Many myths surround how men started dancing tango with one another. For example, one myth is that while men were waiting to be "serviced," they had nothing else to do but refine the dancing skills. Another myth is that the bordellos provided a tango band for the waiting men for their amusement. But while both probably happened, it doesn't count for the large numbers of men who dance together or the wide scale acceptance of same-sex dancing that is quite rare in other cultures.
The first reason derives from where tango was initially danced. It must be remembered that tango, foremost, was the dance of the poor, the underprivileged - the 'lower class'. This group of people had less access to venues where tango was danced, and furthermore had less cultural 'finesses' or boundaries. As a result of these influences there evolved a culture in which it was acceptable for tango to be danced in the streets. Hence even before tango was danced between men, we must imagine in our minds a culture where it was quite common for couples to dance out in the open.
Tango was changed forever by the influx of European immigrants in the early 1900s. For example, it became unacceptable for women to dance in the streets. Also, men and women in public together was unacceptable and embracing one another was a scandal. And many young women were only allowed to go to milongas if they were accompanied by their parents. But as there were men who could afford to go to these venues, there were some that couldn't so their only option was to continue to dance in the streets. And if a man wanted to dance in the streets, he had no choice but to dance with another man.
The second reason for same-sex dancing is the fact that dancing was seen as a means to a woman's heart. This was further exacerbated by the fact that men outnumbered women in Buenos Aires in the early 1900s, so competition was fierce, and every edge counted. From this perspective, the fact that men could dance with men away from women was actually an advantage: young men could tune their skills for a long time by going to men-only practicas, until they were ready and confident to enter the floor of couples - where inevitably only very good dancers were accepted. This further reinforced the need for male-only dancing. It should be noted that the process for a man to learn tango would first start with the man going to a practica, and watching. Eventually one of the older men would teach him how to follow. Then when he was proficient, he would be promoted to leading another young man. Normally it would take about a year until a man was promoted to start leading. Then, when the man was ready - and this took often 3 years! - he would finally be escorted with another more experienced man to a milonga for an arranged dance with a woman.
The third reason for men dancing tango with men is that tango was considered immoral by the upper class and the authorities. So much so that there was a formal initiative to close all cafes and ban tango music from being played on the streets. For example, in 1916 a law was passed in Buenos Aires that banned dancing between men in dance establishments. An attempt was made to slowly eradicate it from Argentina, and we find an account in 1919 by Joaquin Belda, who in his visit to Buenos Aires for 6 months wrote that most of the cafes were either closed or empty. This of course resulted in even further reduced access to couples dancing tango, so to dance tango, men had to dance with each other.
The first reason derives from where tango was initially danced. It must be remembered that tango, foremost, was the dance of the poor, the underprivileged - the 'lower class'. This group of people had less access to venues where tango was danced, and furthermore had less cultural 'finesses' or boundaries. As a result of these influences there evolved a culture in which it was acceptable for tango to be danced in the streets. Hence even before tango was danced between men, we must imagine in our minds a culture where it was quite common for couples to dance out in the open.
Tango was changed forever by the influx of European immigrants in the early 1900s. For example, it became unacceptable for women to dance in the streets. Also, men and women in public together was unacceptable and embracing one another was a scandal. And many young women were only allowed to go to milongas if they were accompanied by their parents. But as there were men who could afford to go to these venues, there were some that couldn't so their only option was to continue to dance in the streets. And if a man wanted to dance in the streets, he had no choice but to dance with another man.
The second reason for same-sex dancing is the fact that dancing was seen as a means to a woman's heart. This was further exacerbated by the fact that men outnumbered women in Buenos Aires in the early 1900s, so competition was fierce, and every edge counted. From this perspective, the fact that men could dance with men away from women was actually an advantage: young men could tune their skills for a long time by going to men-only practicas, until they were ready and confident to enter the floor of couples - where inevitably only very good dancers were accepted. This further reinforced the need for male-only dancing. It should be noted that the process for a man to learn tango would first start with the man going to a practica, and watching. Eventually one of the older men would teach him how to follow. Then when he was proficient, he would be promoted to leading another young man. Normally it would take about a year until a man was promoted to start leading. Then, when the man was ready - and this took often 3 years! - he would finally be escorted with another more experienced man to a milonga for an arranged dance with a woman.
The third reason for men dancing tango with men is that tango was considered immoral by the upper class and the authorities. So much so that there was a formal initiative to close all cafes and ban tango music from being played on the streets. For example, in 1916 a law was passed in Buenos Aires that banned dancing between men in dance establishments. An attempt was made to slowly eradicate it from Argentina, and we find an account in 1919 by Joaquin Belda, who in his visit to Buenos Aires for 6 months wrote that most of the cafes were either closed or empty. This of course resulted in even further reduced access to couples dancing tango, so to dance tango, men had to dance with each other.
About the Author:
Tony and Melanie have been choreographing, educating, performing and composing fantastic choreography for over three decades. The operate NYC's top-notch dance center. If you are interested in learning more history of any dances make sure you check out their site. They are currently teaching dance lessons in NYC.
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