Tango

Tango
Tango dancers in Montevideo
Year1850–1890
OriginRío de la Plata (Argentina and Uruguay)
Tango
CountryArgentina, Uruguay
Reference00258
RegionLatin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription2009 (4th session)
ListRepresentative

Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Argentine Milonga, Spanish-Cuban Habanera, and Uruguayan Candombe celebrations.[1] It was frequently practiced in the brothels and bars of ports, where business owners employed bands to entertain their patrons.[2] It then spread to the rest of the world.[3] Many variations of this dance currently exist around the world.

On August 31, 2009, UNESCO approved a joint proposal by Argentina and Uruguay to include the tango in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[4][5]

  1. ^ Chasteen, John Charles (2004). National Rhythms, African Roots: The Deep History of Latin American Popular Dance. University of New Mexico Press.
  2. ^ Castro, Donald (January 1990). "The Soul of the People: The Tango as a Source for Argentine Social History". Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. 9: 279–295.
  3. ^ Termine, Laura (30 September 2009). "Argentina, Uruguay bury hatchet to snatch tango honor". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ^ "Culture:The Tango". UNESCO Archives Multimedia website. UNESCO. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  5. ^ "The Tango". Intangible Heritage Lists. UNESCO. Retrieved 30 November 2010.