Different Types of Tango

The many flavors of Tango

When you hear the word Tango, the image that comes to your mind may be radically different then
someone else’s. While some will argue that there is only one Tango. In reality, there are several forms
of Tango and even several styles within Argentine Tango, as well as different Argentine Tango musical
rhythms that call for variations in frame, connection, and movement.

In the US, when most people think of Tango they conjure up the Hollywood image of a couple moving
forward in promenade. Unfortunately, this image is Hollywood fallacy.

Dancers, on the other hand, may conjure up more specific but different images of Argentine Tango or it
simplified stylized version American Tango. Ballroom dancers will further be familiar with
International Tango which developed in England and is popular mostly in Europe. Argentine Tango
dancers will think of different Argentine Tango styles such as Apilado, Tango Nuevo, Salon or Fantasia
but if you ask them what kind of Tango they like, some might answer, Milongas, Vals Cruzado/Tango
Waltz, or Candombes.

Form Style Rhythm Origin

Ballroom American, Tango U.S.
International
England
Argentine Apilado Tango Argentina /

Tango Nuevo, Milonga Rio de La Plata

Salon, Vals Cruzado (Buenos Aires /

Fantasia Candombe Montevideo)

Argentine Tango is a complex social dance with virtually unlimited improvisational opportunities. In
comparison, American or International Tango have well defined syllabus and dancers learn specific
steps and patterns for competitive events.

American Tango arose out of the first exposure of Argentine Tango to the world in the 1910’s, Ballroom
empressario Arthur Murray, simplified Argentine tango and adapted it to the preferences of ballroom
dancers. Ballroom Tango is only taught in ballrooms dance studio. The steps were codified and fixed to
make it easier to teach and judge. For example, Ballroom Tango dancers arch their torsos away from
one another and join at the hips. Argentine Tango dancers may join at the chest but generally keep their
hips away from each other except for the execution of specific movements.

The English outdid the Americans and thanks to their stiff prudish attitude codified Tango even more
and removed any semblance of passion or sensuality from Argentine Tango. English Tango was further
codified in the 1920’s and set at 30 bars per minute or 120 beats per minute at 4/4 measure.
Interestingly, the music used for Ballroom and International Tango seems flat and monotonous to
Argentine social dancers.
Argentine Tango is a social improvisational dance in which the leader is responsible to know and
visualize ever step the follower takes, where her weight is at all times, and to continually communicate
with and listen to the follower’s response. The leader must do this with confidence, clarity, and
musicality while navigating a crowded dance floor that may require aborted movements and getting the
follower out of harms way.

In turn, the follower in Argentine Tango focuses exclusively and totally on the leader immediately
responds to what is being asked of her by making her legs, torso, and arms flexible and available to the
leader’s movement. The follower must trust the leader to guide her movements, protect her, and allow
her the space and time to dance elegantly.

The end result of this is typically three minutes of a sensual passionate internally focused connection
where two bodies move as one. Some women describe it as “walking meditation.”

There are basic differences between these dance forms.

Argentine Tango American Tango International

Tango
Embrace Flexible Fixed Fixed
Posture Varies Fixed Fixed
Walking Parallel/Crosswalk Parallel Parallel
Head Turns Functional Stylized Sharp
Head Snaps No. Yes. Yes
Choreographed Only for shows Defined Patters Yes
Syllabus No Yes Yes
Rhythm Variable Quick,Quick, Slow Quick,Quick, Slow
Focus Internal External External
Sensual Yes Somewhat No
Popularity Argentina / US Ballroom England /Europe
Worlwide Ballroom
Elbows Point Down Point Out Point Out
Movement Smooth/Staccato Smooth Sharp
Connection Chest Pelvis Pelvis
Improvised Yes Some No
Taking Steps Toe lead/or flat Heel Lead Heal Lead
Feet of Ground Varies by style. No No

Please be aware that American Tango and International Tango are not appropriate for the Argentine
social dance floor as the patterns and steps run counter to dance floor etiquette and the ongoing need to
respond to what is going on the dance floor. Locally, ballroom tango dancers are tolerated but certainly
not appreciated in Argentine Tango dance parties or Milongas. The wild unpredictably of the Ballroom
Tango dancer forces other dancers to stay away at a safe distance. Thus the Ballroom Tango dancer ends
up monopolizing an inordinate amount of floor space. Ballroom Tango dancers may even be asked to
step off the dance floor if they are preventing the natural flow of Argentine social tango. To dance
Ballroom Tango, you have to go to a Ballroom dance party where they dance all the ballroom dance
styles. As a Ballroom Tango Dancer, do not expect to be dancing with Argentine Tango dancers, it is
like speaking two different languages.

