Milonga, and Vals School
It is recorded that as early as the 1700's there were African slaves in what is known as the River Plate area "el Rio de la Plata". Just like here in the United States, the slaves brought with them many things, including their music and dance. When they would gather together there was almost always some sort of dancing or drumming going on. These gatherings became known as "tambo". The music played is part of the first roots of the milonga (milonga as in music or dance - not as in a dancehall).
In the mid- to late- 19th century thousands of immigrants left their homelands to "make America". Many men left their families and friends behind in hopes of starting a new life. Many Italian and Spanish immigrants chose Argentina and Uruguay as their new homes, but for many the dream was much different than the reality. Many were forced to stay and not go back home because they did not have the success they were hoping for.
These men had families and those children heard about the loneliness and solitude that their fathers lived. These children were the first tango poets, the first tango musicians. They would meet in cafe's and at this same time an Argentine leader lifted a ban on the African gatherings. This interchange between the poet, the musician, and the dancer made the first tangos.
Along with influence from the habanera the tango dance, music, and prose began.
At first it was guitar, violin, and flute. It wasn't until the 1900's that the bandoneon was introduced. Many people ask the difference between a bandoneon and an accordion. To make it simple an accordion has buttons on one side and keys on the other... the bandoneon has buttons of both sides. The bandoneon is believed to have originated in Germany and it appeared on the ports of Buenos Aires ~1910's. During these years of the 10's and 20's the first tango cuartetos consisted of a violin, the piano replaced the guitar, the bandoneon replaced the flute, and a stand-up bass was added. This would be the set-up until the mid 1930's. Musicians that florished in these time include Francisco Canaro and Roberto Firpo. You'll notice that in 95% of the milongas in the world you won't hear much music from these artists. Not because it is not appreciated, but because the tangos from "La Guardia Vieja" had more of a marching beat and though there is a way to dance to this music, what most dancers learn in everyday tango classes is much more fluid.
These first years, "La Guardia Vieja", led the way for what is known
as "The Golden Age of Tango"
From the mid 1930's to the end of the 1940's (early 50's) the tango celebrated it's most vivid time. Orchestras added a couple of more violins, a couple of more bandoneons, it wouldn't have been awkward to see twelve to fifteen musicians on any given night at a milonga in Buenos Aires. Famous musicians, singers, and orchestra leaders such as Carlos DiSarli,
Anibal Troilo, Juan D'Arienzo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Francisco Fiorentino, Alberto Podesta, Alberto Echague, Ricardo Tanturi and Miguel Calo are products of this age. It is the music of this era that is danced to in 95% of
the milongas of the world.
What about the dance? The tango of La Guardia Vieja was danced a little hunched over, with a little sway, and with some movements known as the "cortada" and "quebrada" which were banned because of their connatations. Once the tango left the ports and the prostibules and made its way to the fancy dancehalls the dance changed. Men stood up straight and took smooth, simple, elegant steps. They learned to dance in small areas to avoid contact with other couples. This is how the tango is still danced in most of the milongas around the world.
In the 1960's and 70's the tango took a big nose dive. Many people think that the Argentine military government banned the tango, but that is not true. People were afraid to leave their houses to meet with friends because they did not want to be mistaken for something they weren't. Let's not forget, also, that the influence of Elvis Presley and the Beatles did not stay
in the Northern Hemisphere.
It wasn't until in the 1980's with Claudio Segovia's and Hector Orrezoli's "Tango Argentino" - the broadway show that thrilled millions - that the
tango was reborn. Thanks to dancers such as Juan Carlos Copes and
Gloria and Eduardo Arquimbau, who continued to dance throughout
the 60's and 70's that we can continue this tradition today. Virulazo, also one of the original dancers of the show, is a man who weighed 200lbs+.
The public saw this man and said, "If he can do this, so can I." And then when a 20 year-old Miguel Angel Zotto, with his most memorable partner Milena Plebs, came onto the scene the younger generation discovered their hidden passion for the tango. The same tango that their parents and grandparents have been listening to all their lives. And here we are today.
Imagine how incomplete this history is that I didn't even mention
Carlitos Gardel ;)