Tango History

Tango originated in lower class districts of Buenos Aires. The music derived from the fusion of music from Europe, the South American Milonga and African rhythms. The word Tango seems to have first been used in connection with the dance in the 1890’s. Tango became popular throughout society. The first European tango craze took place in Paris, followed by London, Berlin and towards the end of 1913 hit New York.

In Argentine the onset of the 1929 Great Depression and a failing government caused Tango to decline. Throughout the years Tango flourished and declined. The dance lived on in smaller venues until its revival in the 1980’s following the opening in Paris of the show Tango Argentino and the Broadway musical Forever Tango.