Tango Dance Research Paper

Rhythm
At the beginning, it would emulate some steps from the candombe and the dancing couples, instead of approaching each other, would get away from one another following the rhythm. The rhythm of tango is based on a 4/8 beat and dancing it only takes walking this basic nucleus of four steps following the rhythm. Figures can be added, but the most important issue in order to be a good dancer is to "walk the tango" and that means within the rhythm. The tango has a soft undulation and a bold rhythm. It is not danced at will or with stiffness. Argentine tango is very flexible and has no set rhythm at all. The leader is free to improvise and dance any rhythm that fits the music. He can suddenly pause and hold a position for dramatic effect.
Leader and follower need not even dance the same rhythm! Often the follower will be dancing all slows and the leader will do a double time step. In Argentine tango the leader may be stepping with the left foot while the follower also steps with the left foot. In American tango, this is usually considered incorrect unless the leader is dancing side-by-side or facing the same direction as the follower.
Every Salsa composition involves complex African percussion based around the Clave Rhythm, though there can be moments when the clave is hidden for a while, often when quoting Charanga, Changüí, and Bomba. The key instrument that provides the core groove of a salsa song is the clave. Every instrument in a Salsa band is either playing with the clave or playing independent of the clave rhythm. Melodic components of the music and dancers can choose to be in clave or out of clave at any point. However it is taboo to play or dance to the wrong type of clave rhythm. While dancers can mark the clave rhythm directly, it is more common to do so indirectly. This allows the dancing itself to look very fluent as if the rest of the body is just moving untouched with the legs.
Movement
As a salsa dancer changes weight the upper body remains level and nearly unaffected by the weight changes. Caught in the middle are the hips which end up moving quite a bit—the famous "Cuban hip movement." The arms are used to communicate the lead in either open or closed position. In open position the two dancers hold one or both hands, especially for moves that involve turns, or putting arms behind the back, or moving around each other. In closed position, the leader puts the right hand on the follower's back, while the follower puts the left hand on the leader's shoulder. In some styles, the dancers remain in a slot, while in others the dancers circle around each other sometimes in 3 points. In the original Latin America form, the forward/backward motions of Salsa is done in diagonal or sideways with the 3-steps weight change intact.
One of the more important aspects of the tango is the frame, or the way the dancers hold their bodies with each other. The dance position is "closed," that is, with the lead's right hand on the follows’ left shoulder blade and left hand extended to the side, grasping the follows’ right hand. The follows’ left hand is placed midway down the lead's right arm. While this gives the appearance of the arm resting, no actual weight should be placed on the lead's arm. The lead and follow should look to the side, towards the left and right, respectively, with spines very straight and a slight tilt back to the follows’ head. Occasionally there will be tango dance steps that require them to snap their heads around and look at each other, but their heads should always go back to the rest of the frame. That frame is held through many of the steps, with only the tilt of the bodies changing. While this may seem like it makes the dance too rigid for some, in reality the stability of the dance frame makes all the rest of the tango dance steps more elegant.
History
Over the years, the sounds of salsa and the steps of the dance migrated to the U.S.
as early as the 40s, where further cultivation took place in the New York City Latin population during the 1960 and 70s. Cuban and Puerto Rican communities throughout Latin America and the United States are responsible for shaping most of the steps we see today. The culture surrounding salsa also takes cues from the styles of mambo and rumba. The typical instruments accompanying salsa dance includes the thumping of congas, blaring trumpets, cowbells, timbales, and claves. Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature, so the overall look and feel is quite different form those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side
feel.
Tango is one of the most fascinating of all dances.
It originated in Spain or Morocco. The Tango was introduced to the New World by the Spanish settlers, eventually coming back to Spain with Black and Creole influences. In the early 19th Century, the Tango was a solo dance performed by the woman. The Andalusian Tango was later done by one or two couples walking together using castanets. Ballroom Tango originated in the lower class of Buenos Aires, especially in the "Bario de las Ranas". Clothing was dictated by full skirts for the woman and gauchos with high boots and spurs for the man. The story of Tango as told is that it started with the gauchos of Argentina. They wore chaps that had hardened from the foam and sweat of the horses body. Hence to gauchos walked with knees flexed. They would go to the crowded night clubs and ask the local girls to dance. Since the gaucho hadn't showered, the lady would dance in the crook of the man's right arm, holding her head back. Her right hand was held low on his left hip, close to his pocket, looking for a payment for dancing with him. The man danced in a curving fashion because the floor was small with round tables, so he danced around and between them. The dance spread throughout Europe in the 1900's. Originally popularized in New York in the winter of 1910 - 1911, Rudolph Valentino then made the Tango a hit in 1921. As time elapsed and the music became more subdued, the dance was finally considered respectable even in Argentina. In
conclusion, my report informed you that dance Salsa and the Tango have many different backgrounds, such as history, rhythm, and movement. Reference Page

• http://www.tejastango.com/tango_history.html • http://www.dancelovers.com/tango_history.html • http://www.welcomeargentina.com/tango/history.htm