Tango and Its History Essay Example

Tango Nuevo, Show Tango (Fantasia), Ballroom Tango, Finnish Tango, and Filipino Tango. These styles are typically danced in either open or close embrace.

Castro presents information about various tango styles. The Tango Milonguero style is recognized by a tight embrace, compact steps, and footwork with syncopated rhythms. The Filipino tango is a more relaxed style, which can be considered as a blend between the American style tango and the Hustle. It involves numerous open breaks and turns like the hustle dance. Ballroom tango, on the other hand, has been modified according to the preferences of conventional ballroom dancers. It has become a part of the International Ballroom dance competitions' routines. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc)

Ballroom tango encompasses two distinct styles: the international Tango, which evolved as a competitive dance, and the American Tango, which prioritizes leading and following skills in a social setting. Both styles use unique music and movements, featuring staccato steps and "head snaps." The international Tango emerged in Europe as Argentine tango gained popularity, with Paris becoming a particular hotbed of interest. European dancers incorporated their own cultural techniques and styles into the dance, resulting in the birth of international tango.

The English created their own version of tango, known as English style, in an effort to teach a standardized form of the dance for instruction and competition. Over time, their version developed into the International style, which has now become the widely practiced ballroom tango around the world. While the English initially dominated the International style, dancers from other backgrounds, such as Italians, have introduced new techniques and styles to continue pushing the competitive standard forward. Meanwhile, American tango evolved from its Argentinean roots when

it gained popularity in the U.S. after being featured in the film "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

The emergence of Hollywood style and other social dance steps during the same period led to a deviation from the Argentine style, which culminated in the American style as named by the English (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc). Tango Nuevo, on the other hand, is characterized by a more relaxed social style with an open embrace and fluid partner movements. It also involves a trading of lead and regional adaptations of the tango dance. The Tango Nuevo is mainly influenced by the fusion of tango music with electronica, although it can be adapted to traditional tango and non-tango songs as well.

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, Argentinean tango is a social dance and musical genre originating in Argentina and later spreading globally. It features various styles developed in different regions and eras, influenced by the venue's crowding and clothing fashions. Finish tango, characterized by full upper body contact and a wide, strong frame, involves smooth horizontal movements and low positions to enable long steps without any vertical motion. In backward steps, dancers push from the heel, while forward steps land heel first. Finally, in basic steps, the passing leg quickly moves to rest momentarily near the grounded leg.

Argentine Tango involves dancing in an embrace that can range from an open one, where the leader and follower connect by keeping a distance between each other's arms, to a closed one, where the connection occurs chest-to-chest or at any intermediate position. While the close embrace is linked to the traditional styles, open embrace provides enough space for the embellishments and figures

associated with Tango Nuevo. At its core, tangoing is essentially walking while accompanied by music. Musicality is an essential aspect of this dance form. Dancers mostly keep their feet near to the ground as they walk, with their ankles and knees brushing against each other when one leg passes another. Argentine Tango emphasizes a lot on improvisation although certain movement patterns have been standardized over the years, serving as reference tools for instructors to teach students. Nonetheless, there is no definitive "basic step" to follow.

Across all styles of Argentine Tango, there exists one constant - followers are typically led to alternate feet during the dance. The beauty of the tango lies in its ability to manifest in the moment as a living act. When dancing Argentine Tango, it is customary to move counterclockwise around the outer edge of the dance floor, with "traffic" flow being divided into separate "lanes". It is generally frowned upon to cut across the middle of the floor. Stationary figures are permitted, as long as they do not impede the progress of other dancers. Mutual respect between couples on the floor is expected, with strenuous efforts made to avoid collisions, crowding or stepping on other dancers' feet.

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a skilled dancer is someone who can make music visible. Tango originated in Argentina and Uruguay during the late 1800s but has since become a globally recognized dance that is practiced in various ballrooms. There exist several types of tango, including the international tango, American tango, and Argentinean tango; of these, the latter is the most popular.

Various styles feature distinct types of steps and music, yet a skilled

dancer is someone who can convey the rhythm visually to the audience.

Works Cited Castro, Donald S. The Argentine Tango As Social History, 1880-1955: The Soul of the People. Edwin Mellen Press, 1991.

Christine Denniston's book, The Meaning of Tango: The Story of the Argentinian Dance, was published by Anova Books in 2008. This information is available on Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.'s page for Tango (dance).

On September 22, 2008 there were two instances of the date being mentioned.