It is interesting to see where some of these dances began and how some have transitioned from the traditional to the more modern. We will begin with two useful social dances that are popular today; the Argentine tango and the salsa. Both the Argentine tango and the salsa are beautiful, passionate, romantic, playful, and sexy! They are practiced throughout the world with many styles and variations from place to place.
To start, we will take a look at the Argentine tango...
The traditional Argentine tango was influenced by the Tango Habanera, which does not resemble the Argentine tango we know today. The Tango Habanera began from two types of Tango: the Milonga and the Tango Flamenco. The Tango Habanera was popular in the 1880’s but fizzled out towards the end of the century. It has been exclusively associated with the first styles of the Argentine tango.
Many tango aficionados agree that the true patterns of Argentine tango dancing that we see today originated in 1938-1940 with the tango singer Carlos Gardel. The Golden Age of Tango took place in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Many world recording companies began setting up offices in Buenos Aires, which resulted in countless recordings of tango orchestras and singers.
Today in Buenos Aires or Río de la Plata, there are three forms of Argentine tango: Salón, Fantasía, and one for the stage. With the Argentine tango becoming so popular throughout the world, other forces have been shaping the dance. The stage tango was originally intended for English speaking people.
Outside Argentina, people from North America had their first exposure to tango from the show and dance companies from Buenos Aires. At the end of the shows, many people from the audience requested classes on the tango. They were very excited by what they had seen and were anxious to get started learning to dance.
Countless people around the world are eager to learn this popular, beautiful and intimate dance and are finding that the Argentine tango is actually based on walking steps, making it a dance that anyone can learn. For all of you couples out there, what a great way to become closer, more romantic and in tune with each other- how beneficial for your relationship!
While this is a brief overview of the Argentine tango, we have many other blogs for you to read that will give you more fun and cool tango facts to uncover.
Now, let us find out more about the Salsa...
Salsa is not a dance that is easy to define. Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a concentration of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each culture played a large part in its evolution. Although it is not exclusively Cuban, credit must be given to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of the creation of this dance. The salsa also occurred with variations and influence from other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others.
New York created the term "Salsa", but did not create the dance. The term became popular as a nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. While many of these dances maintain their individuality, others were mixed together to create the Salsa.
Salsa varies from place to place. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were augmented to some of the Colombian songs in order for New Yorkers to feel more comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, since the original arrangement was not easily recognized.
The important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the world and has obtained the influences of many places. Salsa dancing today is a staple among popular and useful social dances-especially here in Arizona. People love the excitement and fun they have when dancing-not to mention what a great workout they get just by having fun through dance! Depending on your size, salsa dancing can burn off anywhere from 250-520 calories in an hour. So, not only are you having a great time and getting closer with your partner, but now you may also go down a few sizes. How great is that?
If all of this has inspired you to take the initiative to get out on the dance floor, Dance FX Studios is the place to go. We are the premiere social dance studio in the Phoenix East Valley and offer useful dance steps for the everyday person. Learning to dance can be a little intimidating, but no need to fret, the instructors at Dance FX Studios will give you all of the tools that you need to succeed out on any dance floor! In addition to the Argentine tango and salsa- Country, swing, and other Latin dances are available in both private and group dance classes at Dance FX Studios.
Dance FX Studios is located at 1859 W Guadalupe Rd. in Mesa, AZ, at the corner of Guadalupe and Dobson. Our hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 12:00-8:00 pm and on Saturdays from 11:00-4:00 pm. For more information, give our studio a call today at 480.968.6177 or visit us online.
Grab you dancing shoes, grab a partner, (or come solo) and head on down to Dance FX Studios! Instead of watching people dancing and thinking, “Why can’t I do that?”, you will be well on your way to being one of those great dancers on the dance floor too with a few lessons under your belt!
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