Learn to Tango in Beunos Aires
Put on your dancing shoes and learn to Tango in the city that gave birth to this sexy dance.
Wikipedia - Tango is a dance that has influences from European and African culture. Dances from the candombe ceremonies of former slave peoples helped shape the modern day Tango. The dance originated in lower-class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from Europe. 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, primarily Italians, Spanish and French.
In the early years of the 20th 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 the USA around 1911 the word "tango" was often applied to dances in a 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm such as the one-step. The term was fashionable and did not indicate that tango steps would be used in the dance, although they might be. Tango music was sometimes played, but at a rather fast tempo. Instructors of the period would sometimes refer to this as a "North American tango", versus the so-called "Argentine Tango". By 1914 more authentic tango stylings were soon developed, along with some variations like Albert Newman's "Minuet" tango.
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 became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the government of Juan Perón. Tango declined again in the 1950s as a result of economic depression and the banning of public gatherings by the military dictatorships; male-only Tango practice---the custom at the time---was considered "public gathering". That, indirectly, boosted the popularity of rock and roll because, unlike Tango, it did not require such gatherings.
In 2009 the tango was declared part of the world's "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO.
In the early years of the 20th 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 the USA around 1911 the word "tango" was often applied to dances in a 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm such as the one-step. The term was fashionable and did not indicate that tango steps would be used in the dance, although they might be. Tango music was sometimes played, but at a rather fast tempo. Instructors of the period would sometimes refer to this as a "North American tango", versus the so-called "Argentine Tango". By 1914 more authentic tango stylings were soon developed, along with some variations like Albert Newman's "Minuet" tango.
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 became widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the government of Juan Perón. Tango declined again in the 1950s as a result of economic depression and the banning of public gatherings by the military dictatorships; male-only Tango practice---the custom at the time---was considered "public gathering". That, indirectly, boosted the popularity of rock and roll because, unlike Tango, it did not require such gatherings.
In 2009 the tango was declared part of the world's "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO.
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A sole mate teaches you how to love them. A soul mate teaches you how to love everyone. Father Tango, Argentina
Where I Stayed...
Hotel Mundial Avendia de Mayo, 1298 Buenos Aires, Argentina Tel: 54 11 5254 0001 [email protected] www.mundialhotel.com.ar |
Excerpt from the book Soul Searching in South America from the Teresa the Traveler Series. After the museum I did some shopping on the large pedestrian street and noticed a number of people carrying signs offering tango classes and shows. Considering this sexy dance began in the working-class port neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, I figured I ought to check it out.
A bus picked me up at my hotel at 7pm and drove me to the tango club where I was led into a room lined with chairs. I had signed up for a tango lesson before dinner and wondered who I would end up doing the tango with. The room filled up with way more women than men making me think I may be partnered up with another woman…not how I imagined learning to tango but oh well. The sexy spanglish speaking instructor had a few tricks up his sleeve to accommodate such situations. First we walked in a circle learning how to step to the beat then we were separated into men and women and taught some moves. The men were then instructed to ask a woman to dance and every few minutes had to switch and dance with a different woman giving us all the chance to practice with a man letting everyone get to know each other. After our lesson we were seated at a table in a dinner theatre room where we ate a three-course meal before being entertained with a tango show. The performance was incredible and the meal was edible…yes, just edible but the show more than made up for it. I was seated with a young couple from Germany and a retired 76-year-old Catholic priest from the United States. Unfortunately the tango lesson, as fun as it was, wasn’t enough to wipe the pout off my face and I was so anxious about having to make small talk with these people that I almost got up and moved to another table to be by myself. I do believe everything happens for a reason and if I was seated with these people then I was meant to get to know them and that’s what I forced myself to do. When the priest asked what brought me to Argentina I told him I was traveling around South America looking for love. He replied, “So you are looking for your soul mate.” After 41 years of never having been in a relationship that lasted longer than a year, I had some serious doubts about the idea of a soul mate. I cheekily said you mean sole mate…the man I date exclusively. The father then defined the difference between a sole mate and a soul mate. A sole mate teaches you how to love someone while a soul mate teaches you how to love everyone. Wow, that was deep. I spent the rest of the evening contemplating that thought. Was there really someone out there who could inspire me to love everyone? I would sure like that because as it stood, I found most people annoying and could not imagine loving them all. How could I love everyone when I could barely love myself? Sensing my uneasiness and inability to feel comfortable in my own skin, the father said that since I was kind enough to share my story with the table, he proposed each of them offer me a gift of what they wished I would find on my journey. The German girl said she would like for me to love myself so that I can let go of my need to find love because once we detach from what we want that is when we receive it. Her boyfriend wished for me to find a place where I can be still for awhile and heal while the father wished for me to see myself the way others see me: as a loving, adventurous and beautiful woman. My eyes welled up with tears as I accepted their love. I could feel my depression starting to lift and thanked the Universe for sending me help in my time of need. As we parted ways the father gave me a little more food for thought regarding my feelings of failure for still being single at 41. He said it was better to spend 10 years with the right partner than a lifetime with the wrong one. For tips on visiting Argentina CLICK HERE
For tips on visiting South America CLICK HERE For general travel tips on what to pack and how to plan ahead CLICK HERE For tips on travelling on a budget CLICK HERE |
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