Tango Resources

Terminology

Below is a link that provides an extensive glossary of terms used in tango. Many of these terms have direct translations from Spanish into English, but this resource provides what the terms mean in the context of tango.

A Guide to Tango Terminology

Shoes

The shoes usually worn while dancing tango have a leather or suede sole, a flat toe box, and are flexible. The leather sole allows for pivoting movements. Having a flat toe box allows for one to more easily connect with the ground, which is vital in Argentine tango. The flexibility of the sole also allows for connecting with the ground and permits the foot to move more freely. 

This is not all to say street shoes cannot be worn. It is perfectly acceptable to wear street shoes, or even just socks, to dance tango. 

Styles of Tango

There are many styles of tango. Some include Tango de Salon, Milonguero-Style Tango, Nuevo Tango, Fantasia. 

Tango de Salon, also known simply as “Salon”, refers to many dance styles that are danced socially. The embraces and characteristic movements can vary across Tango de Salon. Tango de Salon originated in Buenos Aires from 1935 to 1952, which is widely regarded as the Golden Age of Tango. 

Milonguero-style Tango is danced in a close embrace, where the torsos of the dancers are also connected from the stomach to the solar plexus. This type of embrace is sometimes referred to as “apilado”. This style can be beneficial on a crowded dance floor since it requires less space.

Nuevo Tango has a more open, upright embrace as compared to milonguero-style tango. Nuevo is popular to dance to as it can be danced to traditional and non-traditional music. Nuevo has complex moves and mixes of jazz, electronic and alternative elements.

Fantasia is an exhibition style of tango, also known as show or stage tango. Fantasia has extensive use of embellishments and dramatic poses. Fantasia can be seen in breaks at milongas, or on stage at competitions or showcases.

History of Tango

The word Tango has some of its first records in Argentina in the 1890s. However, its development began before then. Tango began from the Cuban habanera, the Argentine milonga and Uruguayan candombe. These dances combined with African rhythms and European music came to develop tango. These different cultures came together when Argentina had mass immigration in the mid-1800s. This made it come to be known as the “music of the immigrants”.

Tango moved from the streets to local theater houses. This spread tango across Buenos Aires to many different communities. In the early 1900s, gramophone records of tango and sheet music were sold. Dancers and musicians traveled to Europe and the US, which introduced tango to the middle- and upper- classes of the world. In the early 1930s tango’s popularity was revitalized after having declined during the Great Depression and government restrictions. This wave of popularity continued until the 1950s and is known as the Golden Age of Tango. Tango declined again in the 1950s due to an economic recession and the banning of public gatherings. Tango had a revival in the 1980s due to several productions such as Tango Argentino, Forever Tango, and Tango Pasión.

Inspirational Performances

Tango