Get Tango Inspired - Famous Tango Scenes from Movies
A good tango is like a work of art. Something to be marveled at, admired, respected, and enriched by certain traditions embedded in it.
Argentine Tango is an art that anyone can master, with a little practice and coordination. Whether you want to impress a partner, keep fit and dance at the same time, or just explore a fun and rewarding hobby, the tango could well be for you. Dancing the tango can even become a spiritual experience, as we explored recently in our article How the Argentine Tango Connects to Spirituality.
We explore various enganchos in Advanced Course Ganchos y Enganchos
If you are not practicing the tango yourself, it can be sumptuous and sensual to watch, in-person and on-screen. There is an elegance and beauty about two people so completely in sync with each other, moving as one and yet in a vibrant and exciting way, it is hard not to be drawn in. That connection is something often explored on the big screen too. A tango makes a great plot device for bringing two characters together and demonstrating their feelings for each other. That, in turn, has led to some iconic scenes from movies in which stars had to learn to tango.
Scent of a Woman
Al Pacino might be best known for his roles in films such as Heat, but in Scent of a Woman, he delivers a powerful and resonating performance as Lt. Col Frank Slade, a blind and retired army veteran. In one particularly moving scene, Pacino leads Gabrielle Anwar in a spectacular tango.
The concept is not a relationship between the two, but a glimpse into the vibrant life of the now despondent veteran. It is a peak and a nadir at the same time, a look into what was for Pacino’s character but with the desperation of the future.
Ew.com reveals that Anwar was just 19 when she danced with Pacino in the 1992 flick. He won an Oscar for his scintillating performance, but oddly they did not dance together before the scene was shot. She practiced for weeks before the shoot and later revealed why they did not come together earlier. “I always thought that was really odd until quite recently when Chris told me that it was because [Pacino] wanted to keep a spontaneity and a freshness to the dance,”
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt ended up married after their appearance in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the tango scene certainly hinted at what might be to come in real life. The scene itself was part comedy, part tragedy, as the warring couple frisked each other for weapons, before she ran out, clearly still in love with Pitt’s character. Off-screen, the pair were together for five years, although much of that was spent divorcing each other.
Whilst there might not have been much technical expertise in their rendition, both learned the basics of the tango for the scene. It might not seem a typical Hollywood pastime, but then neither are typical Hollywood stars. Poker.org explains that Brad Pitt is also into pottery, whilst Jolie is known for, wait for it, her knife collection!
True Lies
Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated that the biggest challenge for filming "True Lies" was NOT doing all the physical stunts he did throughout the film...but rather, learning to dance the tango. He had to take 26 weeks of dance lessons to "realistically" perform the dance.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis put in wonderful performances in another comedy involving a married couple. He was a spy, hiding his profession from his wife, who then seeks adventure of her own. It is an amusing tale of a spousal relationship, often fractured, blended with some typical nineties action. At the end of the film, as a brilliant tie in, the two are brought together on the dance floor to deliver a sensational tango. It is a method of demonstrating that despite the previous 120 minutes of deception and lies, the couple are as one.
Curtis later revealed to Cheat Sheet that the fall at the end of the tango, a rather seminal move that came as the credits rolled, wasn’t even intentional. She was so tired from rehearsing that she physically could not go on, but director James Cameron left it in.
The language of tango is universal
Three tangos, all demonstrating something different about those who performed them, from the sadness of a man reclaiming past glories, through comedy, to the coming together of two people. The language of dance is as universal as anything and these iconic scenes prove just that.
Ready to Tango?
Check our Beginner Course and Beginner Epiphany.