I picture a ferocious tiger; a predator with its silent but definite stride roaming the jungle in hunt for a prey when dancing the Tango. Other times its two gauchos circling each other in a desperate fight for the woman they love. That's drama in dancing the Tango! If you're thinking Tempestuous Tango, here's the spill for partner dancing.
When the Tango was introduced from Buenos Aires at the end of the nineteenth century, it was considered exotic and suggestive. It didn't become a rage until it was modified and standardized so that it could be "respectably" danced in the casino ballrooms of the early 1900. By 1915, "Tango Clubs" had proliferated. Restaurants with dance floors had small Argentine Tango orchestras providing live accompaniment for the tea dancers in the "clubs". The original Tango underwent numerous changes over the years, and was finally standardized in its present form in the twenties.
Of all ballroom dances, this one is probably the most stylized, and dramatic. (It has love, hate, anger, dismay, strength, and passion). There's no bouncing around in the Tango; the steps are long, smooth, and sleek. with the feet kept close to the floor. Each dance phrase is punctuated by a pregnant, poised pause, and begins with a quick head jerk that adds to the dramatic style. You can't carry off the Tango with stooped posture, so straighten up, lift your head high, point your nose into the future, and think sleek.
Like the Foxy Trot, the rhythm patterns of the slows and quicks in the Tango may be varied, as long as the dance phrase ends on the eighth count.
As the saying goes..."It takes Two To Tango". Dat's why a partner is highly recommended for this dance of love and hate.
