The Waltz And The Tango

Writen by Michael Russell

The Waltz

The waltz, formerly known as the "Waltzen", rose to popularity in many parts of Austria and Germany in the early 19th century. During this time, there were many variations of the dance and they were each called by the name of the region where it originated. The dance that came from Landl ob der Enns, which is a region in upper Austria, became popular and was well-known by the abbreviation "Landler". The Landler was originally danced using heavy shoes and was comprised of complicated underarm turns, stamping, slapping and hopping around. But by the 1800s, it was performed with lighter footwear. This new version had similar quick gliding steps from the modern waltz but was danced to a slower tempo.

Another variation of the waltz was the "Boston". This is a slower version of the more upbeat Viennese Waltz because it is danced at 90 beats a minute. It started in America around 1870. The Boston was distinct from the other versions of the waltz because it was the first ballroom dance to have the dancers' feet at a parallel position rather than in the usual turned-out position. However, it retained most of the turning figures in the waltz and introduced additional steps such as the dip, wherein the partners would hold hands on each other's hips.

The present form of the dance is thought to have been developed in England around 1910 and was a derived from both the Landler and the Boston. It this version, the performers are able to add more figures to the slow tempo. The slow tempo also allowed dancers to add slow "picture" steps and poses and syncopated beats to give the waltz light and shade to make it more fascinating to watch.

The Tango

The Tango is a light and energetic Flamenco dance that originated in Spain. The Modern Tango, however, is quite far from its origins for it is now a combination of different styles of folk dance. The Spanish dance and other Spanish folk dances spread to the South Americas when the Spanish conquistadors took over. This emigration supposedly contributed to the formation of the Modern Tango. However, the forerunner of the Modern Tango was the African "Tangano" dance and was imported when Negro slaves were brought to the Americas. Over the centuries, these dances merged with other folk dances of the New World.

These dances from Spain and Africa eventually became combined with another folk dance from Havana, Cuba known as the Habanera. This merge occurred in the slums of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the late 19th century but worked its way up to the upper classes in the early 20th century. The merge was known as the "Milonga". This dance is known and distinct for its softness and intimacy between the couple and the visual emphasis on the movements of the legs. However, this was considerably altered in Paris in the 1930s when the choreography was combined with the stiff torso seen in other ballroom dances therefore giving it a disjointed impression. The visual emphasis in turn was pointed at the torso and the heads of the dancers. This change is retained in the Modern Tango.

This dance was first performed for the elite of Western Europe by France's greatest music-hall luminary, Mistinguett in 1910 in Paris, France. After his performance, "Tango-mania" ran all over Paris, then London and even to New York despite of World War I.

The mania was taken even further when it was performed by Rudolph Valentino in his movie "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" in 1921. The Tango's fame is strong even today when Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar danced in "Scent of a Woman" in 1992 and Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Tia Carrere in "True Lies" in 1994 gave demonstrations.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Dance