Message about tango dance. Movements and Description of Argentine Tango

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Modern tango has many varieties. Among them are a strict ballroom direction, and a passionate Argentinean and unusual Finnish. But they all differ from other types of dances in their special unique character. After all, only in tango it is possible to combine such anatomical features as restraint and passion, strictness and frivolity, tenderness and aggression. Maybe that's why, despite its complexity, both in performance and in understanding, this dance has great amount fans around the world.

The history of the origin of the dance

It is generally accepted that the pair became the prototype of all areas of tango. argentine dance, which was first danced in South America. However, some sources, in particular French scientists, claim that the tango first appeared in Spain, and it was danced by the Spanish aborigines (Spanish Moors, Arabs). It happened at the beginning of the fifteenth century. And only in the 16th century, during the colonization South America Spain, the dance came to Argentina.

It should also be noted that in Spain, tango in its original form was only one of the many variations of pairs. folk dances. And the direction has already gained immense popularity in Argentina and other countries of South America. There, tango developed and gradually separated into a separate dance direction. Initially, tango was danced to the rhythms of drums and looked like a rather primitive dance, but over time, Argentine tango turned into a rather complex dance, which was an absolutely unique musical and dance direction based on the rhythms and melodies "borrowed" in Europe, Africa and America (milonga , habanera, etc.).

For a long time, tango was considered a dance. ordinary people. Only in late XIX At the beginning of the 20th century, tango was introduced in Europe as another official dance direction. The most popular version is that the first choreographer who showed tango to London experts, choreographers and impresario was Camille de Rinal. However, there are other sources that claim that tango has been seen in Europe before. And it was presented to the public by dancing corpses from Buenos Aires and Montevideo performing in Europe. According to this version, the first show took place in Paris, and only then the dance "went" to conquer London, Berlin and other European capitals.

Be that as it may, but at the beginning of the twentieth century, tango began to rapidly gain its popularity as a fashionable and "high society" dance in Europe. And in 1913-1915, the tango craze also captured the United States. As its popularity grows in secular circles, the tango becomes less and less authentic. The choreographers “cleanse” it of frankly Argentinean features and greatly simplify it in order to facilitate learning. New varieties of tango appear (French, English, etc.), and in the USA, in general, almost all dances in the rhythm of 2/4 or 4/4 "one step" begin to be called the fashionable word "tango".

Tango today

To date, tango - popular dance, which is danced not only by amateurs, but also by professionals. Ballroom tango participates in programs international competitions along with foxtrot, waltz and other dances.

There are many varieties of tango in the world, which have their own characteristics and features. But no matter what direction of tango is discussed, only this dance can be applied to the quote "love story in one dance" or "love in a few steps." After all, it is difficult to find a more “full” and emotional dance. In each small production, the dancers live a love story that is full of feelings and their expression - passion, tenderness, anger, love, etc., which, being put on public display, nevertheless amazes with its intimacy.

Tango is considered one of the most difficult ballroom dances. And the point is not even in the peculiarities of the choreography, which is far from simple, but in the fact that it is not enough to learn how to dance tango. This dance must be felt, understood, felt.

Kinds

There are many variations, types and directions of tango, which differ greatly in choreography and musical accompaniment. So, starting to look for the direction of tango that you would like to study, you will surely come across a list of such types of tango as tango waltz, milonga, cangengue, etc. All these variations involve the use of different music (elements of waltz or Cuban dances, for example). There is even a direction of alternative tango, when music of completely different, dissimilar dance styles is used and adapted for tango dance.

If we consider the classical classification of tango, based on differences in choreography, then we can distinguish the following styles:

Argentine tango

This style is the closest to the authentic tango dance performed in Argentina and Uruguay. This direction is a mixture of styles, trends and varieties of national folk Latin American dances with an admixture of rhythms from European and even African directions.

