The History Of Tango And The Argentine Tango Festival

By Frank Hayes


There is no other trapping of culture, tangible or intangible, that totally speaks loads about Argentine identity and hallmark better than the quintessential tango. This unique, spectacular, historic, and popular dance has gone beyond its country of provenance and is currently all the rage in different points in the world. When youre looking to collate a worldwide collection of the best dancers of this genre, however, there is still no better place to look than the original, with the annual Argentine Tango Festival.

The thing is that this is not just a social dance. Its likewise a musical genre. It is therefore identifiable with a particular beat and harmony, usually in the four fourths and two fourths time signatures. Melodic instruments make up the musical orchestra repertoire. At the heart of this is the bandeonon, which is a kind of small accordion.

It is only recently that historians have delved into the history of the dance. Thats not totally to be wondered at since no one can really guess that it would go on to become a cultural phenomenon. Historians concur on the fact, however, that this developed in the eighteen eighties along the ports of Argentina, combining European, Gaucho, and African influences.

As it is, the origins evince themselves with the common movements of this dance. There are the athletic leaps and dramatic pauses of African styles, plus the static embraces of the European. The embrace in the Argentinean variant toggles between open, in which the pair connects at an arms length, and the close, wherein they are chest to chest.

Music is a very important element in this dance. The lyrics of the songs are usually marked by sadness, nostalgia, and languishing of a lost love. The beats come in sixteen to thirty six beats, and they must be followed with the appropriate speed and motion by the dancers. Among the trademarks, aside from the embraces, are the sensual walk. The feelings of passion must be successfully transmitted both to the pair and the audience. Only then can one be acknowledged as a really good dancer.

There are many variants all throughout the world. For the two primary ones, however, there is Milonga, which is considerably more upbeat in tempo than the classic. The notes are also snappier and more accented. As a result, its more lighthearted and carefree and is usually performed with a smile. On the other hand, the Val is like a median point in that its not as fast as Italian Waltz but not as slow as the Viennese variant.

Tango is a year long enterprise, but for correctness sake, lets just say that the city wide championships start in May. But it is in the last three weeks in August when the quintessential festival takes place. It then smoothly merges with the Mundial de Tango, which is equivalent ot that of the World Cup. Its no wonder that its being billed by aficionados all over as the worlds biggest extravaganza for this particular dance.

First off, there is the nine day La Festival, which is composite of shows, recitals, classes, nightly milongas, book signings, musical performances, and film screenings. During La Festival, hundreds to thousands of tangueros dance out in the streets. This then morphs into the Mundial de Tango, which attracts the best dancers all throughout the world for an extravagant display and celebration. There are two categories in this one, the salon and the stage variants. People from all over compete for the enviable title as the worlds best dancer.

There are many advantages in participating in and performing Tango. One, most fundamentally, is physical exercise. There is also mindfulness, cognition, emotional, and also social satisfaction. For the Argentines, this is a prideful way of expressing their identity and culture. Then again, nothing else captures so well their identity as a nation.




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