The Tango Dance
The Tango is a form of ballroom dancing that is quite unique. It’s also a good example of cultural colonization. It’s a mixture of a dance called Tangano, which comes from African slaves transported to Haiti and Cuba during the 18th century, and a dance called Habanera which originated in Cuba during the 19th century. Eventually, blacks migrating to Argentina added styles from the local Milogna dance to form the Tango. It was a very popular dance among the poor of Buenos Aires.
The Tango was originally a strongly erotic dance. A little to erotic for most people at that time especially as it became better known among the “gentile” of Europe around the turn of the 20th century. It was gradually toned down as it became more widespread. “Tango Teas” began to spring up as it became all the rage. These were basically cocktail parties that people would dance among the tables between drinks and food.
A Tango Lesson
The outbreak of WWI slowed down the spread of the Tango, but in the 1920′s it gained a second wind. The pre-war dance was actually quite complicated; there were a lot of steps and styles. After the war it became known as the “New French Tango” and the steps became more standardized. It was this form that the great Rudolph Valentino made so fashionable in some of his earlier films. While its practice has had an ebb and flow over the years it has always been a favorite of ballroom dancers.
Today the Tango, along with ballroom dance in general has experienced a surge of popularity from the wide audiences of TV dance shows and movies. More and more people are being enticed into learning the sexy fun dance.