Today the tango is both a dance and a type of music. It started, however, as a dance among penniless European immigrants on the streets of the humble sections of Buenos Aires in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At first only men danced together, but it soon became so popular that men and women began to dance the tango at parties and other social functions such as weddings.
From its humble origins, the tango flourished during World War I. Throughout the twentieth century, tango went between being extremely popular to even being banned! From the 1980s onward, however, its popularity has re-emerged.
Tango steps have many variations, but the following is a diagram of a typical basic tango step taught in dance studios in the United States:
Share What You Know:
1. Have you ever danced or seen a tango danced? Are you familiar with any other dances of Latin origin, such as samba, mambo, rumba, bolero, plena, salsa, or merengue?
2. Learn the tango or one of the other Latin dances mentioned above. When you know it well, teach the steps to your class in Spanish.
3. Once your classmates have learned the dance steps, challenge them to teach it to other friends or family members (in Spanish!) or in music classes at your school.