Tango and Ballroom Tango - Evolution and Mutation of Argentine Tango
From its humble beginnings in the ports of Buenos Aires to its global popularity that swept across even the high societies of Europe, tango as a dance and a cultural phenomenon has evolved from its traditional form.
Today, we see many styles of tango, as well as various forms of dance that draw inspiration from tango in terms of movement, fashion, or even principle. This, however, is hardly surprising as any human invention, more so any form of self-expression adapted by a certain culture will inevitably be modified to suit the environment in which it is practiced.
Argentine Tango social is called Milonga. (IMG SOURCE: https://www.contiki.com/six-two/history-sultry-argentine-tango/ )
And as tango ventured out into the world, it got, as an article from Elite Dance Studio describes, a “slightly new look in each country it visited.”
According to a post by the blog Tango Voice, Paris was one of the first European capitals where the Argentines brought tango in the 1910s. The dance had thereafter spread to other major European cities such as London, Rome, Berlin, and St. Petersburg prior to the beginning of the First World War. In North America, tango flourished primarily in New York.
What made tango such a sweeping sensation in Europe was that the manner in which it was danced — sensual, passionate, vigorous — challenged the traditionalistic mindset prevalent among the upper socioeconomic strata at the time. Many of the elite saw the dance as a form of liberation from their stiff, largely constrained lifestyle.
In many respects, tango prompted a cultural revolution, particularly with women, wherein they began not only to dance and revel in tango but also to incorporate tango fashion into their customary attire. Women began to don skirts with slits and traded their corsets for something less restrictive. Gone were their wide-brimmed hats, and they felt free to dance in a way that embodies passion without equating such sensual displays of human connection with that of debauchery or hedonism.
Unwittingly, tango had challenged the status quo and paved the way for high society to shift towards less traditionalistic practices and beliefs.
Argentine Tango show
However, tango wasn’t met without naysayers who refused to accept and even vilified the dance as something immoral. Even though the upper echelons of society saw tango as an opportunity to break away from the norm, there remained staunch conservatives who scoffed at or viewed tango with contempt.
This eventually gave way to what Tango Voice blog describes as the “taming of the tango.” In fact, an article The Vatican vs. Rhythm and (specifically) Tango notes that tango was “formally prohibited in the early 20th century by the Curate Cardinal of Rome,” and that the Italian War minister at the time had even crafted a by-law that officially prohibited tango throughout Italy.
In other parts of the world, tango was received positively by the youth and dance instructors, while moralists and the powers-that-be went out of their way to discourage the public from dancing the tango.
A post from the New England Historical Society notes that Germany’s Kaiser banned tango, and Queen Mary of England also ordered the dance to be kept out of palace functions. In the United States, tango was labeled as “unwholesome degeneracy” by more strident church leaders from different sects, while the moderate clergy saw it merely as a temporary evil that would come to pass.
The police banned any activities that involved tango, while schools threatened to expel students who participated in such. Even medical authorities went as far as to decry tango as a malady that would “undermine both health and morals.”
However, as far as human psychology is concerned, and as history has repeatedly proven in similar situations, banning the dance seemed to have had the opposite effect and sparked even more interest in tango.
Eventually, as tango gained overwhelming appeal among the upper classes of Europe, it was modified into something more acceptable not only to the prevailing cultural mindset but also to local tastes.
As a post from Dance Facts notes, “tango is one of the most ‘reactive’ dances in the world,” and its highly improvisational, personal, and impulsive characteristics make it easy for various factors to reshape it into something more suited to the majority.
Shadow position or double front in Argentine Tango - (IMG SOURCE: https://www.camimusic.com/tango-argentina)
Different Tango Styles
As tango eventually gained acceptance across societies and demographics on the global stage, it also began to evolve into different styles that carried with it new elements, distinguishing it from the original variation danced in Argentina.
Over the years, tango evolution took place, which brought about a variety of different tango styles as we know today. While each style has retained some similarities with the original Argentine tango, the differences may lie with the way the dancers support their center of gravity, movements, timing, and speed. How the dancers embrace may be tight, loose, or in a “V” shape and can even change from one style to another several time during a single routine. Leg and foot positioning may also vary depending on the type of tango that is being danced. Some routines may require dancers to either keep their feet in the air or on the ground for a prolonged period.
Since I’m not a big fan of naming the styles, here are proposed descriptions of styles of tango as explained by Dance Facts and Elite Dance Studio with my small clarifications.
The most obvious difference is Tango Escenario (stage) and Tango de Pista (Social Tango. We are focusing on social tango as that’s what we teach and that’s what is being danced around the world. But to give it credit - it’s Stage Tango that spread Tango around the world.
Argentine Tango Competition (IMG SOURCE: https://thewinninglook.net/services/tango-competition)
● Show tango: Sometimes called Tango Fantasia to indicate and emphasize that is a little bit of the fantasy that we all tend to have about Tango. Most of the movements are spiked and exaggerated so they can be seen and appreciated from the stage. Because of that, the movements are also choreographed so the dancers can correctly hit the musical accents. As its name suggests, show tango is a theatrical form of Argentine tango often danced on the stage. This style combines different tango styles that are punctuated by exaggerated movements and flourishes, which is why this is also known as Fantasia tango.
