Argentine Tango in Chicago
AMERICAN TANGO INSTITUTE
TANGO - Tango History
Tango was born over a hundred years ago in South America, of many cultures, styles and ideologies. It had its beginnings in the ports of Rio de la Plata (Argentina & Uruguay) with immigrants who arrived in search of a better life, but who also longed for home. They came together to express their joy, their sadness and their nostalgia for their homelands, with the music, instruments and styles of dance they brought with them from countries such as Poland, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Africa and Cuba, thus laying the foundation for what has evolved into the unique world of the tango.
The docks of Rio de la Plata were filled predominately with men who left their wives and families behind. The scarcity of women led the immigrant dock workers and sailors to create an aggressive dance that could be danced with other men. They blended the music of the waltz, polka...
