Styles of Argentine Tango: A More In-depth Look at the Different Styles

Argentine Tango is a social dance which originated in Argentina and then later moved on to Uruguay, and slowly spread to the rest of the world. While the Argentine Tango is commonly confused with the Ballroom Tango, it definitely is not so; however, there are many different styles in Argentine Tango. In fact, in total there are 6 different styles in the Argentine Tango, and each one of them have their own distinct differences which makes them stand out from one another.

The dances include the Tango Canyengue, Tango Orillero, Salon Tango, "Estilo Milonguero", Tango Nuevo, and Show Tango. In this article, we will point out some of the basics of the different styles.

Tango Canyengue was a popular dance until the 1920's; however, it is rather fast paced as it is generally danced in the 2/4 time signature. In this tango style, the partners generally dance in short strides, and in a close embrace - definitely a romantic sort of dance! There is actually a reason behind why the dancers danced in short strides; at that time of point when this dance was popular, the fashion was long tight clothing which restricted the movement.

The Tango Orillero is still danced today. It is significantly different than the Tango Canyengue because there was more space available for the dancers to dance. This dance was popular in the outskirts of dance where there was more space available; thus, it includes rapid feet moves, and dance techniques, and kicks. There have been more recent developments of acrobatics to this dance.

Up until the Golden Era, the Salon Tango was a popular dance when there were tango dance parties known as milongas. Salon Tango is different from the other dances as well since the dance moves are slow, measured, and smoothly executed. Generally, the salon tango is the basic tango moves with different techniques incorporated to it like the barridas and voleos. In this dance, walking is one of the most important aspects, and the dance is rather flexible although the couples are in a close embrace.