Tango Dancing Guide: 3 Styles of Tango

The tango is a type of ballroom dance that features improvisation and is set to tango music. This dance, which originated in Argentina and Uruguay, is popular worldwide.

The tago has a long and storied history:

• Working-class origins: In the nineteenth century, tango originated in the working-class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. This social dance combined elements of the Argentine milonga, the Spanish-Cuban habanera, and the Uruguayan candombe.
• Rise in popularity: The tango dance quickly grew in popularity, expanding to Argentina’s middle and upper classes. It then spread abroad to Europe, where it became popular in Paris. In the early twentieth century, the dance arrived in New York City.
• Emergence of famous dancers: Notable tango dancers include Argentinians El Cachafaz , who danced the tango worldwide, and Casimiro Ain, who performed for Pope Benedict XV.
• Tango music: As the dance spread, different cultures developed distinct styles of tango, and tango music also grew in popularity. Instruments associated with tango music include the guitar and the bandoneon, known as the tango accordion. Latin American musicians Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla helped to shape the genre of tango music.
• Recognition: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the tango to its Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2009, after centuries of the dance evolving and growing in popularity.

Different styles of tango have slight variations, but there are three common characteristics of tango dancing you’ll find in any tango lesson:

1. 1. Improvisation: Unlike other partner dances, such as the waltz, there are no set series of steps in tango. Instead, tango dancers can combine different types of steps and movements any way they want on the dance floor.
2. 2. Intimacy: The two tango dancers are usually in some kind of embrace when dancing the tango, either an open embrace, which allows for space between their bodies, or a close embrace where the chest or the legs are touching.
3. 3. Slow speed: In contrast to ballroom dances, such as rumba or flamenco, the tango is a relatively slow dance. The tango steps are not fast—they're steady with the occasional quick footwork.

There are various types of tango around the globe. Below are some of the more well-known tango dance styles:

1. 1. Argentine tango: The Argentine tango, commonly called the traditional tango, is a style in which the dancers have their chests closer together than their hips. This version allows for improvisation and playfulness. Some modern tango variations in Argentina include lifts, drops, intricate leg kicks, and other choreographic flourishes.
2. 2. Ballroom tango: This version originated in Europe and has been codified for modern ballroom dancing and international competition. In contemporary ballroom tango, there's less improvisation, and the types of steps are more standardized. It's also more staccato in movement, with head snaps, which are not found in the Argentinian version of the dance. The dancers' upper bodies are also arched away from each other, a common ballroom dance technique.
3. 3. North American tango: The North American tango is danced at a slightly faster tempo to popular songs, not just tango songs. It also contains head snaps and side-by-side choreography. It is used primarily as a social dance and isn't commonly done in global competition.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Usher, Misty Copeland, Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, and more.