Tango has been known as the dance of love. Dance couples exude passion and sensuality while performing the tango dance. The tango dance steps transform one’s human emotions of love and attraction into artistic movements. As spectators see the tango dance today, they see a couple elegantly and passionately dancing to the beat, what they don’t know is that tango dancing has come a long way through history.

The Beginning of a Timeless Dance

The tango dance has been associated with the Argentinian culture but only a few people know that it originated from Spain in the 19^th century. Tango literally means “a place where black people gather to dance”. The tango dance was named as such because of the belief that early people who danced it imitated the ethnic people’s footwork, particularly that of the African slaves at that time. Then, the tango dance was a solo dance performed by a woman which later evolved into a couple’s dance with the couple holding castanets. During the exploration for the New World, that the Spanish settlers brought their culture, food, and music to Argentina.

It was in Argentina that the tango dance was developed. Argentina, particularly, Buenos Aires was not a very well-off city at that time. Because of lack of proper education and money, people from Buenos Aires thought of ways to earn money, one of which is by dancing. Soon enough, the tango dance became popular and stepped up to a social scale. As the wealthy and powerful people go to different places, especially handsome and dashing young men, they introduce the tango dance in social gatherings, asking beautiful women to dance with them. In 1913, it made its way to New York and from then, it became an international success because of its classy and passionate dance technique.

Tango Dance at Hiatus

Though the World War I period has its demerits and even caused tango to be at hiatus, however, it was also this period that the tango dance was commercially accepted as the first films that incorporate tango. It was also in the 1920’s that tango music was professionally created and some of the popular and classic tango musicians at that time were Julio de Caro and Carlos Gardel. Another World War erupted and shook the world bringing with it the tango dance. For several years, Argentina, its people and culture, including tango, was banned from being performed and tango dancers were blacklisted because of the country’s opposing ideals and beliefs against their present government and “super powers” at that time. Argentina’s suppression lasted for three more decades.

In the sixties, when rock n’ roll was a hit, the Argentina tango still wasn’t forgotten despite the government forbidding groups of two or more people to gather together. This was so to avoid uprisings and militant groups to form and go against the Argentinian government.

The Revival of Tango

It was in the eighties that Argentina tango has slowly came out in the open. Some of the catalysts for the revival of tango as a social dance were Antonio Todaro and Pepito Avellaneda as it was incorporated and presented as part of theatrical performances. It was also during this period that dance enthusiasts and culturalists and historians were at a debate because of the development of the Argentina tango. As culturalists put it, the tango dance at that time was very different and poorly imitated by other countries as compared to the authentic and original tango dance steps. Dance enthusiasts and theatre artists defend themselves by debating that as the world evolve and develop, so is everything with it. They reiterated that the tango dance they perform still has the original and trademark tango dance steps, only that they added a new and modern flair to it.