Argentine Tango Vs. Traditional American Square Dance

The Argentine Tango and Traditional American Square Dance would appear to be two diametrically opposed forms of dance. However, while there are definitive differences, there are also similarities. The world of dance is valued and vast. It is improbable to name all the forms of dance which exist in today’s world. Every country, every culture, every ethnicity has some form of representative dance. Whether the dances were handed down through tradition or taught, dance and music has bonded civilization throughout history. The Argentine Tango and The traditional American Square Dance were both influenced by immigrants. The Argentine Tango originated in the lower class in Buenos Aires during the early 1900s. During this time, Argentina was growing

The Argentine Tango is a quadruple meter, meaning it has a division of 4 beats to a bar. The music is filled with loneliness and loss of the immigrants far-away from their homelands and families. The bandoneon instrument was introduced into the Argentine Tango music. It sounds like an accordion and an organ. The bandoneon was perfect for the tango because its deep melancholy feeling gave immigrants a sentimental tribute to their hard working lives. The Traditional American Square has no specific meter, it follows various structures depending on the music. Square Dance is accompanied by live music. The band’s instruments include a combination, of fiddle, banjo, guitar, accordion, piano, and percussion. The live music provides an upbeat tempo that develops a strong sense of community. Square dancing is designed to express

In the tango every step is improvised with the two partners focused on each other and the music. There is a leader and a follower. The relationship between the two partners is key. The follower must be paying full attention to the leader and always be ready to respond to his movements. The leader must also pay full attention to the follower as he cannot start the next move till the follower has began to step. The dance is heavily focused on the body communications between the two partners. This often creates a deep and intimate connection for the two dancers. In this video clip https://youtu.be/bXhQNRsH3uc , the male leads the female counterclockwise around the floor. The partners dance in a close embrace enhancing the energy between the two. The passion between the two dancers flow perfectly with the music. The dance movements match to the current tempo of the song intensifying the dance. In Traditional American Square Dance there is little to no improvisation in the dance movements. The dancers follow the steps cued by a caller who is often one of the dancers or musicians. Square dancers learn the basic movements for each call rather than a whole routine. Square Dance is a group dancing consisting of each person having one partner. Through out the dance there is numerous switches in partners but you always come back to the initial