Regardless of how much dance knowledge or expertise someone has, almost everyone has heard of the Tango. The very name evokes an image of sensuality and passion no matter how much someone may know about it.

Unlike the two dances covered so far in the Arthur Murray Cranford blogs, the Foxtrot and the Cha Cha, the Tango can trace its roots back to the nineteenth century, and the dance originated much farther south on the globe. It sprung up in the last 1800s along the border of Argentina and Uruguay, evolved from several other dances, such as the Milonga and Waltz. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that the Tango spread to the rest of the world, however, although it soon created quite the craze in Europe and the United States by 1913.

Today, the Tango has many different, distinct forms in the professional dancing world. The two most popular and well-known are the American Tango (seen as the “normal” or default Tango in the States) and the Argentine Tango, both favorite choices taught here at the Arthur Murray Dance Center of Cranford.

The American style of Tango is characterized by strong, decisive movements and staccato footwork. It is the dance of passion incarnate. In contrast, the Argentine Tango is far slower with smoother, more sensual movements. If the American Tango is the fiery, feisty dance, then the Argentine Tango is the sexier one.

Either (or both!) of these styles of dance can add some romance and spice to any dance resume! We can teach anyone who’d like to learn these dances, so Walk In & Dance Out today! You can schedule your first complimentary lesson with us either online or by calling our Cranford studio.