Just within SOCIAL Argentine Tango we often hear the following differentiation:
● Argentine tango: Sometimes defined as Tango Canyengue might be considered as roots of original Tango. This style is one of the originals that contain all the fundamental elements of 19th-century traditional tango forms. Here, the sensuality of tango is retained, along with its flexible embrace and varied postures. Unlike the more popular though more rigid ballroom tango, Argentine tango can be quite complex and provides numerous avenues for improvisation.
● Salon tango: This style, which can be danced in an open or closed embrace, also originated from Buenos Aires and was primarily danced during what was considered the Golden Age of Tango between 1935–1952. Salon tango was first introduced in dance halls and is known for its flexible embrace that allowed for more pivoting and thus introduced more possibilities to existing figures as well as open doors to introducing new ones for both leader and follower.
● Tango apilado: This style of tango is characterized by being “piled up,” which is what apilado means in Spanish. Here, both leader and follower lean against each other in a close embrace amidst a crowded dance floor.
● Tango nuevo: Literally meaning “new tango,” this style was developed in the 1980s and is popular for its complex moves performed to a mix of jazz, electronic, techno, or alternative-inspired music. Because of its flexibility, tango nuevo can work well with both traditional and non-traditional tango music. Both dancers must maintain a loose embrace and a stable individual axis.
● Finnish tango: After the First World War, tango gained popularity in Finland, leading to an established variation of the Argentine tango with characteristics that set it apart from Latin American and competitive tango styles. Finnish tango is known for its close contact, horizontal movements, frequent dips and rotations, and a low-standing stance that doesn’t have kicks or aerials.
● Uruguayan tango: This style of tango is said to have been developed around the same time as the earliest ones that have sprung up in Buenos Aires. Uruguayan tango today consists of various sub-styles that can be performed to different types of music such as tango, milonga, vals, and candombe. In this type of tango, the body moves first instead of the feet, with the latter “catching up” to support the shift in movement.
There is also Tango thought within Standard 5 Dances Syllabus and within American Ballroom
● Ballroom tango: An offshoot of Argentine tango, ballroom tango is basically tango modified to fit ballroom dancing. Beginner-friendly and one of the easiest tango styles to learn, ballroom tango originated from Europe and was eventually divided into two categories: American and International. International tango is mainly danced during competitions, while the American version is considered more of a social dance than a competitive one.
Tango Lead-Follow and Connection
It is interesting to note that while traditional tango often has the men leading and the women following, it is not unusual for the roles to be reversed.
In modern times, the operating principle of tango has also evolved to emphasize the connection between partners instead of playing on the typical masculine and feminine qualities that dictate whether one should be a leader or a follower.
A post from Live About provides an apt summary: “Tango dancers must strive to make a strong connection with the music as well as their audience in order for it to be successful.”
Ballroom - International Standard Competition. (IMG SOURCE: https://www.dancesportchampionships.com/)
Ballroom Tango vs. Argentine Tango
Among the many forms of tango that have emerged from the original Argentine variant, ballroom tango is perhaps one of the most popular styles danced commonly by people around the world.
According to a post by the blog Tango Voice, Vernon and Irene Castle, along with Arthur Murray, were largely responsible for spreading the first Americanized version of tango by incorporating it into a teaching curriculum that included other ballroom dances.
Meanwhile, in Europe, tango was mostly codified by the English with some input from German dancers in the 1930s.
In comparison with Argentine tango, modern tango, as noted by Live About, tends to display less of the sensuality that had characterized tango as a dance.
On the other hand, Argentine tango retained more of its style’s intimacy between partners. In fact, Tango Voice points out that
the changes that have been applied to ballroom tango seemed to have eliminated the seductive emotional connection between partners. The post even goes as far to say that International tango, in particular, appears to display an “antipathetic repulsion between partners,”
which may be attributed to the attempt at making tango less offensive to cultures that find it discomfiting to witness and participate in overt expressions of sensuality.
The same blog post also quotes Chris and Terri Cantrell, who provided what may be an amusing analogy that summarizes the differences between Argentine tango, American tango, and International tango:
“The forms of Tango are like stages of a marriage. The American Tango is like the beginning of a love affair when you are both very romantic and on your best behavior. The Argentine Tango is the next stage when you are in the heat of passion and all kinds of emotions consume you. The International Tango is like the end of the marriage when you are staying together for the sake of the children.”
American Smooth Competition (IMG SOURCE: https://www.wikidancesport.com/wiki/1056/american-style)
The Visual Difference
In this mini showcase (see below), we are trying to visually show the difference between Argentine Tango and Ballroom Tango. The embrace - the frame, the improvisation with elements versus a choreographical set of steps, the way one dance travels versus the other, the music.
