In Argentina, Tango is a National symbol, a proud and deep-rooted tradition of dance, poetry and music, closely bound up with the history of the region and kept alive by musicians, poets and aficionados young and old in hundreds of "milongas" or dance halls in Buenos Aires and in cities all over Argentina.
Tango has its own jargon, called “lunfardo”, that is utilized in its lyrics, so sometimes they are difficult to understand if you are not from Argentina, even if you are fluent in Spanish.
The dance and the music represent the history and the culture of Argentina. Dancers and musicians use emotion to express its passion and its feeling. To dance Argentine tango you need to be connected to your partner and to the music. You learn to listen to your partner (both ways) and together move to the music. Then you learn the steps.
The expression “it takes two to tango” is not that you just need a partner, it means that both need to be active, both are intimately involved and communicating.
This is the most important aspect of the Argentine tango. The togetherness in the connection, the embrace, the music and the intimacy. You don’t dance for the others, you dance together while expressing a feeling, an emotion.
Argentine tango is not only passion and sadness. There are mainly 3 rhythms:
Tango (usually passionate and sentimental, but it can also be happy)
Milonga (upbeat, happy)
Vals (waltz)
