The origins of tango
Tango originated in the seedy bistros on the banks of the Río de la Plata, where the black community, mostly deported from Bantu Africa, gathered in isolation in a city that dreamed only of Europe and modernity. However, their joyful, thundering music, derived from the candombes ("dance with drums" in Bantu languages), was soon to win over all the newcomers to immigration, who were also prey to loneliness and melancholy. Tango's history is shaped by the flux of musical influences (European waltzes and mazurkas, Cuban habanera, African candomblé...), which makes it impossible to pinpoint its exact origins. However, the genre was born at the end of the 19th century, when Argentina was seen as a promised land. African slaves, impoverished European immigrants and other dreamers lulled by the promise of the New World disembarked by the millions and crammed into conventillos, simple courtyards surrounded by multi-storey rooms, housing up to 500 people. In all the cabarets, people came in search of oblivion: all the uprooted people of Buenos Aires gathered to play cards, take refuge in the warmth of alcohol and reminisce melancholically about their life in the neighborhood. It was here that tango really took shape between 1860 and 1880. Originally, it was a purely instrumental genre: amateur musicians improvised ephemeral melodies to a simple key. The first formations were trios consisting of flute, violin and guitar.
At the end of the 19th century, the Germans arrived with their bandoneón, which soon became the emblem of tango. In these impoverished areas, the population was essentially male, with men repeating the dance steps amongst themselves and then practicing them with the girls in the brothels that flourished in the suburbs. Disapproved by "good" Argentine society, tango was considered "dirty" and forbidden in the upper echelons of society. Tango became a symbol of ethnic mixing and a veritable philosophy of life.
The codes of dance
Tango is an improvised dance, but it responds to a precise language and codes that suggest to be constantly listening to each proposal of its partner. In spite of the different forms it has taken over the years, the basics are the same everywhere: the basic steps of tango consist of walking in pairs and synchronizing. In the tradition, the man leads the dance and leads the partner, she has to let herself be completely abandoned. The man guides the step, but the woman can influence the dance by slowing it down and making it more enjoyable. The man guides the step, but the woman can influence the dance by slowing it down and making it more enjoyable. The other golden rule: dance with your whole body and your whole being! Latino people have the reputation of living and expressing things very intensely: let the tango be a witness to this! More or less sensual, expressive, fluid or burlesque, tango is intimate and elegant. The invitation is made at a distance, by the man or by the woman, but be careful: one should never move to go directly to invite the person! To signify his intention, you just have to look at her. If you have his agreement, then this person nods his head... only then can you move towards him. If the consent is not there then the connection will not be made: the beauty of the dance is governed by a mutual desire, not constrained, nor obliged.
Leaving to come back better
At the dawn of the 20th century, the sons and daughters of well-to-do families came to party with the migrants to the sound of this dance from the underworld. Some did business in Europe, slipping the first tango records into their trunks. Frowned upon in its own country, tango became all the rage in the French capital, where it earned its letters of nobility. Different styles of tango developed from Western Europe to Russia, via Finland. One of the first great successes was Angel Villoldo's El Choclo (The Corn Ear), which was even played on the German front in 1916! Rosendo Cayetano Mendizábal is responsible for another legendary composition, El Entrerriano (The Man from Entre Ríos). Tango entered the salons of Buenos Aires high society, where it became an emblem of the nation. The golden age of tango, during the Roaring Twenties, was marked by its singers, such as the inimitable Carlos Gardel. Salons and confiterías were packed, and major orchestras recorded record after record. D'Arienzo, Di Sarli, Pugliese, Troilo, D'Agostino... became stars whose hits are still danced at the milonga today.
Carlos Gardel, the greatest figure of tango - for which France, Uruguay and Argentina dispute authorship - made his debut in 1911, guitar in hand, in the bars of his neighborhood, Abasto. He became one of his country's most adored artists, and played a major role in the development of tango in Europe and the United States.
His golden age came to an end in the 1930s with his tragic death. As the musical genre waned, it underwent a revival in the 1950s with major artists such as Anibal Troilo and Edmundo Rivero, followed in 1960 by the nuevo tango, which embarked on a neglected path, that of a purely musical genre. Anibal Troilo, known as Pichuco, was one of the greatest bandoneonists of all time. Throughout his career, his charisma and human qualities made him a great rallying force for vocations and creations. In fact, his work lies at the confluence of danced tango, sung tango and instrumental tango. Often presented as a revolutionary tango, Astor Piazzola's work literally renovated tango with contributions from classical music and jazz. A bandoneonist of genius, he lived in New York during his childhood, where he met Gardel. Singer Roberto Goyeneche made his debut in Horacio Salgan's orchestra, and his voice took off in Troilo's troupe. He chose numerous collaborators from among the most prestigious artists of the day, and went on to build a highly admirable solo career. For the time being, he is remembered as the last of the great tango singers.
Today, tango is not just part of the glamorous clichés about the country; it can be learned and danced in the capital's milongas until the wee hours of the morning.
The revival
Having fallen into disuse during the dictatorship, tango is now back in vogue among the younger generation, after a new stint in Paris in the 1990s. Today, although tango is danced and sung a lot for tourists in search of porteño's glorious past, it remains a vigorous and popular art form. Some of today's young people slip their sneakers on the milonga floor, and the chords of the bandoneon still resonate. In 2009, tango was even included on UNESCO's list of the world's intangible cultural heritage. Artists such as Daniel Melingo and Adriana Varela continue to sing it, while other musical trends are appropriating it and giving it new life. This is true of electronic music, with groups such as Gotan Project, Narcotango, Tanghetto and Bajofondo Tango Club. It also seems that tango is moving with the times: calling the dance macho, women want to reclaim tango by breaking down stereotypes and guiding the dance. However, this egalitarian vision tends to outrage the most conservative, who rely solely on traditional forms. But tango continues to democratize and evolve with the times: in 2008, the first edition of the Buenos Aires queer tango festival brought together same-sex couples on the dance floor.
