Tango

The explosion of participation in dance classes in recent years has led to the re-emergence of popular partner dancing, with Latin American styles at the forefront. Chief among these styles is the most sensual and dramatic of dances, the tango. Born in the unlit streets of Buenos Aires, tango was danced to the music of immigrants from Europe who crossed the ocean to Argentina, lured by the promise of a better life. The majority of these newcomers were young men, who found small comfort in the brothels and cabarets of the marginal districts where tango found its voice. They spoke the strange language of the streets, 'Lunfardo', and told their stories, the stories of prostitutes, petty thieves and disappointed lovers through the music and dance of the tango. Initially shunned as the music of the lower and criminal classes, after Paris went crazy for the tango before World War I it became acceptable for middle-class Argentines to dance this seductive dance.