Argentine Tango

Forget the cliché of the red rose between the teeth – Argentine Tango is so much more. It's a musical genre that forms the foundation of a dance characterised by its complexity, emotional depth, and sensuality. Tango music, with its rich diversity of rhythms and moods, invites dancers to explore and express a wide range of emotions. It's a dance of unlimited possibilities, where each step and movement tells a story.  

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Origin

Argentine Tango emerged in the late 19th century in working-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. It was practiced by Argentine dancers, musicians, and immigrant laborers yet rejected by the elite. The dancers were mostly immigrants from diverse backgrounds. The dance was practiced in streets and patios, particularly dark street corners

The term "tango" was originated from Afro-Argentine dance forms. Tango developed with expression of political struggles by black community and was adopted by many immigrants who lived in poor towns and wished to change their socio-economic situation.

Towards the 1930s, Argentine tango started becoming trendy in the major European capitals such as Paris, Berlin and Rome. This was accompanied by a shift in how tango was perceived in Argentina by the government and elites during 1930s to 1950s, where tango became a national identity of Argentina. This time was considered to be the Golden Age of Argentine tango.

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Tango Now

Argentine Tango is one of the popular social dances worldwide. There are weekly and monthly social tango dancing events (Milongas) held in most of the major cities worldwide including Sydney.

Plenty of international events including festivals and marathons where dancers from all over the world meet and dance with one another without speaking the same language.

The video below from Tangosalonika samples the atmosphere from one of Buenos Aires highly regarded social tango weekly events (milongas).