EVOLUTION OF ARGENTINE TANGO: THREE TANGO STYLES YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE
Evolution. Yes, that’s the word.
All dances that is ever performed have their origin. Mostly attributed to the situs where it originated, while others are lost in history and is forgotten as time goes by.
However, in the case of one of the most famous and well-known dances in the world, it originates from Buenos Aires.
As the activity for the development of Buenos Aires expanded, classes of migrants begin to emerge as the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors expanded their colonies to South America. Ships loaded with workers and slaves reached the port of Buenos Aires and Montevideo in Argentina.
A medium of communication was developed as the disparity thereof arises between classes of individuals and status.
It was ever-growing that it created a compartmentalized mentality and neighborhoods that are for the wealthy and the slaves. Due to this, as human nature dictates that there are other ways to communicate, express, and socialize with one another, these classes of people slowly engage in the most artistic ways of communication -dancing.
Through dance, you will see the different traditions and cultures each community has. It can also show you various kinds of emotions and events the dancer wants to convey.
And just like the verbal language, dancing in itself has its own different languages. It is a form of non-verbal language with its own rhythm, style, pattern, categories, symbolisms, and message, which can be shared across the world.
Conventillos
Those who are natives there, peasants from the islands, disadvantaged porteños, laborers, immigrants, and slaves, would often find themselves gathering at night in the far reaches of the slums of Buenos Aires in search of socialization according to their class, thereby forming on their own a new set of class that is distinct and different from the conglomerates around the city of Buenos Aires.
The comfort and solace they find from being ostracized from the upper class are that which they seek. A sort of self-validation for their self-worth and reward for the hard work that they endured for the day.
Through the music that they commonly shared in the slums, and the freedom of self-expression through dancing, “tambo” or “tango” was born.
This type of carefree movement that allows the individual to express his/her feelings without being restrained is what makes this dance more popular among their class until it reached the upper class.
As these customs and traditions coming from the slums become popular in the country as a dance and music that can be sung, it also imprinted among themselves a characteristic philosophy identifying tango people, a particular language that can be identified by them – Lunfardo.
However, records show that government authorities were always active and alert to shut them down with the hopes of controlling them and suppressing such kinds of gatherings as they were afraid of what could happen if it goes uncontrolled.
During that time, Tango was considered a dance for the underprivileged or the lower class. Politics has affected the popularity of the dance, and it was forced to go underground for a period of time. It only regained its popularity back during the 19th and 20th centuries and became the Tango that we know today.
Looking back,
tango was traditionally performed between two men that resembles a dual between them, a self-expression of wanting to be free from the shackles of inequalities and oppression, and manifested by quick and sudden movements.
As the way of dancing reached the hearts of the masses, the involvement of women started when prostitutes broke down the barrier when they used it as a form of attraction to men by using sensual movements to seduce them.
At present, there are many known types of Tango globally. And each type has its own distinct pattern, movements, and rhythm. A diverse set of movements that is rich in history that comes from the same origin.
Here are some of the kinds of Tango we hear about at present:
Argentine Tango
Ballroom Tango
Tango de Salon
Tango Canyengue
American Tango
Finnish Tango
Tango Apilado
Show Tango
Argentine Tango vs. Ballroom Tango and what you must know about Argentine Tango
When we think of Tango, the first thing that would come across our minds would be the type of dance with passionate and seductive movements and dancers having a red rose between their teeth. Or it can also be dancing all around the room with a distinctive rhythm pattern, quick body movements, and sequenced choreography. If you think of Argentine Tango as such, you must have confused it with the so-called Ballroom Tango. The above-mentioned are the qualities of the Ballroom Tango. However, there is a difference when it is compared to the Argentine Tango.
Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash
Unlike Ballroom Tango, which follows a pattern and rhythm, Argentine Tango is not limited to these distinctions. Although there are basic steps in the dance,
Argentine Tango does not really limit itself to the rules. It is more improvised and spontaneous, and how the dancer reacts and feels the music plays a significant role in the outcome of the dance.
There is always the essence of unpredictability in this kind of dance because it relies more on the dancer’s emotion than the dance pattern itself. Also, there is a difference when it comes to the styles of dance these two have.
While Ballroom Tango emphasizes center and upper body movement more, Argentine Tango emphasizes more on the movement of the waist and lower body.
Three basic types of Argentine Tango you must know and how it varies from one another
As tango varies from one another coming from the same origin, history presents us that Argentine Tango is not confined to a single dance pattern alone.
Although originating in a single style from the slums of Buenos Aires, this in itself has various types, which may differ in terms of movement, rhythm, pace, and speed.
Tango Canyengue
Tango Canyengue is a popular kind of Argentine Tango that originated in the early 1900s. This is one of the oldest forms of Argentine Tango and contains all the fundamental elements of Argentine Tango.
