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Tango
A social dance form that originated in South America.
Tango is a social dance form that originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. The musical styles that evolved together with the dance are also known as "tango". Early tango was known as "tango criollo" or simply "tango". Today, there are many tango dance styles including Argentine tango, ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango, Chinese tango, and vintage tangos. The Argentine tango is regarded as the "authentic" tango since it is closest to that originally danced in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay.
Music and dance elements of tango are popular in activities related to dancing, such as figure skating, synchronized swimming, etc., because of its dramatic feeling and rich opportunities for improvisation on the eternal topic of love.
History
The dance originated in lower class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, during the late 19th century. The music derived from the fusion of music from Europe, the South American Milonga, and African rhythms. The word "Tango" seems to have first been used in connection with the dance in the 1890s. Initially it was just one of the many dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as theatres and street barrel organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of European immigrants.
In the early years of the twentieth century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the first European tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed by London, Berlin, and other capitals. Towards the end of 1913 it hit New York in the USA, and Finland.
In Argentina, the onset in 1929 of the Great Depression, and restrictions introduced after the overthrow of the Hipólito Yrigoyen government in 1930 caused Tango to decline. Its fortunes were reversed as tango again became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the government of Juan Perón. Tango declined again in the 1950s with economic depression and as the military dictatorships banned public gatherings, followed by the popularity of Rock and Roll. The dance lived on in smaller venues until its revival in the 1980s following the opening in Paris of the show "Tango Argentino" and the Broadway musical "Forever Tango".
Source: Wikipedia
Flags: Very Short (0-60 mins), Short (1-3 hours), With a Friend, Teens, Adults, Indoors, Day, Night