Within Argentine Tango, the different dance styles are characterized by differences in embrace, frame,
distance and step size, and the direction of the follower’s head. These in turn cause other differences
related to movement and focus of the dance. .

Salon Apilado Tango Nuevo

Frame Circular Flat Flat
Embrace Open on one side Closed Open both sides
Distance Variable Close Fixed
Step Size Variable Small Variable
Follower Head Variable To the left Forward
Axis On/Off and /\ Axis Follower Off Axis On/Off and V axis
Movement Limited on one side. Severely Limited Unlimited
Possibilities
Focus Internal/External Internal Internal/External
Used in Shows Yes No Yes

In Argentina, salon tango is popular where there is plenty of room in which to dance. Salon is also the
basis for Tango Liso (Smooth Tang) kind Tango Fantasia (Show Tango) because it allows such variety
of movement and connection. Tango Salon is characterized most by open embrace on the leaders left
side as well as a flexible frame that can go from open and apart to close and closed on the leaders right.
Tango Salon is the most common form of Tango and it’s flexible frame allows for transitioning from
Salon to the following two embraces.

Apilado (Piled Up) (erroneously called Milonguero) is danced in crowded Argentine dance venues
where dancers have limited space in which to dance usually around square yard per couple or even less.
This style of Tango is popular because it is easy to learn, has limited vocabulary, and creates an intense
connection between leader and follower- both followers breasts are connected to the leaders chest. Some
adherents erroneously purport that this is true Tango, though any visit to Buenos Aires quickly dispels
this myth. Dancers eventually tire of Apilado’s physical restrictions and musical monotony and begin
exploring the more flexible Salon and Tang Nuevo styles.

Tango Nuevo (New Tango) arose out of the exploration of various Argentine tango masters to expand
the vocabulary of Tango by reaching back to movements of earlier tango masters. It is associated with
an emerging form of Tango music also called Tango Nuevo or Techno Tango. This tango style is
surprisingly popular among the young as it entails less intimate physical contact due to arms apart
embrace. (Don’t ask me why!) Tango Nuevo allows the incorporation of both lead and follow being off
axis in a “V” shape adding substantial more possibilities than the lean or /\ shape common in Salon and
inherent in Apilado.

Within Argentine Tango, there are several musical forms that most common one being the Tango, Vals
Cruzado or Tango Walts and Milonga.

Tango Milonga Tango Techno

Waltz Tango
Measure 2/4 1/2 1,2,3 varies
Steps variable short Variable variable
Embrace Open/close Close Open/Close Open
Rhythm Various Various Various Various
Pause Yes No No Yes

Dancing a Tango is characterized by pauses, variations in timing, speed, and movement. The steps may
short or long. Flowing or staccato. This is due to the complex and interwoven musical rhythms in
tangos. One can find tangos with habanera, waltz, and milonga rhythms incorporated into the tango
sound and vice versa.

Conversely, both Tango Walts and Milonga require continuous movement. There are not pauses and
fewer variations in speed. Dancing a Milonga also requires the bodies to be in a close embrace instead
of an open embrace as the follower move quickly and easily when there is strong connection.
Surprisingly, dancers dancing Apilado can be hamstrung by their posture and connection as it prevents
the more fluid below the hip bending and torso movements necessary to dance Milonga and Candombe,
an earlier musical form also popular and frequently played. And you will see many novice apilado
dancers sit out a good number of dances because they are unable to adapt their frame and posture to the
other musical styles.

More recently, Argentine and other musicians have created another musical genre variously know at
Techno Tango, Tango Nuevo, Electro Tango or Tango Fusion which blends elements of Tango, House,
Chill-Out, Jazz and more. Like a Tango it can have various rhythms in the music and can be typically
danced either like a Milonga or like Tango or weaving in and out of each. Many of the most popular
Tango Nuevo songs are remixes or new arrangements of traditional Tango compositions.

To truly understand when someone says, they want to learn Tango or are learning to dance Tango, one
must ask, which type, ballroom or argentine? American or International Tango? Apilado, Salon, or
Tango Nuevo? And if you are learning Tango in order to dance it socially which you can in San Diego
every night of the week or to dance Tango in Buenos Aires,, you might want to consider Argentine
Tango and start with Salon, that is what the Argentines do.

Note: A version of this article was printed in the January/Frebruary 2008 issue of San Diego Dance.

Florentino Guizar dances socially, teaches Argentine Tango through out San Diego, and performs
regularly with Isabelle Kay. Send comments to florentino@tangoconcepts.com.