To the main types argentine tango include:

Cangengue
Salon
Orillero
milonguero
Nuevo
Fantasy

Each of these types has its own technical features, steps, positions, etc. But almost all types of Argentine tango are based on the principles of improvisation in dance.

Finnish tango

This direction originated in Finland in the middle of the twentieth century. The direction very quickly became popular not only in its homeland, but throughout the world.

Finnish tango is a kind of middle option between passionate Argentinean and seasoned sports ballroom dance. In Finnish tango, there is already tight contact at the hips and following clear lines, but there are no characteristic sharp head movements.

ballroom tango

Ballroom tango is a sports dance participating in the programs of international competitions. The main difference between this style and the Argentine tango is the complete absence of improvisation. There are clear norms and rules of dance - the position of the body and head, following the lines, fulfilling a strictly designated list of elements, etc. Ballroom tango requires precision in both movement and music. This style is less melodic and smooth than its "brothers".

Special features of tango

Time signature - 2/4 or 4/4

The pace is slow

Music - depends on the style.

Choreography - depends on the style.

Tango is a dance of Argentine origin that has become popular all over the world. Partner and partner in the dance perform different steps. The man leads the tango, creating a dance pattern, and the woman follows him, interpreting and embellishing his steps. Tango is a sensual and dramatic dance. It is sometimes called "love for 5 minutes".

Tango dance was born in Argentina and Uruguay. Both the name and the dance itself have African roots. It was the dances of people from the hottest continent that later became what we call tango. At the end of the 19th century, immigrants flooded the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. And they were not only Africans: among them came across people from all over Europe.

Most often, these were young men from the lower strata of society who came to New World in an attempt to find their place in life, to feed their family. Often they had to leave their loved ones and families behind. It is this unbearable feeling of loneliness, homesickness and the desire to feel human warmth that make up the emotional core of the tango. That is why tango is called "love for 5 minutes."

During the dance, partners experience all stages of human relationships: a meeting, an attraction that has arisen, a thirst for rapprochement, passion, a premonition of an imminent separation and, finally, an inevitable parting at the end of the dance. Tango is a hug dance. The partner and the partner are very closely pressed against each other, the man's hand tightly clasps the woman's waist.

Varieties of tango

There are several varieties of tango. It is considered a classic Argentine tango. It is it that most closely matches the dance that appeared in the 19th century. In turn, Argentine tango itself is divided into 3 types: tango itself, tango waltz (dance with a waltz rhythm), and milonga (more rhythmic, faster and playful dance.)

There is also a variety such as Finnish tango. It appeared in Finland after World War II. The composer Toivo Kerki is considered to be its creator. The peculiarity of Finnish tango in terms of musical accompaniment is the presence in the music of elements of Russian romance, German march and Finnish folk song.

Finnish tango is always performed in a minor key. Finns' obsession with tango is so great that it is still very popular today. In summer it can be danced right on city streets and squares.

When the tango hit North America, it has undergone some changes. The result of this process was the so-called ballroom tango. It, unlike other varieties, is not an improvisational dance. When performing this variation, dancers are required to follow the developed standards.

They regulate both the acceptable dance steps and the position of the head and body. This dance is included in the program of many sports competitions along with the foxtrot, Viennese waltz etc. In addition, the rhythm of ballroom tango, unlike the Argentinean one, is created, among other things, with the help of percussion instruments. This makes the sound more clear and rhythmic, but to some extent deprives musical accompaniment smoothness and melody.

Tango is also divided into social(which can be performed by non-professional dancers at tango parties), salon And scenic. There are many other varieties of this dance.

Tango moves

Tango movements are very expressive, sensual and allow you to express a whole range of feelings. Musical accompaniment gives a special expressive and emotional mood to the dance. The rhythm of the melody is not constant; it does not repeat itself cyclically from beat to beat. Pauses, accelerations or, conversely, decelerations are possible.

In this regard, smooth and slow movements in tango are often combined with sharp and swift ones. The partner and the partner perform different steps, but at the same time they must move as a whole. Therefore, dancers must learn to understand each other. And we are talking not about understanding with one partner. In many schools, the condition for learning Argentine dance is the periodic change of partners.

