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ArgentineTangoHistory

ArgentineTango:ABrief
History
bySusanAugustBrown
Theexactoriginsoftangoboththedanceandtheworditself
arelostinmythandanunrecordedhistory.Thegenerally
acceptedtheoryisthatinthemid1800s,theAfricanslaveswho
hadbeenbroughttoArgentinaortheirdescendantsbeganto
influencethelocalculture.Theword"tango"maybe
straightforwardlyAfricaninorigin,meaning"closedplace"or
"reservedground."OritmayderivefromPortuguese(andfrom
theLatinverbtanguere,totouch)andwaspickedupbyAfricans
ontheslaveships.Whateveritsorigin,theword"tango"had
acquiredthestandardmeaningoftheplacewhereAfricanslaves
andfreeblacksgatheredtodancebythetimeArgentinabanned
slaveryin1853.
Duringthelaterpartofthe1800sandearly1900s,Argentinawas
undergoingamassiveimmigration.In1869,BuenosAireshada
populationof180,000.By1914,itspopulationwas1.5million.TheintermixingofAfrican,Spanish,
Italian,British,Polish,RussianandnativebornArgentinesresultedinameltingpotofcultures,andeach
borroweddanceandmusicfromoneanother.Traditionalpolkas,waltzesandmazurkasweremixedwith
thepopularhabanerafromCubaandthecandomberhythmsfromAfrica.
Mostimmigrantsweresinglemenhopingtoearntheirfortunesinthisnewlyexpandingcountry.They
weretypicallypooranddesperate,hopingtomakeenoughmoneytoreturntoEuropeorbringtheir
familiestoArgentina.Theevolutionoftangoreflectstheirprofoundsenseoflossandlongingforthe
peopleandplacestheyleftbehind.
Mostlikely,rudimentarydanceformsthatmayhavebeenknownas"tango"weredevelopedinAfrican
Argentinedancevenues.Thesevenueswerefrequentedbycompadritos,youngmenmostlynative
born,poorandofmixedancestrywholikedtodressinslouchhats,looselytiedneckerchiefsandhigh
heeledbootswithknivestuckedcasuallyintotheirbelts.ThecompadritostookthedancetotheCorrales
ViejostheslaughterhousedistrictofBuenosAiresandintroduceditinvariouslowlife
establishmentswheredancingtookplace:bars,dancehallsandbrothels.Itwasinthesetenementswhere
theAfricanrhythmsmettheArgentinemilongamusic(afastpacedpolka).Soonnewstepswere
inventedandtookholdasanewformofdancethatcombinedtraditionsfrommanycultures.Exactly
whenandwherethevariousformsofdanceandmusiccombinedtocreatewhatbecamewidely
understoodastangoisunclear.Whatisclearwasthattangowasconsideredadancefromthepoor
barrios.
Althoughhighsocietylookeddownupontheactivitiesinthebarrios,wellheeledsonsoftheporteo
oligarchywerenotaversetoslumming.Eventually,everyonefoundoutaboutthetangoand,bythe
beginningofthetwentiethcentury,thetangoasbothadanceandasanembryonicformofpopularmusic
hadestablishedafirmfootholdinthefastexpandingcityofitsbirth.Itsoonspreadtoprovincialtowns
ofArgentinaandacrosstheRiverPlatetoMontevideo,thecapitalofUruguay,whereitbecameasmuch
apartoftheurbancultureasinBuenosAires.
http://www.tejastango.com/tango_history.html

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17/3/2015

ArgentineTangoHistory

Theworldwidespreadofthetangocameintheearly1900swhenwealthysonsofArgentinesociety
familiesmadetheirwaytoParisandintroducedthetangointoasocietyeagerforinnovationandnot
entirelyaversetotherisqunatureofthedanceordancingwithyoung,wealthyLatinmen.By1913,the
tangohadbecomeaninternationalphenomenoninParis,LondonandNewYork.Thereweretangoteas,
tangotrainexcursionsandeventangocolorsmostnotablyorange.TheArgentineelitewhohad
shunnedthetangowerenowforcedintoacceptingitwithnationalpride.
Thetangospreadworldwidethroughoutthe1920sand1930s.Thedanceappearedinmoviesandtango
singerstraveledtheworld.Bythe1930s,theGoldenAgeofArgentinawasbeginning.Thecountry
becameoneofthetenrichestnationsintheworldandmusic,poetryandcultureflourished.Thetango
cametobeafundamentalexpressionofArgentineculture,andtheGoldenAgelastedthroughthe1940s
and1950s.
Tango'sfortuneshavealwaysbeentiedtoeconomicconditionsandthiswasverytrueinthe1950s.
Duringthistime,aspoliticalrepressiondeveloped,lyricsreflectedpoliticalfeelingsuntiltheystartedto
bebannedassubversive.Thedanceanditsmusicwentundergroundaslargedancevenueswereclosed
andlargegatheringsingeneralwereprohibited.Thetangosurvivedinsmaller,unpublicizedvenuesand
intheheartsofthepeople.
Thenecessityofgoingundergroundcombinedwiththeeventualinvasionofrockandrollsentthetango
intodeclineuntilthemid1980swhenthestageshowTangoArgentinoopenedinParis.OnceagainParis
wasgroundzeroforignitingtangoexcitementworldwide.Theshowtouredtheworldandstimulateda
revivalinEurope,NorthAmericaandJapanthatwearepartoftoday.

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