The musical style that existed in Argentina gave rise to a new kind of dance called milonga. Wandering musicians played funny songs, and the audience danced to the beat to this music. In the XIX century, emigrants, dancing the milonga, added dance movements of their country, forming the first elements of the tango, the very one that expresses the emotional intensity, inner tear and emotions of people who left their homeland. In which country did tango dance originate? Let's talk about this in our article.
What is argentinian tango?
Once Louis Armstrong said: "If you ask what jazz is, no one will answer you." Also Argentine tango. It has a lot to do with jazz. This is an improvisation in which there are no rules, but there are practices and ways. When studying dance, first of all, one learns about improvisation options.
Spectacularly and passionately dance tango in the films of Richard Gere with Jennifer Lopez (“Let's Dance”) or the charming Al Pacino (“The Smell of a Woman”).
Tango professionals - Sebastian Arce, Javier Rodriguez - dance just great. But this is a show, staged dances. Real Argentine tango is a simple dance of ordinary people. It is deep and sensual, not for the audience. It is for two, or rather for three: two dancing and music. This is a dance in which hugs are more important than steps, we can say that this is the body language spoken by partners.
The beauty of the dance is that the partners do not know each other. However, if you started dancing with one partner, you need to go through with him four blocks into which the milonga is divided. Dancing one or two dances with a partner and then leaving is indecent. Here, all events unfold, as in life. In the first dance, the partners get to know each other, in the second they “grind”, in the third, when they have already met enough, the climax of the relationship takes place, and the fourth dance - farewell.
Dance Place of Birth
The birthplace of tango is Buenos Aires. In the slums of this city, which became a haven for immigrants, a dance was born, combining flamenco elements and motifs, African rhythms, Cuban habaner and milonga performed by wandering musicians. Thus, tango, which appeared from 1860 to 1880, became a complex interweaving of musical and dance traditions of different countries of Europe, from where emigrants arrived in search of a better life.
It should be noted that the first wave of emigrants is mostly men. They came to earn money in order to subsequently transport their families. Among them were lonely people who came to Buenos Aires to get rich. Work took most of the day. In the evening, it was time for entertainment and relaxation. Everyone chose what to do. Many went to clubs where there was alcohol, music, dancing. It was there that there was fertile ground for the birth of tango - a symbiosis of many cultures and dance traditions. From this time begins the history of the tango dance.
Original dance reputation
The place where emigrants from all over the world lived was on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The area was called Arrabal (suburb). Beggars lived right on the street here, thieves and women of easy virtue, prostitutes, hunted. This audience danced tango both in gambling clubs and brothels, and just on the street, or in cabarets and bars.
Over time, the idea of dance and its emotional background acquired a wide variety of shades: from unhappy love and longing to sarcasm. But never dancing people conveyed through tango their good mood or euphoria.
Argentinean tango was danced by men in places of entertainment with their friends. Even there was an opinion that this is only a male dance. For them it was a way to show themselves, demonstrate talents and please a woman. But at the end of the 19th century, women entered the world of tango for the first time. These were prostitutes from brothels. Macho dance and prostitutes - this is how tango was called in the middle of the last century, and in this regard it was considered indecent.
How did the dance get to Paris?
Until now, some are finding out in which country the tango dance originated: in Argentina or Uruguay. But, wherever he appeared, he was nevertheless brought to Europe. Parents sent young people from wealthy Argentine families to study in European countries. The enterprising maestro, who did not hesitate at home to receive life lessons in brothels, where they mastered the tango, brought it to Paris, infecting the local youth with tangomania. Parisians liked the dance. It was performed at all city events. Soon all of Europe got acquainted with this dance, in the tango’s homeland, in Argentine society, the dance was accepted only after recognition in Paris.
Prohibitions and persecutions
However, not everyone liked the closeness of the partners in the dance. Not without persecution by the church. Pope Pius X was about to impose a ban on dancing indecent dance for Christians. The situation was saved by Romanian dancers who, without emotion and passion, danced tango in the Vatican. The trick and the calculation worked, the ban was lifted.