This allows you to learn how to interact with any person. A well-trained dancer or dancer can perform a beautiful and emotional tango with anyone after a few bars. Moreover, each performance is unique and inimitable. Steps in tango are made to each beat of the music. And it is precisely the setting of a beautiful step that is given great attention during training.

The black-and-red gamma in clothes, the languid look of the partners and the proximity of the bodies - the dance has not yet begun, but it already makes the hearts beat faster. This effect produces a passionate and fiery tango. The history of this genre is full unexpected facts and secrets. What do Africans have to do with the origin of dance? Why in Paris he was associated with orange? And what are the most popular tango melodies? Find answers to these questions in our article.

What is tango?

If we turn to encyclopedias, then the answer to the question posed sounds very one-sided: tango is a paired Argentine dance. But if we dig deeper into the etymology of the word, then we will see Interesting Facts. There are several versions of the origin of the term:

African. In Tanzania, located in East Africa, there is an area called "tanga". In addition, with the help of this word, Africans used to designate a closed, special space;

latin. Linguists believe that the term is based on the Latin verb tangere, which means to touch, to touch. The French verb tangier has a similar meaning;

Spanish. The option is less plausible, but has the right to exist. According to him, the word comes from the Spanish taner - to play a musical instrument.

Speaking of tango, you can not ignore it peculiarities. The dance is characterized by:

fast rhythm;

a variety of movements that involve all parts of the body;

sharp turns, in large numbers;

close contact between partners, due to which the passionate character of the genre is created.

The best tango

We offer you to listen to famous melodies in tango rhythms.

"Por una cabeza" Carlos Gardel. The melody, whose name translates as "Lost his head", was written in 1935. But the composition gained general fame after it sounded in the film "The Smell of a Woman". The magnificent dance performed by Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar to the dreary violin playing captivates and remains in memory forever.

"Por una cabeza" (listen)

"Snuffbox" Goran Bregovic. This melody is considered one of the most famous among all the compositions of the musician, who became famous for his work for various films. The lyrics belong to the pen of the Polish singer Kaya, who managed to pick up touching and sensual words.

"Tabaker" (listen)

"Espuma de Champagne" José Maria de Luquesi. This melody is very well known to Soviet citizens. True, the name “Champagne Splashes” is more familiar to them. A record with this composition appeared in the Soviet Union in 1937 and won the love of the public. Unfortunately, very little is known about the author of the melody. José Maria lived and worked in Argentina. His whole life was connected with music: at first he taught at school, and then led the orchestra. "Espuma de Champagne" he wrote in 1935. This is the author's only known melody.

Champagne Splash (listen)

"La cumparsita" Gerardo Hernan Matos Rodriguez. This composition is recognizable from the first chords. Its author was only 19 years old at the time of writing and professional music he had nothing to do with it. Gerardo Hernan was preparing to become a diplomat. And tango was the passion that made the Uruguayan native famous.

"La cumparsita" (listen)

Hernando's Hideaway Jerry Ross and Richard Adler. Tango, known to many from films and television show. The melody was written in 1954 and still does not lose its relevance.

Hernando's Hideaway (listen)

History of tango

1857, Buenos Aires. Full swing construction in progress railway which had high hopes. It was planned to export local agricultural products along the rails. True, the labor force to provide the required volume of raw materials was not enough. So, Buenos Aires opened its gates to a large number of emigrants. Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Poles, Africans and other nationalities flooded into the rich port city of Latin America, making tango possible.

Historians are still arguing: where and when exactly this passionate dance originated. There is no exact documented information in this regard. But according to the majority, the first tangos began to be danced in the poor segments of the population, which were emigrants of all stripes. They lived in the port quarters and on the outskirts of the city, where crime and poverty reigned.

The streets, occupied by visiting Europeans, looked more like slums. Runaway convicts, impoverished artists, soldiers and blacks walked along the streets filled with the stench of the local slaughterhouse. They spent their time in shabby taverns and brothels, where music woven from the sounds of various tools. It was tango.

Initially, the dance was performed exclusively by men. Women were not allowed to see him. On the one hand, the machos showed off in front of each other, on the other hand, they simply learned to dance. There was no talk of any passion or love.

Later, when the music was filled with the sound of the accordion, people began to be attracted to the dance. lung girls behavior. From here comes the traditional female tango costume: a tight dress with a provocative thigh slit, fishnet stockings and stilettos. Male dancers dressed more modestly: the costume was loose-fitting, their hair was neatly combed and covered with a narrow-brimmed hat. The local population specially gathered in brothels to have another glass and admire passionate dance to the sounds of a bandoneon, a small harmonica.

What dance is considered the progenitor of tango?

A mystery that is still being answered to this day. The origins of the genre can be traced to:

a Cuban habanera, very close in tempo;

Spanish contradance;

candombe, which was danced by the black population, having moved to Latin America;

the Creole milonga that grew from street song into dance;

mazurka, popular among Poles.

It turns out that tango is a mixture cultural traditions that merged into one incredibly beautiful dance.

Interesting Facts

The first attempts to "bring" tango to Europe date back to the beginning of the 20th century. But the popularization of the dance was unsuccessful. An epidemic called "tango" swept the Old World around 1921 thanks to the film "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", where passion was shown in Latin American style.
Not only the Parisian beau monde went crazy for tango. He earned the approval of the doctors, who saw in the dance an opportunity to strengthen the body and cultivate the harmony of movements.

Opened in 1990 in Buenos Aires National Academy Tango, whose task was to preserve the dance as cultural value countries. After 6 years, a law was issued to give tango the status of a national treasure.
Chacarita Cemetery is a significant place for tango fans. Here are buried the most famous people in the history of this area. Main character- singer Carlos Gardel, the idol of millions of Hispanics. His role in the development of tango is so great that UNESCO declared his voice a cultural heritage. Arriving at the cemetery, Gardel's fans always light a cigarette in the hand of his bronze article. This is the custom of the singer's admirers.

In 1899, a "Dictionary of Spanish Words" was published, in which the tango was designated as a celebration and dance of the Negroes. In the 1925 reprint, the meaning of the word was expanded to include the dance of the Spanish high society.

One well-known French designer used the popularity of tango in his own country to his advantage. The thing is, he had a long time a large number of unclaimed fabric orange color. He decided to name the shade in honor of the dance and in just a couple of days he sold out all the material. I even had to order an extra batch.

Russian politician Lev Aristidovich Kasso, who was in charge of public education Russian Empire, opposed the tango. One statement on his part was not enough. The minister sent out a circular to the school districts forbidding even mentioning the name of the obscene dance aloud.

Tango and cinema - compatible things? Quite. It is enough to watch the films "Frida", "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", "Smell of a Woman" or "Let's Dance" to be convinced of this.

Argentinian or Uruguayan?

Heated disputes over the country of origin of tango do not fade away. The fact is that the dance originated on the banks of the Rio de la Plata. It unites the territories of both Uruguay and Argentina, in particular Buenos Aires. It was in this cultural space, where two peoples united, that tango was born. Therefore, all disputes are groundless.

Types and styles of tango

They can be listed endlessly - spreading over the globe, the direction absorbed the features of a particular local culture. So, French, English, Finnish and other varieties of the genre are known. We will focus on the styles of Argentine tango.

Liso is one of the most simple options dance, because it is based on elementary pas. Complex movements are not used.

Nuevo is beautiful combination graceful poses, all kinds of rotations with the plexus of legs. The style is considered an innovation of young people, therefore it is filled with original movements and a constant search for oneself in dance.

Fantasy is performed exclusively in the productions of show programs. He attracts attention with slightly eccentric figures, staged according to the script and storyline. In essence, fantasy is a play told through dance.

Kanyang stands out ancient origin. The time of its appearance is attributed to 1870. The variety is distinguished by complex choreography and elements taken from African culture.

Modern salon - a classic in the world of tango. The style gained its distribution in the 40s of the last century and attracted the attention of the public with measured movements, accuracy and sophistication of their execution.

- old Argentine folk pair dance free composition, characterized by an energetic and clear rhythm. Initially developed and distributed in Argentina, then became popular throughout the world.

Tango was previously known as tango criollo(tangocriollo).

History of tango

The tango was introduced from African communities in Buenos Aires based on ancient African dance forms.

The word "tango" is also of African origin, it is erected to the language of the Nigerian people Ibibio, where it meant dancing to the sound of a drum, and is applied to melodies obtained as a result of synthesis various forms music from Europe, Africa and America.

Jorge Luis Borges V " Elidiomade los argentinos” writes: “Tango belongs to La Plata and is the “son” of the Uruguayan milonga and the “grandson” of the habanera. The word "tango" appears to have first been used in relation to dancing in the 1890s. Initially, this dance was just one of many, but it soon became popular throughout society.

In the early years of the 20th century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires and Montevideo traveled to Europe, and the first European tango performance took place in Paris, and shortly thereafter in London, Berlin and other capitals. By the end of 1913 the dance had reached New York, the USA and Finland.

In the USA in 1911, the name "" was often used for dances in the rhythm of 2/4 or 4/4 "one step".

Sometimes the tango was performed at a fairly fast pace. During that period, it was sometimes referred to as "North American Tango", in comparison to the "Rio de la Plata Tango". By 1914, authentic styles of tango were more common, as well as some variants, like the Minuet Tango. Albert Newman.

Despite the Great Depression, the period 1930-1950 was the "golden age" of tango. Many ensembles were created, which included outstanding composers and tango performers who have become classics of style today: Annibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Astor Piazzolla and many others.

The tango revival began in 1983 after the New York show " Forever Tango". These shows made a revolution all over the world and people everywhere started taking tango lessons.

December 11, the birthday of the Argentine singer and film actor, the famous "King of Tango" Carlos Gardel, is celebrated in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires as "Day of Tango".

Tango styles

There are a number of styles of tango:

Argentine tango
Uruguayan tango
ballroom tango
Finnish tango
Argentine tango

Argentine tango combines many variety of styles, which developed in different regions and eras of Argentina and Uruguay.

The different styles of Argentine tango include:

Cangengue
Salon
Orillero
Milonguero (Apilado tango)
Nuevo
Fantasy

According to the type of music, tango is divided into several types:

Tango
Waltz (tango waltz)
Milonga (corresponding dance, which usually differs more rapidly)
Cangengue
Tango Electronico

Alternative tango (music of other styles converted for use in tango dance)

Tango Salon

Tango Salon is distinguished by a more open position of the dancers in a couple compared to the "close hug". This space allows for more varied steps, figures, turns and tango poses. This is a more refined and sophisticated style of tango performance and, like the Milonguero tango, is based on the principles of improvisation, leading-following, etc.

Tango Liso

Tango Liso is very similar to simple steps, walking or walking (cominade), as they are called in tango. This style uses only the most basic tango steps and figures, not many turns, figures and spins.

Tango Nuevo

Tango Nuevo is a new direction of tango, these are inventions younger generation dancers in terms of originality of steps. They strive to find their own unique style in tango, inventing original rotations with interlacing and extension of the legs, exquisite poses and supports. Tango Nuevo requires a lot of space to perform, it is often danced in shows and never in milongas. Moreover, dance complex figures next to couples dancing Milonguero is considered simply bad form.

Tango Fantasy

Tango Fantasia is the name of the staged tango, which is performed in the show for the audience. This tango most often has completely different laws, in contrast to the club (social) styles - the laws of the staging and stage genre. This is a show in which steps, character and feelings are dictated by music and director. The tango "fantasy" is characterized by a virtuoso performance technique, spectacular movements and figures.

Finnish tango

The style originated in Finland in the mid-40s. XX century.

Finnish tango gained the greatest popularity in the 1950s - 1960s, after the birth of musical composition UntoMononen "Satumaa" (" Dreamland”), which became known in the performance of ReyoTaipale.

Most famous performers Finnish tango - Olavi Virta, ReyoTaipale, EinoGren, Esko Rahkonen, VeikkoTuomi, TaistoTammi, Rainer Freeman and others. TapioRautavaara, Henri Thiel, Georg Ots, women's vocal ensembles Metro-tyt?t and HarmonySisters.

ballroom tango

Sports dance participating in the programs of international competitions along with the foxtrot, the Viennese waltz, etc. The difference from the Argentinean one is the lack of improvisation. All movements correspond certain rules, starting with the position of the head, the body of the body and ending with the step elements.

The rhythm of the melody also distinguishes ballroom tango from Argentinean - in the rhythm of ballroom tango there are percussion instruments which adds more definition to it. By the nature of the sound, the melody of the ballroom style of tango can slightly resemble an imperial march. Argentine tango is more fluid and melodic.

TANGO

This is an explosive mixture of passion, jealousy and love, an icy dance of feelings heated to the limit, when the air literally trembles from emotions rising between partners.

Incredibly strict, immensely emotional, this dance was born in the slums, mixing love to death and death by love into an explosive cocktail. Here, a man and a woman drop all masks, exposing their emotions: he always leads, she is always led.

Tango has some kind of fatal magic that envelops partners as soon as the first sounds of the bandoneon sound - a kind of accordion, complemented by piano, violin and guitar.

It can be said that tango is more than a dance, it is a ritual, and Borges called this temperamental dance "a vertical expression of a horizontal desire."

More strict and restrained, but the intensity of passions from this only intensifies.

Historically, tango was originally an exclusively male dance. The tango was at first exclusively a dance of men. It's hard to believe thatsensual movements are not a love story, but a street fight.One of the legends tells that tango originated in 1880 in Argentina, when a fire broke out in the streets of Buenos Aires. another fight. Men sort things out, according to legend, because of their beloved. But once the police arrived, they managed to disguise their duel as a dance act.Thus, the tango became the dance of two rivals who"fight" for the lady of the heart.

There is another version that tells that young Argentines had fun with such a dance of rivalry in brothels. Opponents beautiful stories Tango is said to have originated from African communities in Buenos Aires based on ancient African dance forms.

Be that as it may, dancing, clinging so close to a girl, was unheard of at that time. And the bizarre plexus of arms and legs in the dance was considered simply vulgar.It was possible to dance tango with a girl only in taverns and brothels, and the girl had the right to demand money for this.

secular society didn't take tango for a very long time. Despite this, almost every offspring from a wealthy family (and in Argentina at that time there were many of them, because the country was one of the ten richest countries in the world), burning with curiosity and delight, sought to learn the dance.

Albeit unofficially, tango has taken over Argentina and seeped into salons and dance schools Europe. And although Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany forbade his court to dance this dance, Pope Pius X called it “shameless dance”, and the English queen refused to dance “it” at all, tango was still gaining popularity. France and others European countries"hewn" and ennobled the tango so that it could be danced on social events. Since the 20s of the twentieth century, tango began to dictate fashion.

Lush dresses, in which it is inconvenient to dance tango, are a thing of the past. According to one of the legends, one merchant was close to ruin because he had a lot of unclaimed bright material, but then it occurred to him to give the fabrics the name “orange tango” and the goods were instantly swept off the counter. The happy merchant had to order a lot more of the same material that no one needed before.

The period of the 30-50s of the twentieth century is considered the golden age of dance. Then the hot interest in fashionable tango cooled down, but in the 80s there was a revival of it. Today tango is out of fashion, it has become a classic. considered December 11th.