What's That Dance?

Tango

What were the stylistic origins of the Tango?

The Tango has evolved from three different dances/styles of music:

• The Habanero, which is a style of music, originally from Cuba, but it can also mean a style of dance performed to this music.
• The Milonga can refer to an Argentine, Uruguayan and Southern Brazilian form of music.
• The Polka is a common dance form coming from Central Europe.

What are the cultural origins of the Tango?

Tango origins date back to between 1850-1880 and come from the urban sections of both Argentina and Uruguay in South America.

What are some of the instruments associated with the Tango?

The bandoneón (a type of accordion), piano, guitar, violin, double bass as well as the human voice are some of the instruments used for the Tango.

What sort of clothing is worn when dancing the Tango?

Many descriptions of women’s clothing include the words sultry, slinky, stunning, glamorous and always sexy.

Much depends on whether the Tango is being performed, in which case there’s a greater chance to really splurge on dressing-up,or simply danced in a club for fun.

Generally, women will wear a skirt or dress with an opening to halfway up the thigh or else an ankle-length & flowing skirt/dress. The idea is that the dress/skirt is functional and shows the legs. Tango shoes can have high-heels, but as most of the dancing is done on the balls or front of the feet, the height of the heel is not an issue while dancing. Men, on the other hand, generally wear black pants with a fairly tight shirt or top.

What are some of the health benefits of dancing the Tango

The dance has been linked to: increased heart health, better balance, improved memory as well as weight loss. One study suggests that dancing the Tango can actually improve the occurrence of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease