Written by Alejandro Figliolo

Once again, I’m meeting with the H.O. audience to share the third and last part of this series tracing the evolution of tango. This journey  started with how tango was conceived back in the 1860s, as a result of  immigrants’ longing to voice their inner hopes and dreams, uncertainty, and fears through a rich and diverse blend of cultural representations, such as the African candombe, Andalusian Tango and German bandoneon, among others (Tango: An Inclusive Art). The next part described how tango integrated new components and refined its styles, becoming what it is today with two well-defined styles and stronger than ever (Tango Argentino: Elements and Styles)  .

Today, these two prominent styles represent two contrasting positions: being the protagonist - Tango Pista (Salon Tango) - or being the audience - Tango Escenario (Stage Tango). Salon Tango, danced in Milongas (social clubs and ballrooms), is more social and based on pure improvisation, respecting the counterclockwise circulation of couples on the dance floor. Stage Tango, on the other hand, was responsible for spreading Argentine tango worldwide between 1912 and 1914 when pioneering musicians, dancers, and singers took this art to Europe and New York for the first time.

Stage Tango, different from the one seen in Buenos Aires Salons (Tango Pista), has a more artistic projection and a different aesthetic, promoting performances in which dancers display more acrobatic movements on stage, incorporating technical elements acquired from other dances, such as contemporary dance and ballet. These elements have turned certain movements into impressive figures, including tricks, jumps, and the open embrace.

During the golden years of tango, in the 1940s and early 1950s, almost all of the most important orchestras in its history played: D´Arienzo, Troilo, Di Sarli, Pugliese, Caló, Canaro, De Mare, Laurenz, D´Agostino, Tanturi, Biaggi, Rodríguez, Salgán, De Angelis, Gobbi, De Caro (Julio), Francini-Pontier, Maderna, Federico (Domingo), Sassone, Basso, Varela, De Franco, Malerba, Rodio, and the one directed by the extremely popular singer  Alberto Castillo, among others.

Their music was heard in all the great cities of the world, together with couples of dancers who brought virtuosity and sensuality to the dance. These dancers adapted their movements to create a tango show without the strict counterclockwise circulation of Salon Tango. This type of show, performed by one or more couples, acquired a scenography that aimed at capturing the audience’s full attention on the performing couple(s).

Likewise, Stage Tango provided job opportunities for these performers all over the world and served the dual purpose of spreading tango culture in social settings through Milongas, while also providing a broader range of people with the opportunity to enjoy a tango show anywhere.

After this golden era, tango experienced a crisis in Argentina due to the influence of foreign music, along with the political and sociocultural context that affected the country in those times, namely the coup d’état in 1955. That same year, a white singer from the United States, Elvis Presley, started singing African American music known as “rock and roll” which became a global phenomenon. Therefore, in Argentina other musical preferences took hold among new generations and spread through a broad range of social sectors. By the second half of the 1950s, tango splendor began its decline. Venues had shrunk their budgets and ensembles had downsized.

Later, in the 1960s, many young Argentinians began to seek their own cultural identity and reconnect with their roots. Tango, with its rich history and ability to convey intense emotions, became an appealing means to connect with the nostalgia and melancholy of past decades, while also expressing their vexation with the present. Thus, the traditional phenomenon of peñas milongueras (tango social clubs) was reinstated on the Buenos Aires scene.

This return to tango would not have been possible without Carlos Gardel, Goyeneche, Julio Sosa, Edmundo Rivero, Hugo del Carril, Ángel Díaz, Tita Merello, Amelita Baltar, Libertad Lamarque, and many others who remained powerfully present in the music world since its inception.

The tango show industry experienced such a boom in the 1970s and 1980s that cities like Paris, New York, London, Tokyo, Rome, and many others began offering tango shows featuring grand orchestras, multiple couples of dancers, and singers. Astor Piazolla, for instance, while in exile, infused tango with elements of classical music, creating a vanguardist style that elevated the genre’s complexity; he gained worldwide recognition as a visionary tango composer and bandoneon player.

In each decade, tango continued with its evolutionary growth, in which the fusion of the three tango arts -singing, music and dance - expanded in response to the demands of an increasingly engaged audience.

We cannot fall to mention the show Tango Argentino, created and directed by Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli with Juan Carlos Copes’ guidance, and with a  choreography designed by the dancers who were part of the cast. It premiered in Paris in 1983 and two years later, on Broadway, New York, achieving continued worldwide success for over a decade. It is credited with having a decisive influence on the global revival of tango as both a dance and a musical genre. From then on, Forever Tango, Tango X2, and many more have traveled the world as ambassadors of tango.

Forever Tango, despite being so Argentine, or perhaps because of it, traveled the world for five years - from Toronto to Vancouver, from Tokyo to Montreal, from Osaka to Mexico, from London to Seúl - and achieved several awards. Forever Tango remained on Broadway for over two years and garnered nominations in four categories at the Drama Desk Awards (awarded by New York’s specialized critics), and Best Choreography at the Tony Awards. It was also chosen as the Best Touring Musical by San Francisco’s critics.

The Tango X2 Company, known as Tango X2, was created and directed by Miguel Ángel Zotto, in 1988. It traveled the world presenting various highly successful choreographic-musical shows and disbanded in 2009.

In September 2009, tango was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

As popular as it is respected, tango is listened to, sung, and danced from North to South. It represents not only a country and its people, but also a deep sentiment inherent to all human beings. •

About the author:

Alejandro Figliolo is a tango dancer, choreographer and instructor, President of the “Fundación Cultura y Arte Popular.” He finished his studies at the former Tango University, now CETBA in Buenos Aires. He has performed in Corrientes Avenue theaters in Buenos Aires and traveled worldwide with different tango companies.

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