This type of dance is characterized by a close body embrace between the partners, having a V offset. The dancers are known as the lead and the follower.
The man is the lead, while the woman is the follower. This dance follows small quickstep patterns with firm contact on the ground, with exaggerated body movements, often viewed as provocative, incisive, and exciting due to its playful charisma.
Tango Canyengue dancers often have to walk together in a forward direction or side-to-side. This dance maintains chest-to-chest contact, with the lead’s right cheek being in contact with the follower’s right cheek. Also, the level of the embrace between the two dancers is different. The lead’s arm is around the follower’s waist while the follower has her arm draped around the lead’s shoulder. There is a slight bend at the waist in the dancer’s body, and the knees are also slightly bent.
The quick short step pattern in Tango Canyengue is believed to have been mainy influenced by the long and tight dresses women used to wear during the height of this dance style.
Estilo Milonguero
The Estilo Milonguero or Milonguero Style of Tango is a style of Tango that originated in Buenos Aires around the 1900s ad get popularized by tango dancer Susana Miller. This style is also known as Estilo del Centro because it originated in downtown milongas where there are crowded dance floors. You may also hear that style called Apilado (piled-up or stacked). Although that’s simply confusion.
This dance style is characterized by small movements and a closed embrace between the leader and the follower.
Unchanging hug or embrace, with elbows at the shoulder level pointing out, a classification of itself and grounded on an improvised variation on the walk.
The walk contemplated upon can be visualized on either the vertical or horizontal dimension. The push and pull type partnering with movements which is less efficient in terms of their space, steps, and varieties of movements can be adduced to the horizontal type movement.
On the other hand, vertical movement or long spine movement has the signature of pulling the knee and heel up in the vertical dimension rather than to the back and out.
There is no lag between the lead and follow.
Tango de Salon
A style born from the hearts and admiration of Argentine tango. A classification of tango that is distinct from the stage tango and was initially patronized by the upper class in order to class themselves from the common people. A style that is the fruit of the collective endeavors for the love of Tango from its patron. It is a form of dancing that is found in ballrooms or dance halls which is why it is called “salon”, in other words, milonga halls.
The distinctive feature of this dance is that it is characterized by its wide variations than particular position.
A highly improvised style of dancing, personal, impulsive, and full of variations from arm placement, the position of the enclosed hand, posture, face alignment which often right cheeks will touch, and embellishment.
Ballroom Tango. Notice the offset position of legs, rigid dance frame wide open with upper bodies stretched outwards and Leader’s chest in the middle of the Follower’s chest.
Tango with a flavor
The different styles of tango present us with different fancy steps that are rich in ideology and culture. The style worth noticing is the Villa Urquiza style featuring fancy footwork and danced freely in the open embrace, unafraid to move freely unrestrained. What differentiates that specific style is the more symmetric approach to the embrace. By eliminating the V-position the dancers encourage executing the movements that traditionally are mostly danced to the left, to be danced to both sides.
Tango is more than music. It is a way of life.
Hernan Brizuela and Anita Flejter, creators of Ultimate Tango methodology.
You cannot leave the dancing behind, but dance means nothing without the music. Like birds dancing in the majestic skies of Argentina needs two wings to soar freely, tango connects both the music and dance to allow free separation away from the shackles of life. A philosophy that is innate in the hearts of Argentina amongst its masses.
Life without tango is a life that is without happiness. You must learn to dance in life with style. Be open to new possibilities. Meet a lot of people and learn how to dance in what life could offer.
The process of dancing allows us to contemplate that we can dance through life beautifully. When we make mistakes in our steps, it gives us the opportunity to recover, reset and cope with the new possibilities and opportunities that the mistake brought in. This helps us discover how far we can express ourselves freely along with our partner in dancing and in life. The miscalculations of our steps, miscommunication, and maybe also misinterpretation of music offer the opportunity for growth.
The connection to our partner and mutual listening is what makes tango the dance that is the most interesting and searched-for.
Tango evolution
Tango is rich in history itself. It a story of both struggle and of success. An evolution that is beautifully woven into the hearts of Buenos Aires and in the world. A treasured piece that is included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List in 2009.
In a world where evolution is constant, tango confirms the ideology that advancement is a necessity.
The history of tango provides us that where the struggle is present, so is success that comes along with it.
The role of an individual in tango is more like the role of an individual to the world. Tango gives us the gift of loving what we do in everything that we do. It provides us with the concept that nothing needs to be endured or enjoyed alone.
That is why tango is a dance of two individuals playing active role, constantly supporting the other to achieve a common goal - to dance freely, happily and without restraint. It really takes two to tango.