Want to meet new friends? Want to start a new hobby? Why not try Argentine Tango? No. Not the type with the rose in your mouth and head turning. We are talking about the traditional Argentine Tango danced by the “portenos” in Buenos Aires Argentina, and is now widely popular in many countries. A subtle and elegant dance which is totally improvised, people who dance it find magic within the connection between them and their partners.
Worried about not being agile and flexible enough, too young or too old to dance? Don’t be. One can dance Argentine Tango with very simple movements. The essence of the dance is in the attitude and the feeling evoked by two persons moving as one, not in the steps. However, the variation and possibilities of the dance is broad. You can find an old couple in their 70s, moving slowly and subtly on the dance floor; you can also find a young couple doing more complicated and larger movements as inspired by the music.
Don’t have a partner? It is not necessary to have a regular partner. Tango is meant to be a social and improvised dance. In a dance party, most people attend as singles and invite each other to dance, sometimes even strangers, as the steps are all improvised and led by the man, not memorized. Also, as we change partners all the time, it is very easy to make new friends! In class, it is recommended that students rotate partners so that they can feel different leading and following. Even though the movements are the same, each person dances slightly differently than the other depending on one’s personality.
Want to find out us and our class information? Visit our blog fishysandra.blogspot.com/. Our new beginners’ class starts this Sunday 8/15. We teach in both Chinese and English.
Want to listen to some Argentine Tango Music? Visit ustream.tv/channel/argentango.
Below is a brief introduction to Argentine Tango just to get things started. We look forward to hearing from you!
Tango has always been associated with the words “sensuality”, “elegance” and “passion”. It is no wonder that the dance has appeared in movies (Picture Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, or Brad and Angelina in Mr and Mrs Smith), music videos, and commercials due to these sentiments it evokes. Not to be mistaken for the ballroom tango as commonly seen in international ballroom dancing, the traditional Argentine Tango is an improvised dance, where the man leads the lady through an embrace, in a conversation of love, passion or just pure fun. The Argentine Tango dates back to the 1800s where it began to be danced in the bars and brothels of Buenos Aires, Argentina, due to the influx of immigrants at that time, bringing to these places lonely men looking for romance. As the tango spreads to Europe, it gains its reputation as a respectable dance, and until this day, the Tango is still alive in Buenos Aires and around the world, danced in what we call “Milongas” meaning dance parties, where men and women, old and young, singles, couples or families, will sit, eat, drink, socialize and dance to the luring music of the Argentine Tango. To many, it has not just become just a hobby, but a lifestyle, or even an addiction.
