History

Ballroom tango was born in the slums of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century. Argentine gauchos and migrating black met and mixed in the infamous Bario de las Ranas, trading cultural rhythms and dance steps in and around the areas well-known brothels. From this melting pot emerged a highly passionate dance, one that the UPPER classes of society shunned. But as with the Waltz, there is nothing like controversy to make a dance popular.

In the US, Tango became all the rage right before the First World War. Vernon and Irene Castle made their fortune from Tango, becoming America’s sweethearts of the dance. There was a flurry of Tango dance hall openings and tango teas became popular in big hotels. Couples even danced between courses at the finer restaurants. Rudolph Valentino did his part, performing a sensual Tango in the silent film “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. The dance varied greatly from performer to performer and was eventually standardized in the 1920’s by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

Dance Characteristics

Tango is characterized by a close hold, a low center of gravity and an emphasis on Contra Body movement. Movement is stealthy, almost cat-like and has an unmistakable staccato feel and major dramatic attitude. The Leader’s right arm is further around and lower on the Follower’s back than in the other Smooth dances. The left arm is bent at 90 degree angle with left hand held closed in toward the Leader’s body and face. The follower’s left hand is placed behind and below the Leader’s upper right arm.

Musical Information

Time signature: 4/4 or 2/4
Tempo: 30-32 measures per minute in 4/4 time
Timing: SSQQS and QQS QQS plus others
Beat value: 2-2-1-1, 1-1-2 1-1-2

The Habanera is a syncopated music and dance style that originated in Havana, Cuba, in the early 19th century. Born from a blend of European contradanza and African polyrhythms, it became the first Cuban music to gain international popularity and profoundly shaped the development of modern Latin music, jazz, and the tango. 

The famous phrase "taking the tango out of the bordello" refers to the historical transformation of Argentine tango from a marginalized, illicit dance in the brothels of 19th-century Buenos Aires into a respectable, globally celebrated art form. [1, 2, 3]

History of Tango

Tango originated in the 1880s in the impoverished immigrant slums and port districts of Buenos Aires, Argentina (and Montevideo, Uruguay). It emerged from a rich blend of African rhythms (like the candombe), European folk dances (like the habanera and polka), and the music of local gauchos. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Because Argentina suffered a massive gender imbalance at the time—with far more immigrant men than women—prostitution was a booming industry. As a result, the early tango was initially danced in bordellos and dive bars. [1, 2, 3]

 

• Who danced it: Men often waited in long lines for a turn with the female workers. While they waited, they would practice dancing with each other to pass the time and improve their skills to woo women outside the brothels. [1, 2]
• The nature of the dance: It was highly erotic, aggressive, and intimate, symbolizing the tense dynamics between a pimp and a prostitute. [1, 2, 3]

Moving "Out of the Bordello"

In the early 1900s, this "dirty dancing" was strictly condemned by the elite classes and the Catholic church. However, wealthy Argentine youths traveling to Paris began bringing the dance back to Europe. When European high society fell in love with tango, it finally gained respect back in Argentina