Tango (dance)

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. Argentine tango is often regarded as the "authentic" tango since it is closest to that originally danced in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Technique

The ways that steps are taken in tango are quite different in ballroom tango versus Argentine tango. Ballroom tango does not use gliding steps but instead uses staccato steps. However, teachers sometimes call the steps out as SLOW SLOW QUICK QUICK SLOW. The SLOW steps are better described as QUICK-HOLD where the dancer rushes to make a step and then holds it as long as possible before rushing to make the next step. That is what gives the staccato action of the steps. This is an attempt to match the staccato accents that always appear in ballroom tango music.

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In ballroom tango the feet move before the whole body weight is moved, quite in contrast to argentine tango, where the body center starts to move and is then supported by the movement of the feet.

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Other forms of tango, including Chinese tango and Argentine tango, use more gliding steps that match the music which tends to be romantic and less staccato. The basic position is a closed position similar to that of other kinds of ballroom dance. In Argentine Tango, the "close embrace" with full upper body contact is often used. In Ballroom tango, the "close embrace" involves close contact, too, but the contact is with the hips and upper thighs and not the upper torso. In Argentine Tango, the ball of the foot may be placed first. Alternately, the dancer may take the floor with the entire foot in a cat-like manner. In the International style, "heel leads" (stepping first onto the heel, then the whole foot) are used for forward steps. Ballroom tangos, including American and International, are based mainly on the movement of the feet across the floor, while the Argentine Tango includes various other moves such as the gancho (hooking one's leg around one's partner's leg), the parada (in which the leader puts his foot against the follower's foot), the arrastre (in which the leader appears to drag the follower's foot), and several kinds of sacada (in which the leader displaces the follower's leg, by stepping into her space).

Related Topics:
Closed position - Ballroom dance

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Curiosity Topic

For 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina Adidas designed a ball and named it Tango. This design was used in 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain like Tango Malaga, 1984 and 1988 European Football Championships in France and West Germany.

Related Topics:
FIFA World Cup - Argentina - Adidas - 1982 - Spain - 1984 - 1988 - European Football Championships

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