broadway. This awakened a new wave of interest in tango.
Currently, the popularity of the dance does not fade. Numerous schools and studios teach Latin American steps, organize competitions and simply enjoy the beauty of the movement of two people. No one knows how the history of tango will develop further. It doesn’t matter - he has already earned the love of millions of admirers around the world.
Which dance is considered the ancestor of tango?
A mystery that is still being answered to this day. The origins of the genre can be traced to:
Cuban habanera, very close in tempo;
Spanish contradance;
candombe, which was danced by the black population when they moved to Latin America;
the Creole milonga, which grew from a street song into a dance;
Mazurka, popular among Poles.
It turns out that tango is a mixture of cultural traditions that have merged into one incredibly beautiful dance.
Interesting Facts
- The first attempts to “bring” tango to Europe date back to the beginning of the 20th century. But the popularization of the dance was unsuccessful. An epidemic called “tango” swept the Old World around 1921 thanks to the film “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” which depicted passion in Latin American style.
- It wasn’t just the Parisian elite who were crazy about tango. He also earned the approval of doctors, who saw in dance an opportunity to strengthen the body and cultivate the harmony of movements.
- In 1990, the National Tango Academy opened in Buenos Aires, whose mission was to preserve the dance as a cultural value of the country. After 6 years, a law was passed granting tango the status of a national treasure.
- The Chacarita Cemetery is a significant place for tango fans. The most are buried here famous personalities in the history of this direction. The main character is singer Carlos Gardel, the idol of millions of Latin Americans. His role in the development of tango is so great that UNESCO declared his voice a cultural heritage. Arriving at the cemetery, Gardel's fans are sure to light a cigarette in the hand of his bronze article. This is the custom of the singer’s admirers.
In 1899, the Dictionary spanish words”, in which tango was designated as a celebration and dance of blacks. In the 1925 reissue, the word's meaning was expanded to include a dance of Spanish high society.
One famous French designer used the popularity of tango in his own country to his advantage. The fact is that he had a large amount of unclaimed orange fabric lying around for a long time. He decided to name the shade after the dance and sold out all the material in just a couple of days. I even had to order an additional batch.
Russian politician Lev Aristideovich Kasso, who was responsible for public education Russian Empire, opposed tango. It was not enough with just statements on his part. The minister sent a circular to educational districts prohibiting even mentioning the name of the obscene dance out loud.
Are tango and cinema compatible? Quite. Just watch the films “Frida”, “Mr and Mrs Smith”, “Scent of a Woman” or “Let’s Dance” to be convinced of this.
Argentine or Uruguayan?
Heated debate over the country of origin of tango continues. The fact is that the dance originated on the banks of the Rio de la Plata. It unites the territories of both Uruguay and Argentina, in particular Buenos Aires. It was in this cultural space, where two peoples united, that tango was born. Therefore, all disputes are groundless.
Types and styles of tango
They can be listed endlessly - spreading across to the globe, the direction absorbed the features of one or another local culture. Thus, French, English, Finnish and other varieties of the genre are known. We will focus on the styles of Argentine tango.
Liso is one of the most simple options dance, since it is based on elementary steps. Complex movements are not used.
Nuevo is a beautiful combination of graceful poses, all kinds of rotations with intertwining legs. The style is considered the innovation of young people, therefore it is filled with original movements and constant search for oneself in dance.
Fantasy is performed exclusively in show productions. He attracts attention with slightly eccentric figures, staged according to the script and storyline. Essentially, fantasy is a play told through dance.
Kanyang stands out for its ancient origins. The time of its appearance dates back to 1870. The variety is distinguished by complex choreography and elements taken from African culture.
Modern salon is a classic in the world of tango. The style became widespread in the 40s of the last century and attracted the attention of the public with its measured movements, precision and sophistication of their execution.
What is tango? Just a dance? No. Tango is life itself, filled with vivid emotions and impressions. It combines love and longing, despair and desire, passion and hopelessness. This is what makes the dance truly alive and sincere.
Video: watch tango
Tango is a dance of Argentine origin that has become popular throughout the world. The dance partner and partner perform different steps. In tango, the man leads, creating a dance pattern, and the woman follows him, interpreting and decorating his steps. Tango is a sensual and dramatic dance. It is sometimes called “5-minute love.”
The tango dance originated in Argentina and Uruguay. Both the name and the dance itself have African roots. It was the dances of people from the hottest continent that later became what we call tango. At the end of the 19th century, immigrants flooded the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. And these were not only Africans: among them there were people from all over Europe.
Most often, these were young men from the lower strata of society who came to the New World in an attempt to find their place in life and feed their families. They often had to leave their loved ones and families behind. It is this unbearable feeling of loneliness, longing for the Motherland and the desire to feel human warmth that constitute the emotional core of tango. That is why tango is called “love for 5 minutes.”
During the dance, partners experience all stages of human relationships: meeting, attraction, desire for intimacy, passion, premonition of imminent separation and, finally, the inevitable separation at the end of the dance. Tango is a dance of embrace. The partner and partner are pressed very closely against each other, the man's hand tightly clasping the woman's waist.
Varieties of tango
There are several varieties of tango. Considered classic Argentine tango. It is precisely this that most closely corresponds to the dance that appeared in the 19th century. In turn, Argentine tango itself is divided into 3 types: tango itself, tango waltz (dance with a waltz rhythm), and milonga (a more rhythmic, fast and playful dance.)
There is also a variety such as Finnish tango. It appeared in Finland after World War II. Its creator is considered to be the composer Toivo Kärki. The peculiarity of Finnish tango in terms of musical accompaniment is the presence in the music of elements of Russian romance, German march and Finnish folk song.
Finnish tango is always performed in a minor key. Finns' obsession with tango is so great that it is still very popular today. In the summer it can be danced right on city streets and squares.
When did tango come into being? North America, it has undergone some changes. The result of this process was the so-called ballroom tango. It, unlike other varieties, is not an improvisational dance. When performing this option, dancers are required to follow the developed standards.
They regulate both the permissible dance steps and the position of the head and body. This dance is included in the program of many sports competitions along with foxtrot, Viennese waltz, etc. In addition, the rhythm of ballroom tango, unlike Argentine tango, is created with the help of percussion instruments. This makes the sound clearer and more rhythmic, but to some extent deprives the musical accompaniment of smoothness and melody.
Tango is also divided into social(which can be performed by non-professional dancers at tango parties), salon And stage. There are many other varieties of this dance.
Tango movements
Tango movements are very expressive, sensual and allow you to express a whole range of feelings. Musical accompaniment gives the dance a special expressive and emotional mood. The rhythm of the melody is not constant; it does not repeat itself cyclically from beat to beat. Pauses, accelerations, or, conversely, decelerations are possible.
In this regard, smooth and slow movements in tango are often combined with sharp and rapid ones. The male and female partners perform different steps, but they must move as one. Therefore, dancers must learn to understand each other. Moreover, we are not talking about mutual understanding with one partner. In many schools, a condition for learning Argentine dance is to periodically change partners.
This allows you to learn how to interact with any person. A well-trained dancer can, after a few bars, perform a beautiful and emotional tango with anyone. Moreover, each performance is unique and inimitable. Steps in tango are made at every beat of the music. And it is precisely the setting of a beautiful step that is given great attention during training.
Tango is a beautiful and emotional dance, which always has a touch of sadness.