In the first scene, we exchanged our partners - so Argentine Tango Leader (Hernan) dances with Angelina (Ballroom Champion), and Lukas (Blackpool Ballroom Champion), and Anita (Argentine Tango Follower). We are good friends so we agreed on the music that both couples can dance to. We are attempting to dance and mimic the dominant Tango style of The Leader, mimicking the most obvious characteristics.
Then we switch and Lukas and Angelina dance their style (International Style Tango) Then Hernan and Anita dance Argentine Tango. Then both couples dance to again agreed-upon Tango music with the obvious beat - so the Ballroom couple can introduce their accents and move as fast as their style requires them to do.
We are not trying to make fun of each other or of our respective styles. We are good friends. We simply are trying to show the difference.
The Difference
The different elements that make up tango in general further break down the differences between Ballroom and Argentine Tango:
Music
Since Argentine tango retained much of the intimacy for which the dance was known, its music generally tends to be more romantic and, as suggested by Juaquin Amenabar, can be classified as classical music.
Conversely, music for ballroom tango is often kept at a medium tempo, with a march-like rhythm that allows for more drama. Duet Dance Studio notes that unlike Argentine Tango, which almost never makes use of drums or heavy downbeats, American tango includes percussive downbeats combined with other instrumentation.
Further to musicality, Tango Voice notes that:
Argentine tango allows for “different rhythmic interpretations of the same movement sequence,” which results in unlimited possibilities for improvisation that takes into account variations in space, musical interpretations, and movement direction.
In contrast, ballroom tango has more fixed rhythmic patterns, in which International tango employs more quick steps than the American version.
International Standard Competition (IMG SOURCE: https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2021/international-ballroom-dancing-championships/)
Movement, Posture, and Connection
In Argentine Tango basic sequence smooth steps that resemble gliding take a full eight counts to complete, with the leader beginning with the right foot and stepping backward. Argentine Tango provides many opportunities for improvisation. The follower can be lead into intricate footwork of turning sequences called giros with implemented changes of direction, alterations, and cuts. More lifts and dips can also be performed with Argentine tango, and a closer frame or embrace between partners is typically exercised.
In contrast, International tango makes use of long sharp strides while American tango is more defined by a succession of quick, quick, and slow movements. In ballroom tango, the woman is typically leaning backward on her heels, and there is some distance between the partners as a more open embrace is employed.
In these three styles, the feet remain close to the floor with minimal changes in rising and falling actions. Ballroom tango, in general, progresses in a counterclockwise direction with some variations depending on the available space.
The connection between partners also differs depending on whether they’re dancing the Argentine tango or ballroom tango. In International tango, Tango Voice describes the connection between partners as typically between the right hips of both dancers, while partners in American tango usually connect via the upper arms, allowing partners to extend or release their hold.
Both of these are in contrast with Argentine tango, wherein each dancer is connected in a parallel, chest-to-chest level as a metaphor of heart to heart or soul to soul connection.
Here is our friend Lukas Chockuba with a tiny intro with Argentine Tango switching right back to International Style Tango.
Attire
In Argentine tango, Dance-America notes that women wear a spike heel shoe to compensate for the height difference (Really?). Overall, the attire for women in Argentine tango typically makes use of mid-length dresses with a slit for free movement. On the other hand, women dancing the American tango tend to wear longer ballroom gowns.
Modern Partner Dances With Influences From Tango
Over the decades, as tango’s popularity grew worldwide, its influence remains alive and well in modern times. Modern partner dances such as the Kizomba, Zouk, or Bachata share many similarities with tango in terms of how partners connect and display sensuality.
For instance, Kizomba, which originates from Angola, is known for its slow yet sensuous rhythm. According to Incogni To Dance, Kizomba “emphasizes a very smooth way of dancing with influences from Tango steps.”
However, unlike the tango, the Kizomba does forward, backward, and circular movements with the lower body and the hip.
Zouk, born from the French Antilles in the 1970s, is another partner dance that employs an open and close embrace, similar to tango. A post from Heritage Institute notes that:
…leaders should ask followers dancing for the first time if they are comfortable with a close embrace. Each dancer’s comfort level dictates the choice of hold, as well as the type of music and dance patterns that will be used.
Similarly, the Dominican Bachata, which is included in UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritages, is described by Dancing Together as a dance that can be performed in a slow and sultry way or quickly with a pulsing rhythm.
Like the Tango, a Bachata, according to Unesco, is characterized by an eight-step structure.
The dance itself employs sensual hip movements, and its music expresses “deep visceral feelings of love, passion, and nostalgia.”
Argentine Tango Social (Milonga) at Ultimate Tango School pf Dance.
More Than Just a Dance
Tango has come a long way, and it’s unsurprising that many modern partner dances bear some resemblance to tango, specifically Argentine Tango, when it comes to the display of sensuality and connection between both dancers.
Dancing can, after all, be a physical manifestation of passion between two people and a conduit for fiery sensibilities tempered only by rhythmic patterns and semi-structured movements.
Argentine tango, as well as other dance forms that have derived from it, embodies a kind of relationship that both participants can share on the dance floor.
At the same time, while tango has undergone many evolutions over the years, it remains a form of self-expression that seeks to connect not only with the other but also the self.