Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buenos Aires in the 1880s. Legions of European immigrants, mostly lower-class men, ar-
rived here to seek their fortune. They settled on the capital's fringes, such as La Boca and
Barracas, but missing their motherlands and the women they left behind, sought out cafes
and bordellos to ease the loneliness. Here (so the myth goes), these immigrant men
danced with each other while they waited for their paramours to become available - wo-
men were scarce back then!
The perceived vulgarity of the dance that mainly belonged to the poor southern barrios
was deeply frowned upon by the reigning porteño elites of the plush northern suburbs, but
it did manage to influence some brash young members of the upper classes. These rebel
jet setters, known as niños bien , took the novelty to Paris and created a craze - a dance
that became an acceptable outlet for human desires, expressed on the dance floors of eleg-
ant cabarets. The trend spread around Europe and even to the USA, and 1913 was con-
sidered by some as 'the year of the tango'. When the evolved dance, now refined and fam-
ous, returned to Buenos Aires, it finally earned the respectability it deserved. And so the
golden years of tango began.
In 1955, however, Argentina became a military state intolerant of artistic or ' national-
istic' activities - including the tango, which had been highly popular with the people.
Some tango songs were banned, and the dance was forced underground due to curfews
and a limit on group meetings. The dance didn't resurface until 1983, when the junta fell -
and once it was back in the open again, it underwent a renaissance. After being con-
strained by the rigors of military rule, Argentines suddenly wanted to experience new life,
be creative and move. The tango became popular once again - and remains so to this day.
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