Over the years, tango has evolved into a variety of styles. Along with the traditional tango, its many different styles are practiced around the world. What makes each style different from the other is the way of dancing. This involves the posture of both the dancers in the embrace, their movements, speed, and tempo. Here, we’ll take a look at the popular styles of tango that you probably were not aware of:
1. Ballroom Tango
In this style of tango, it’s extremely important to respect the line of dance. However, there are a lot of variations in movements and the type of hug. This enables the dancers to have a greater distance between them. The woman dancer can have a great deal of freedom in running the laps. Ballroom tango is quite social in its character and is a lot less dramatic among all the other styles.
You’ll find it useful if you’re someone who likes to improvise by dancing. This style of tango needs a great deal of improvisation to perform. It also includes many other social dance styles, such as club-style tango, Villa Urquiza, and milonguero.
2. Tango Canyegue
Tango Canyegue involves dancing in a V-shaped position. This is more of a closed positon and doesn’t use the ‘crossover’. Also known as Tango Orillero, this style of tango is the oldest among all the other styles. It was used for dancing on the streets during the early 20th century.
The steps in this style of tango are short and the dancers keep their knees bent. This type of dancing can be described as expressive, musical, and playful tango.
3. Tango Nuevo
If you like to incorporate a variety of steps in a dance, Tango Nuevo would be your perfect choice. Also known as ‘The New Tango’, this fusion of different styles offers you an amazing fluidity in your movements. This flexible style of tango can include the elements of other dance forms, such as Salsa and Swing.
You don’t need to go through many cuts in Tango Nuevo as there’s a certain continuity of movement. In terms of choreography and music, it also lets you express a lot of drama.
4. Tango Milonguero
The musical rhythm of Tango Milonguero is a lot more faster than the other styles of tango. In this style of dancing, the dancers have a stacked posture. The upper part of the dancer’s body is constantly in contact with the body of his or her partner. Among the most fascinating feature of this style of tango is the way the couple stays in balance.
Even if the couple makes ‘turns’, their position doesn’t change. This will definitely suit you, if you like dance styles that are much faster. The most popular music in this style of tango is the one from Rodolfo Biagi and Juan d’Arienzo. It can also be performed with the music played by the tango orchestras.
5. Fantasy Tango
Also called ‘Show Tango’, this style of dance is performed for presenting or exhibiting it to the public. It is, therefore, also known as the stage tango. The dance in this style usually mixes a variety of rhythms and movements from other genres.
As this style of dancing is intended for competitions, exhibitions, and shows, there’s a lot of preparation involved. It also demands a great level of perseverance and practice from the dancers.