Tango History

The exact origins of the Tango are not clear , but it does go back well over 100 years. Beginning just before the 20th Century, the Tango evolved, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in Montevideo, Uruguay. One thing is certain; the Tango was made by the immigrants to Argentina and to Uruguay.

In the 1870s and '80s, Brothels were an integral part of life in Buenos Aires and in Montevideo, - for both men and women. They were meeting places for young unmarried men. It was here that the Tango was born. Initially, it may best be described as very close contact of the man and woman to rhythm of the dance music. From these crude beginnings, it soon developed into something more acceptable to society, and became popular first in the "barrios" (slum areas) and then throughout society.

The first European Tango craze took place in Paris during the very early 1900s, and shortly thereafter in London, Berlin, and other capitals. By 1913, it had arrived in New York . However, by 1922, the Tango crazed waned due to the new dances of Foxtrot, Charleston and the arrival of the "Jazz Age".

Due to the depression of the 1930�s, and the overthrow of the government in Argentina Tango went in to a big decline. And not until 1946, Tango did again became fashionable in Argentina, and as an Icon of national pride under the new government of Juan Per�n. Who�s wife, Evita, was an exponent of the dance. Again in the 1950s, the economic depression in Argentina, the start of the Rock and Roll era, combined with the military dictatorships that banned all public gatherings, sent Tango yet again spiraling in to decline, sending the dance underground .

Tango was over the course of less than 50 years the only dance to have been publicly twice banned by a Government, mainly due to the fact that the famous Dancers of the time were as popular as Pop signers and Television celebrities are today, and with their following they carried a lot of political weight.

Tango is set to continue to gather interest, especially as the youth of the 60�s and 70�s have evolved through the eras Elvis and The Beatles, to Disco and Hip Hop and to the now popular Latino music that spans all generations, Tango is the next step to enjoyed by the advocates of Latin dances such as Salsa, who now wish to take on the challenge of this classic dance.

There are also many films that have used Tango as a parody or statement to the characters hidden skills,. Newly released �Mr. & Mrs. Smith� sees Angelina Jolle and Brad Pitt smoldering on the dance floor and the Oscar winning Al Pacino steals the show when as overbearing, blind Lieutenant as he dances Tango with an unsuspecting young lady in �Scent Of A Woman�.