Introduction

“Tango is a dance, music and poetry that originated in Buenos Aires at the turn of the century, developing in the melting pot of cultures that was Buenos Aires.” [1]

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of tango is passion and drama. The two go hand in hand because in a performance you have to show passion in the drama. And also, if you lack passion there is most likely not going to be drama, at least in everyday life. Both work off of each other much like the dancers must work with the music and with the other dancer. 

The tango is a very sensual dance and music style that originates in the 1890’s from the Río de la Plata which is the border that separates Argentina and Uruguay. The lower class people of Buenos Aires and Montevideo who were former slaves invented it. Since Buenos Aires is considered the “Europe” of South America the music comes from a fusion of different styles from Europe which leads to many different types of tangos. [2]

In my Spanish class we have talked about how music and artists have crossed borders. The tango is exactly this. It is a mixture of all different cultures becoming one. The people who invented the tango had to cross physical borders and barriers like oceans in order to arrive in Buenos Aires. Since then, the tango has infatuated people from Paris to New York to China. Now, people from all over the world meet in the original origins of the tango in Buenos Aires to compete for a dancing championship. Not only has the tango crossed borders but it brings people together from different places.