In Russia, this amazing dance also became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Although the decree of the Minister of Education with an official ban on tango was issued in 1914. The fate of tango was once shared by the Viennese waltz, mazurka and polka. Regardless of any prohibitions, the dance that is called went to the masses and appealed to people. A languid and passionate melody was simultaneously listened to from the played gramophone records. In a rhythm of tango sounded "Spray of champagne" and "Burnt by the Sun", sincere songs performed by Pyotr Leshchenko and Alexander Vertinsky.
Dance popularization
The unity of the two elements of dance: the world of music and dance art was able to carry through his life the Argentine singer and composer Carlos Gardel, the son of an emigrant from Toulouse. He has a significant role in promoting tango. In what country was the dance born? In Argentina, it was she who became the ancestor of tango. Hence the popularization of dance in the world. Juan Darienzo created a rhythmic tango using modern arrangements. Carlos Di Sarli is a classic of melodic and lyrical dance. Stage tango created by Osvaldo Puglieze. In the 90s of the 20th century, a new wave of tangomania began. Tango schools began to open everywhere, in which teachers from Argentina were invited to work.
Megalopolis phenomenon
The tango that spectators see at ballroom dancing competitions is just a show. Real Argentine tango, as mentioned above, is improvisation, without spectacular pa. Dancers pass music through themselves, this is a conversation of two bodies, a drama ending with the last bars of music. This dance needs to be felt. The Russians do it. They are considered the best dancers in European countries, and the Argentines recognized this. And no matter in which country the tango dance originated, most importantly, it lives and develops. He has lovers and admirers.
Of course, Russia is not Argentina, where every night in dozens of cafes the doors are open for tango lovers. Dance evenings (milongas) are held even during the day. During the lunch break, the Argentines run to dance. In Russia, particularly in St. Petersburg, milongas take place several times a week. They are a real phenomenon of the metropolis, at such evenings you can plunge into the atmosphere of Argentinean streets, passion and love for several hours.
How to dance?
Argentine tango is very different from other dances. In his choreography, the sequence of steps is not memorized; it is born in the rhythm of the dance as a partner to the given music.
But if we talk about learning tango, then in the dance there are several basic movements: "figure eight", "turn" and "transference". Its beauty lies in improvisation and momentary inspiration of partners. Each dancing couple interprets sounding music in their own way and expresses it with movements. It’s worth a little practice and you can come to the milongas - dance evenings that are held by tango lovers around the world.
In tango lessons, learn to feel a partner, a sense of rhythm and space, and at the same time the ability to improvise. This dance, like no other expresses feelings without words, shows the audience unique stories and simply gives pleasure to perfect harmony. It is very problematic if a partner begins to control herself, her legs, strain her body, fear mistakes, turning into a lump of muscles. In dance, the details must go by the wayside. We can say that this dance is comparable to a trance to music, during which a huge amount of energy is pumped over in a few minutes.
Tango schools
As a rule, in schools, tango lessons are taken by people for whom dance is a necessity, not a pastime. Moreover, age does not matter. Learning to dance, people understand how to express the freedom of their emotions through movement. The idea of dance is in the interaction of a partner and a partner, which is transmitted through the hands and touch of bodies.
Partners are taught to “drive,” that is, to make such movements so that the partner takes certain steps or figures. This, of course, is a very simplified approach to dance. In a normal dance, this is virtually nonexistent. It will be correct to say that there is a dependence of the movements of the partner on the movements of the partner. In dance, a man does not think about steps, he thinks about the direction of movement, where he will move the woman in the next second.
When learning tango, the partner must understand that the partner may not go in the same direction or take the wrong steps. Sometimes women try to decorate the dance, making movements with their legs, which, as it seems to them, the partner will not notice. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing prevents him from following her. In the dance there is no prevailing role of the leader and the follower, the main thing in it is to feel the partner, and this is manifested both in the ability to lead the partner and follow her.